Britney Spears latest run in with the law in which she went through a red light and made an illegal left turn with her children in the car highlights two significant safety issues, one of which we wrote about in our April 8, 2007 blog. Namely, New York mothers driving while intoxicated with their children in the car. A video taken by TMZ.com videographers shows Ms. Spears going through a red light at a well known dangerous intersection in Los Angeles with her two young sons sleeping in the back and her court-appointed monitor in the front. Although on this occasion, Ms. Spears has not been charged with intoxication as part of her traffic offenses, her troubles with drugs, alcohol and vehicles are well documented.
The other issue is New York drivers disregarding traffic signals and routinely going through stop signs and red lights. More and more in this age of people in a hurry to get to their next destination, drivers treat traffic signals like inconvenient nuisances rather than part of the New York Vehicle & Traffic Law. For example, our office in White Plains is one block east of the intersection of Mamaroneck Avenue and Post Road. This intersection has a huge no left turn sign above the traffic lights, which drivers seemingly disregard at will, despite the fact that the intersection has been the site of multiple accidents over the years, and the frequent police presence from the City of White Plains Police Department.