Should Louisiana Pass an ‘Emergency Lane’ Law?
I know that many people think there are already enough laws on the books but hear me out on this one.
Do you think that Louisiana should pass an "Emergency Lane" law?
How often is it that we hear of a crash on the Atchafalaya Basin Expressway that has traffic tied up for miles? Too often, if you ask me.
What happens when traffic is tied up on the basin bridge? No traffic can get through.
Same thing goes when there is a tie-up on any roadway in Louisiana, whether it's a crash on Highway 90 or construction on Highway 167, traffic does get backed up and vehicles can't go anywhere for a while.
That includes emergency vehicles.
Imagine - you are at home and someone in your household suffers a medical event - you want an ambulance to be able to respond rapidly, right?
Or, if it is a crash on the Atchafalaya Basin bridge or the Causeway in New Orleans, emergency vehicles need to get to the crash, and they usually have to arrive with the flow of traffic.
I saw a photograph today that reminded me of something that I learned when I was stationed in Germany in the military.
In Germany, there is a law that states that if there is a "stau" (German for "traffic jam"), vehicles must pull over to the side of the roadway to make a path for any emergency vehicles that need to get by.
I know that much of our interstate system allows for a wide shoulder for emergency vehicles but, more times than not, I have seen cars and trucks take to the shoulder(s) to try to get to the next exit.
I have also seen vehicles pull over onto the shoulder just to keep cars and trucks from using the shoulder to get to the next exit (which is also, I believe, illegal).
So, what do you think? Should Louisiana (or all states??) pass an "Emergency Lane" law that would require drivers to create a passage down the center of the roadway for emergency use only in the case of a crash that snarls traffic?