The Highway Transportation System (HTS) is the network of roads, the vehicles on them, and the people using them. Its goal is safe, rapid, efficient travel. Every road user is part of it, and your job is to follow its rules and cooperate with others.
Three parts of the HTS:
- People: drivers, passengers, pedestrians, workers, police, emergency crews, children at play
- Vehicles: cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, farm and emergency vehicles
- Roads: interstates, U.S. and state highways, county roads, toll roads, parkways
Six ways the HTS is managed:
- Department of Motor Vehicles: licenses, plates, registration, titles
- Law enforcement: city police, highway patrol, sheriffs
- Traffic courts
- Engineering: safer highways and safer vehicles
- Emergency response system and trauma centers
- Education: PSAs, driver education, truck schools, substance abuse instruction
Know the rule
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people ages 1 to 34 in the U.S., and traffic collisions are the number one cause of teenage deaths.
Handbook p. 22 ↗Leading causes of Louisiana crashes (2010):
- Careless and/or reckless operation
- Failure to yield
- Following too closely
- Speeding
- Unknown or unspecified
Know the rule
In 2010, Louisiana crashes cost each licensed driver $1,855 on average.
Handbook p. 24 ↗Know the rule
Drivers going at unsafe speeds are a major hazard, even under the posted limit, if they're too fast for the weather, traffic or their own physical condition.
Handbook p. 25 ↗Types of highways
| Road | What it is |
|---|---|
| Parish road | Regulated and maintained by a parish |
| State highway | Regulated by the state (example: LA 1) |
| U.S. highway | National route; program adopted in 1926 |
| Interstate | Expressways crossing the country, from the 1950s |
| Expressway / freeway | Divided highway with at least 4 lanes |
| Toll way / turnpike | Collects tolls; turnpikes use a ticket system |
| Limited access | You can get on and off only at signed exits |
Know the rule
Even-numbered interstates run east and west; odd-numbered interstates run north and south.
Handbook p. 25 ↗Know the rule
Newer highways have wider shoulders, gentle curves and grades, and fewer roadside obstacles to cut the number and severity of crashes.
Handbook p. 25 ↗Hydroplaning
When too much water on the road makes your tires skim along the water's surface instead of gripping the pavement.
Handbook p. 26 ↗Road safety features:
- Retro-reflective signs and markings for night driving
- Breakaway poles and guard rails
- Skid-resistant pavement and all-weather markings
- Rumble strips that warn you're drifting off the road or into another lane
- Exclusive turn lanes, roundabouts and synchronized signals
Put it into practice
You're on I-10 and wonder which way it runs. Even-numbered interstates run east and west, so I-10 is an east-west route; I-49, an odd number, runs north and south.