New Orleans Driving Laws and Out-of-State Drivers

hethe

you

e

longtime Ne

O

le

ns

e

esident o

you’ve

ecently

eloc

ted to ou

city, you’

e p

ob

bly p

infully e of ou

st

tus

s

f

vo

ite v

c

tion

nd confe

ence destin

tion.

lthough Ne

O

le

ns h

s m

ny f

mily-f

iendly

ttctions, m

ny visito

s come to enjoy the

bund

nce of food, music,

nd spi

its. Th

oughout the ye

, out-of-st

te d

ive

s c

n ove

un the city, but it’s most notice

ble du

ing M

di G

s, the J

zz

nd He

it

ge Festiv

l, ohen

big confe

ence in to

n.

hethe

ou

visito

s

o

d t

ip f

om

nothe

st

te o

fly into Louis

mst

ong Ne

O

le

ns Inte

n

tion

l

i

po

t,

e don’t nt them d

iving

ound

s if they fo

got to p

ck thei

common sense.

You c

n st

y home to

void shing the

o

d

ith the tou

ists

nd business t

vele

s

ho flood the C

escent City, but th

t’s no fun! Nobody

ho lives in Ne

O

le

ns

nts to hide f

om its festivities. Inste

d,

e’ve

hipped up this guide fo

you to unde

st

nd some of the st

uggles out-of-st

te d

ive

s must ove

come

hen they visit Ne

O

le

ns,

nd some signs you c

n look fo

to

void them on the

o

d.

Mo

eove

,

e hope it helps them get ound ou

city s

fely.

ith

deepe

unde

st

nding of some of Ne

O

le

ns’s d

iving l

s

nd its complic

ted l

yout, you c

n

void f

lling victim to

n

ccident c

used by

n out-of-st

te d

ive

,

nd those d

ive

s c

n

void c

shing into you.

e

d on to le

n mo

e f

om the expe

ienced <

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ccident l

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t the <

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t J. Guss<> Fi

m

No Left Tu

ns<

h2>
Ne

O

le

ns is one of the fe

cities th

t doesn’t

llo

left tu

ns

t some inte

sections, often

long ou

boulev

ds.

voiding left tu

ns is

go

l of m

ny city pl

nne

s. The N

tion

l Highy Tnspo

t

tion S

fety

dministtion (NHTS

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tes 22 pe

cent > of

ll t

ffic c

shes

t inte

sections

e

esult of vehicles m

king left tu

ns. Yet, out-of-st

te d

ive

s in

ne

city

ho

en’t p

ying

ttention to t

ffic p

tte

ns sometimes t

y to m

ke illeg

l left tu

ns

nd c

use <

h

ef=”https://c

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-o

le

ns-tffic-

ccident-st

tistics

“>

ccidents in Ne

O

le

ns >. D

ive

s in Ne

O

le

ns

ho nt to go left must often p

ss the inte

section

he

e they nt to tu

n left, m

ke

U-tu

n

t

design

ted spot, then tu

n

ight to get

he

e they need to go. This is st

ndd

c

oss the city on

ny st

eets

ith “<

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l g

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ound

efe

s to

ny gssy e

bet

een t

o l

nes of tffic.) Othe

cities

efe

to this

s

medi

n. Ne

O

le

ns, ho

eve

,

et

ined the n

me “neutl g

ound” p

tly

s

joke

nd ptly

s

th

o

b

ck to

hen neutl g

ound

s used to desc

ibe the e

bet

een the F

ench C

eoles

nd

nglo-

me

ic

ns in

divided city. To m

ke m

tte

s

o

se, out-of-st

te d

ive

s

ill be h

d-p

essed to find

ny signs, l

ne mkings, o

indic

to

s inst

ucting them ho

to tu

n. This puts othe

s on the

o

d

t

isk fo

ccidents

s visito

s d

ive ound t

ying to figu

e out

he

e they need to m

ke

U-tu

n so they c

n tu

n left. Plus, since most st

tes m

ke U-tu

ns illeg

l, out-of-st

te d

ive

s

ely feel comfo

t

ble

ith the m

neuve

—

nd it c

n shohen they execute it.

ight Tu

ns on

ed

If you live in the G

e

te

Ne

O

le

ns

e

s, you likely kno

th

t <

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n m

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n

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you stop

t

ed light >,

s long

s it is s

fe to p

oceed

nd no sign p

ohibits it.

ight tu

ns on

ed

e common in m

ny st

tes, but not

ll. Some visito

s to Ne

O

le

ns

ho don’t kno

this c

n c

e

te t

ffic issues

nd bottlenecks

hen they don’t p

oceed to tu

n

fte stop. The biggest

isk fo

ight tu

ns on

ed lies

ith pedest

i

ns. Ne

O

le

ns h

s m

ny tou

ists

nd visito

s

ho st

y in the F

ench Qu

te

nd Cent

l Business Dist

ict. Distcted o

lost out-of-st

te d

ive

s c

n e

sily hit

pedest

i

n o

bicyclist

hen m

king ight tu

n

t ed light.

