Causeway Bridge

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Using a seat belt is the best defense in a vehicle crash. Since a crash can occur at any time, it is very important to buckle your seat belt regardless of the traveling distance. According to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA), seat belts saved 14,955 lives involved in accidents nationwide. An additional 2,549 lives would have been saved in 2017 if everyone involved would have buckled up.

Here are the top 5 things you should know about the importance of using a seat belt:

1. Using a seat belt will keep you from being ejected from the vehicle in a crash.

2. Airbags were designed to work with your seat belt not replace it.

3. Seat belts must be used correctly to be effective. If you are unsure of proper placement, guidelines can be found online.

4. The fit of the seat belt matters. Extensions are sold if you need a roomier seat belt. If you have an older or classic car with lap belts only, check with the vehicle manufacturer about retrofitting your vehicle with a seat belt that meets today’s standards.

5. Pregnant women are advised to buckle their seat belt throughout their pregnancy.

Using your seat belt is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself in an accident. Make it a habit to buckle up every time.

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Self-driving or autonomous cars have gone from science fiction in the past to a reality in our future. A lot of people think of the technology as being all or nothing. Either the car is a self-driving vehicle or not. However, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has broken autonomous vehicles down into these five levels according to their capability:

• Level 0 is no automation involved. The driver is responsible for everything.
• Level 1 is driver assistance. The car helps with the acceleration. It also assists with brake or steering.
• Level 2 is partial assistance. The car assists with acceleration. Braking and steering.
• Level 3 is conditional automation. The car assists with for a short period of time. The driver can turn their attention away from the road momentarily.
• Level 4 is high automation. It requires no attention from the driver unless desired.
• Level 5 is full automation.

Although it may be awhile before Level 5 self-driving or autonomous cars are prevalent on America’s highways, some of the features are currently available and used in many vehicles on the road today. Cruise control, blind spot detection, parking assistance, forward collision warning systems, and steering assistance are all features that lead us down the automation road to self-driving. For the present however, let’s all keep our on the road and pay attention while driving always.

Wednesday, July 03, 2019

The Fourth of July is a time to recognize the abundance of freedoms we enjoy in America. It is a wonderful time to celebrate with family, friends, food and fireworks. Tragically, due to drunk driving, it is also one of the deadliest holidays of the year. According to the NHTSA, every day almost 30 people in the United States die due to drunk driving. That is one person every 48 minutes. There is simply no excuse for getting behind the wheel if you have been drinking.

Causeway Police are joining other law enforcement agencies for the “Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign” which runs from July 1, 2019 through July 7, 2019 during the Independence Day holiday. The campaign is coordinated and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.

Remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. To report impaired drivers, commuters are encouraged to dial *27 (*CP) or 504-835-3116 to contact the Causeway and Huey P. Long Police dispatch. Celebrate the 4th safely.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

When the phrase the dark aide is mentioned, it could be in reference to many different subjects. For example: Star Wars (i.e. Darth Vader), Transformers movie (ship’s name in the television series), Physicists (an affiliation of researching dark matter), Tales from the Dark Side (1990 horror movie), several different books, or albums (Dark Side of the Moon from Pink Floyd). Safe driving is usually not in those that immediately come to mind but it should. According to a study conducted by e-driving, aggressive driving contributed to the 5 million accidents in 2018. Over 50% of fatal collisions are caused by aggressive driving.

What should you do when confronted by an aggressive driver?

• Stay calm and relaxed
• Make every attempt to get into the other lane safely
• Don’t escalate the situation
• Do not challenge an aggressive driver by speeding up or attempting to hold your position in your travel lane
• Avoid eye contact
• Ignore harassing gestures and refrain from returning them

Aggressive driving leads to the dark side. If you encounter an aggressive driver on the Causeway Bridge, contact Causeway Police Dispatch at 504-835-3116 (or *CP on a cellular phone). Although we cannot control how others drive, we can control our own reaction.