A Brief History of Traffic Violations?

Answer 1

Traffic Violations Have Changed Since the Horse Drawn Wagon

When cars became popular with the masses, local governments established road laws to limit accidents and to ensure safety. Traffic violations were considered breeches of these street laws. The public believed that enforcing traffic laws was difficult in some areas and almost impossible on new roads. Most people today assume that traffic laws are passed to guarantee safety and all citizens must obey them or they are subject to a fine or other punishment.

Those two assumptions are not accepted as true by everyone. Traffic violation are debated constantly because some drivers are convinced that traffic violations do nothing but collect revenue. Safety takes a back seat in the minds of some drivers; they believe that local funding issues are the main reason traffic violations are enforced.

New York was the first state to require automobile registration and by 1920 cars had to have a license plate in all states. Drivers were allowed to drive without a driver's license in most states until 1935; driver's received their training from the salesman who sold them the car or a family member, friend, or the YMCA. It seems like the only traffic violation back in those days were moving violations and enforcement was spotty at best.

The laws that required mandatory registration of an automobile along with not stopping for stop signs and driving too fast were the first traffic violations. The 1903 book, The Rules of the Road written by William Eno established many of those violations. Traffic violations for cars interfering with horse drawn wagons as well as not stopping at crosswalks for pedestrians, and intentionally going the wrong way on a one-way streets were all enforced thanks to that book.

Modern Traffic Patterns Need Modern Law Enforcement for Traffic Violations

Everyone is familiar with the basic traffic violations. Their main purpose is to limit unsafe driving and to educate ignorant drivers. Most drivers obey the laws, but new traffic violations are creating an increase in accidents. New methods of modern law enforcement are needed to stop cell phone and internet use while driving on any road.

Traffic violations are actually violation of common sense and until the public takes responsibility for their actions more laws will be enacted and more people will question their effectiveness. Laws in the minds of some people are meant to be broken.