Jim Brown: Louisiana drivers are earning a rep as nation's worst

Louisiana has worst drivers in the U.S.!
Say it isn’t so.
The Bayou State, made up of docile souls who are law- abiding, courteous and well-trained motorists, has just been tagged by several rating services as having the worst drivers in the nation.
Look, the folks down here in the deepest of the Deep South states do get a little rowdy now and then.
Maybe Mardi Gras and Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.
But day in and day out, we are a bunch of lousy drivers? It just can’t be!
Ah, mon cher, but the facts don’t lie. Pick your category of worst driving habits and you will see Louisiana motorists at the bottom of the ranking barrel.
Some ratings agencies have even suggested that out of state drivers make a U-turn when they approach the Louisiana state line.
Here are a few of the reasons why.
CarInsuranceComparison.com rates Louisiana as the No. 1 state for failure to obey, No. 5 in careless driving, sixth in drunk driving, fourth in average number of fatalities, and an overall rating of No. 1 for worst drivers.
Bankrate.com reaches the same conclusion that the worst drivers in the country are in Louisiana.
Road rage is front and center in a number of metropolitan areas where irate drivers have gunned down a number of drivers where confrontations have taken place.
Any number of hit and runs are a regular occurrence all over the state.
On interstates, you would think you were competing in the Daytona 500.
Not just a few, but hundreds of cars whiz by zipping along at 80, 85 or 90 mph without giving a second thought to how much over the speed limit they are traveling.
The law is clear that when your windshield gets wet, drivers are required to turn on their headlights.
On a trip to New Orleans on I-10, it seemed that every sixth or seventh car, in a major downpour, ignored the law and traveled without the car’s lights turned on.
DWIs? The penalties are strict, but too often are not imposed.
A driver in Livingston Parish appeared in court recently following multiple DWIs and a host of other drug related citations and arrests. He walked away with a suspended jail sentence and a small fine.
For a third offense DWI, the Louisiana law is quite clear.
Jail time, loss of driving privileges for 5 years, and the driver’s car is impounded and sold.
Too tough for such a violation? Heck no! Get these irresponsible drunks off the roads.
The state police, who should have an acceptable level of troopers out on the interstates, are dramatically understaffed and are several hundred troopers short just for highway duty.
Under the Jindal administration, not one new trooper was hired and trained for the last five years.
The Louisiana legislature, in its wisdom, can find over one billion dollars for corporate giveaways, and millions for football and basketball teams, but no money to hire more of those who protect us.
Bad driving habits are based on personal responsibility and the right attitude.
Laissez les bon temps rouler just doesn’t cut it when it comes to safety on the highways.
There’s a brashness and arrogance by many drivers that endangers the rest of us. More enforcement is necessary, but it’s going to take the governor and the legislature to step up and fund a major crack down. There is a lot at stake.
Jim Brown is a foermer Louisiana commissioner of insurance.