Are Folks Driving Worse Than Ever in Acadiana? [Opinion]

Have the local's driving skills deteriorated here in Acadiana or is it just my car causing all the problems? I've been in Lafayette most of my adult life and I don't think I've ever seen it so bad. You absolutely 100% can't take your eyes off the road for a second right now.

I'm starting to wonder if the lines on roadways in Acadiana even mean anything in 2020. It's like everybody just said, "To hell with it. It's 2020 and I don't have to drive within the lines if I don't want to".

I think red lights don't mean as much anymore either. How many times does your light turn green but yet you have to stay put because of all the cars that continue to come? This happens to me almost every day. I can only assume I'm not the only one on the road experiencing this extremely dangerous irresponsibility. I can't remember one time when I was in such a rush, I felt compelled to run a red light.

There is an intersection on Duhon Rd. near my home in Judice and I think it has some sort of voodoo power over drivers. I think it takes over their vehicle and lunges them into oncoming traffic. There are accidents there all the time. The speed limit is 50 mph on that section of Duhon Rd and people pull out right in front of oncoming traffic. Some of the accidents have been serious. All because folks get impatient.

Two days ago, I pulled up to a red light and looked around at all the vehicles stopped. Every person in every vehicle was on their phone. That's not an exaggeration, every person had their phone in their hand and looking at it. This brings me to the biggest driving distraction in modern times...the cellphone. We, myself included, have got to get off these phones and concentrate on driving. Even if I'm driving, I find myself glancing down at my phone and that has to stop immediately. Come to think of it, I think I'll make that one of my New Year resolutions.

Acadiana, please stay safe, especially with all the construction on our roadways and as traffic starts to increase as we get closer to Christmas. Drive defensively and please stay off your phones.