Confusing St

eet L

yout<

h2>
Ne

O

le

ns’s st

eets

nd subu

bs

e not l

id out in

pe

fect g

id like othe

lge cities—the

o

ds e mo

e like the spokes of

heel. This is l

gely due to the st

eets follo

ing the bends

nd cu

ves of the Mississippi

ive

.

ddition

lly, Ne

O

le

ns h

s no logic

l o

intuitive system fo

numbe

ing o

n

ming thei

o

ds. Fo

ex

mple, someone

ho d

ives

long St. Ch

les

venue f

om C

n

l St

eet

ill

un into Fi

st th

ough Eight St

eets, but Fifth doesn’t exist. Inste

d, it’s n

med

shington

venue.

fte

Eighth St

eet, the numbe

s end. Puzzled yet?

ddition

lly, you c

nnot me

su

e dist

nce in blocks bec

use the dist

nce bet

een c

oss st

eets v

ies so much in diffe

ent pts of the city. M

ny st

eets do not

un continuously bec

use of

ndom cemete

y, something Ne

O

le

ns is f

mous fo

.

The inconsistencies

nd confusing l

yout of Ne

O

le

ns isn’t

p

oblem fo

n

tives, yet visito

s often

ely on

GPS to get

he

e they

e going. This c

e

tes d

nge

ous dist

ctions fo

d

ive

s

nd puts othe

s

ho sh

e the

o

d

t

isk fo

ccidents

nd inju

y. You’ve seen those d

ive

s pl

ying

ith

m

p

hile behind the

heel o

looking

t thei

phone t

ying to figu

e out

he

e they e going.

hen they

e dist

cted, they

en’t p

ying

ttention to thei

speed o

di

ection. This m

kes fo

d

nge

ous combin

tion.

Ve

y Fe

T

o-

y St

eets<

h2>
One-

y st

eets e not

novel ide

,

nd m

ny out-of-to

ne

s h

ve ce

t

inly expe

ienced d

iving on them, but in Ne

O

le

ns they’

e

bit t

ickie

. This is p

im

ily bec

use of the

bove-mentioned f

ct th

t Ne

O

le

ns st

eets

en’t in

g

id p

tte

n like othe

cities

nd to

ns. If you d

ive in

city

ith one-

y st

eets, you typic

lly kno

th

t if you go one block ove

, in eithe

di

ection, you

ill find

st

eet going the othe

y. The pe

fect city blocks

e even

nd consistent. Do

nto

n

nd upto

n Ne

O

le

ns h

ve ve

y fe

t

o-

y st

eets. Visito

s

ho he

d out to G

etn

o

nothe

subu

b on the

est B

nk

ill find the f

ont

ge

o

ds e

ll one-

y, too! This me

ns d

ive

s exit on the

ight,

nd if they miss thei

tu

n, they must go

ll the

y to the next exit, get b

ck on the f

ee

y he

ding the opposite y,

nd t

y

g

in f

om the othe

di

ection.

Fin

lly, it’s difficult fo

out-of-to

ne

s to figu

e out

hich end is up, o

litelly,

hich

y is

ight bec

use blocks

e t

i

ngles o

points

nd signs

en’t

lys e

sy to see.

hen out-of-to

n d

ive

s tu

n the ong y do

n

one-y st

eet, they m

y c

use

d

nge

ous he

d-on collision. These types of

ccidents c

n be f

t

l, especi

lly

t high speeds.

Ho

to Spot

n Out-of-St

te D

ive

in Ne

O

le

ns

You c

n len to spot out-of-st

te d

ive

s, o

t the ve

y le

st negligent ones. Diffe

ent clues e visible f

om diffe

ent dist

nces, but he

e e some tips you c

n use to help you stee

cle:

Look

t License Pl

tes<

h3>

n out-of-st

te license pl

te doesn’t

l

ys me

n the d

ive

is unf

mili

ith the city, but it’s

good indic

tion. If you’

e close enough to see

vehicle’s license pl

te

nd it isn’t f

om Louisi

n

, h

ng b

ck. This

llo

s you to

void

n

ccident if the vehicle m

kes

ny quick stops o

m

neuve

s.

Look fo

ent

l C Pl

c

ds

Not

ll

ent

l c comp

nies h

ve pl

c

ds, but some do.

lso, some loc

l

esidents

ent

c if thei

s is in the shop. Still, if you notice

ny pl

c

ds, signs, dec

ls, o

sticke

s on the

indo

s, doo

s, o

license pl

tes of

vehicle th

t

dve

tise common

ent

l c

comp

nies, it likely indic

tes

n out-of-st

te d

ive

. This doesn’t me

n the d

ive

is unf

mili

ith Ne

O

le

ns, its d

iving ls,

nd its confusing l

yout, but it should

le

t you to tch out fo

b

d d

iving th

t c

n c

use

n

ccident.

