America is dealing with a surge in traffic fatalities and the national administration is moving quickly to adapt. New driving laws are coming in across the country, according to KSBY, which will target drivers for more stringent action if they do break the laws of the road. These changes can, and will, have a significant impact on various aspects of the driving experience. Being aware of these changes, and how they might make driving in the future more difficult, is an important factor for drivers.
Insurance impacts
One way that the courts and federal authorities will target bad drivers is through insurance sanctions. The California SR-22 measure, for instance, requires drivers who have a previous DUI to show evidence of competency before they can be approved for new insurance. This process, in itself, reveals details of their driving history to insurers and will impact prices. As The Hill notes, there are wider changes being considered for insurance terms in line with a move towards increasing driver responsibility – this may create even more stringent impacts.
Your vehicle
In addition to changing insurance standards that are designed to make drivers more responsible, there are changes coming to the very nature of American roads that are designed to the same end. According to Fortune magazine, the latest infrastructure bill will mandate the inclusion of high-tech new anti-drunk driving technology on highways and, crucially, in cars. This will make it harder again for negligent drivers to get on the road, and raises the responsibility level.
Attack on dangerous driving
A wider policy push from President Biden’s head of the highways agency, Steven Cliff, indicates that drivers with previous offences really will need to prove their ability to drive safely on the roads. With road traffic fatalities going up despite lower overall numbers of vehicles on the road, it’s clear as to why this is being pursued. For drivers with previous offences, it’s not a case of game over, but it is about to get a lot more difficult.
Crucially, all of the new rules and regulations surrounding drivers previously driving dangerously are nevertheless achievable. They are stringent, but they’re not unfair. Recognizing that, and the fact that the USA has a challenge on its hands when it comes to road safety, should help in clearly showing how necessary the rules are and what drivers can do to conform.
