Prepared by: Knox Boteler, Attorney at Law. The following information is provided as general advice and without charge. Questions about specific issues or situations should be directed to an experienced motor vehicle accident attorney. NOTE: The following material is protected by all applicable State and Federal Copyright laws. Published May, 2005.

Being a safe driver requires an understanding of the dangers related to operating a car on the public roads and highways.  Drivers distracted by eating or drinking, or by using a cell phone are a danger to themselves and others.  Special attention is required when driving through construction zones and especially while driving in school zones. Use of seatbelts is required by Alabama law as well as the use of child seats. Our quarterly newsletter, Legally Speaking, has had several articles on the above safety subjects and contains a regular column on Traffic Safety News.

THE LINKS BELOW MAY HELP YOU FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND DRIVING HAZZARDS:

This link to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has maps and information about all ALDOT work zones on major roadways in Alabama. http://www.dot.state.al.us/Public_Info/work_zones.asp

Information about Emergency Road Closures from the Alabama Department of Transportation can be found here. This information is very helpful after severe storms or bad weather. http://www.dot.state.al.us/closures/

Information about National Road Closures and Construction from the U.S. Department of Transportation: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/index.htm

Traffic reports by metro area by MSN Traffic Reports: http://autos.msn.com/everyday/trafficreport.aspx

And Yahoo Traffic: http://traffic.yahoo.com/traffic

From U.S. DOT, links to the Department of Transportation for each State: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/webstate.htm

This site from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis contains statistics and data related to fatal traffic accidents in the United States. http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/new_tips.cfm?stateid=0&year=2003&tipscat=&sear

More Traffic Statistics with “Did You Know?” section:  http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/