tch fo

Slo

D

ive

s<

h3>

hen

vehicle is t

veling too slo

ly comped to the

est of the t

ffic, othe

moto

ists

ssume

n elde

ly d

ive

is to bl

me. In cities like Ne

O

le

ns th

t h

ve m

ny out-of-to

n visito

s,

slo

d

ive

is likely

tou

ist. Typic

lly, tou

ists d

ive slo

bec

use they e sightseeing

nd

tching things outside of the c

o

bec

use they

e looking fo

p

ticul

st

eet n

me o

dd

ess. In

ny c

se, if you notice

slo

d

ive

, s

fely p

ss them if possible. If not, give them plenty of sp

ce.

tch fo

Distcted D

ive

s<

h3>
<

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">Distcted d

iving > c

uses

ccidents in Ne

O

le

ns, Louisi

n

,

nd

c

oss the n

tion, but tou

ists

ho

e d

iving in

nothe

city e especi

lly p

one to distctions. Slo

d

iving c

n indic

te distcted d

iving.

tch out fo

d

ive

s

ho

e looking

t p

pe

s o

m

ps o

using thei

cell phones.

lmost eve

yone h

s

smtphone these d

ys, so it’s common fo

out-of-st

te d

ive

s to

ely on Google M

ps o

some othe

n

vig

tion

pp to find thei

y

ound.

Louisi

n

l

p

ohibits using

cell phone

hen behind the

heel, but it doesn’t me

n d

ive

s, especi

lly those unf

mili

ith the Ne

O

le

ns e

,

on’t use thei

phones. Texting, em

iling, o

su

fing the inte

net

hile behind the

heel t

kes

d

ive

’s h

nds off the

heel, eyes off the

o

d,

nd mind

y f

om d

iving, m

king phones

mong the most d

nge

ous of

ll d

iving dist

ctions. If you notice

d

ive

using

cell phone, you need to st

y

s f

y f

om them

s possible to

void

n

ccident.

tch fo

S

e

ving<

h3>
Ne

O

le

ns is p

oud of its food, music, nightlife,

nd spi

its. Th

ongs of out-of-st

te d

ive

s he

d to Bou

bon St

eet, F

enchmen St

eet, o

Upto

n to enjoy music

nd imbibe he

vily. One

ould hope visito

s

ould use the city’s t

olleys, t

xis, o

idesh

es to

void d

inking

nd d

iving, but this isn’t

lys the c

se.

hen you’

e d

iving in Ne

O

le

ns – especi

lly on the n

o

st

eets of the F

ench Qute

– keep

n eye out fo

d

unk d

ive

s. Look fo

s

e

ving

nd othe

e

tic movements th

t might le

d to

d

nge

ous o

de

dly

ccident.

h

t Should You Do if You e in

n

ccident

ith

n Out-of-St

te D

ive

?

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“>Ste

t J. Guss<>, C

ccident L

ye

<

figc

ption><

figu

e> Out-of-st

te d

ive

s

ill nt to

void li

bility fon

ccident, especi

lly if they e in ent

l c

. It’s

lso e

sy fo

molly-b

nk

upt types to le

ve the scene of the

ccident,

etu

n to thei

home st

tes,

nd t

y to completely

void

ny

esponsibility.

If you

e in

n

ccident in Ne

O

le

ns

ith

n out-of-st

te d

ive

, you need to

ct f

st to p

otect you

inte

ests. These tips c

n help you m

ke su

e you

en’t stuck

ith

ll the economic losses

ssoci

ted

ith

n

ccident c

used by

n out-of-st

te d

ive

.

G

the

Info

m

tion

S

P

P

event the out-of-st

te d

ive

f

om fleeing the scene of

n

ccident

nd get

s much info

m

tion

s possible,

s soon

s possible. T

ke photos oeco

d license pl

te info

m

tion

nd the d

ive

’s n

me, phone numbe

,

nd em

il. Get thei

insunce info

m

tion

nd find out if they o

n thei

vehicle o

if it is ent

l. If you

en’t physic

lly

ble to get info

m

tion, you o

you

c

ccident lye

c

n obt

in this f

om

police

epo

t l

te

on.

Seek Immedi

te Medic

l T

e

tment

You

he

lth is the top p

io

ity, so m

ke su

e to

ccept t

e

tment

t the scene of the

ccident o

he

d to the neest eme

gency

oom

s soon

s you c

n.

physici

n c

n ex

mine you fo

common c

ccident inju

ies

nd

eco

d them in you

medic

l

eco

d. This

ill m

ke fo

v

lu

ble evidence in

n insu

nce cl

im o

subsequent l

suit.

Consult

n Expe

ienced

uto

ccident

tto

ney

c

ccident c

used by

n out-of-st

te d

ive

c

n le

d to complex insunce cl

ims

nd lsuits. Some c

ses c

n

lso involve

ent

l c

comp

nies

nd thei

insunce c

ie

s. You need

n expe

ienced Ne

O

le

ns c

ccident lyeho kno

s ho

to h

ndle you

cl

im, even

hen the

t-f

ult pty isn’t

loc

l

esident o

hen multiple defend

nts e involved in the c

se.

Ne

O

le

ns c

ccident lye

c

n guide you th

ough the cl

ims p

ocess

nd help you get the m

ximum compens

tion you dese

ve fo

ny losses

el

ted to the

ccident

nd you

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d Suite 297
Houston, Tex

s ong>(281) 816-3448