Protect Your Children From Hyperthermia

As the summer comes upon us we have to be vigilant about protecting children from heat related injuries and death fro being left in vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has posted a great informational article which you can also find at www.autoobserver.com. Here is in its entirety.

The NHTSA has recently launched its first-ever campaign with automakers and consumer groups to address the issue of children being left inside hot cars after 21 child passengers were reported to have been killed this past summer from hyperthermia, or elevated body temperature. NHTSA officials will meet with parents, advocacy groups, automotive experts and police in states such as Texas, Florida and California, where many of the deaths have occurred, NHTSA said in a statement.

From the beginning of last year, 70 children under the age of 14 died from hyperthermia, including 21 fatalities this summer, NHTSA said, citing the San Francisco State University Department of Geosciences. “Not one of those children should have lost their lives in this horrible way,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in the statement. “We need to do everything we can to remind people to be vigilant and never leave a child alone in or around a motor vehicle.”

Hyperthermia has traditionally been the third-largest cause of not-in-traffic deaths for children, with getting hit by a forward-moving car and getting backed over as the two biggest causes, according to NHTSA. Since 1998, an average of 38 children per year have been killed by excessive heat inside vehicles, with two-thirds of the fatalities occurring between June and August, according to San Francisco State. About half of the child-hyperthermia deaths were caused by a caregiver forgetting about the children in the car, while 30 percent of the fatalities stemmed from children playing unattended in a vehicle.  Three quarters of the 513 child hyperthermia deaths since 1998 involved children under three years old.

Bad Summer

This summer appears to be a particularly dangerous one for children left in cars, reports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  NHTSA and automaker groups are looking to raise awareness and help prevent the act of leaving a child unattended in a vehicles, which is illegal in 19 states. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has a link to child-safety coalition Safe Kids USA on its website along with the message, “Never Leave a Child Alone in a Vehicle.”

“In the 1990s, when reports first surfaced of child fatalities from deploying front airbags, an education campaign to put children in the back seat was highly successful in raising awareness and changing behavior,” the Association of Global Automakers (formerly the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers) said in a July 26 statement.  “A coordinated education campaign targeted at parents and other care givers of children could be a similarly effective way to raise awareness of the real risks to unattended children in vehicles – even just for a few minutes when it doesn’t seem that hot out – and to change behavior to make it a habit to look back before you lock up.”

Even with the windows cracked open, in-car temperatures may jump as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit in 10 minutes and more than 40 degrees in an hour, with vehicles with darker-colored interiors particularly dangerous. Because a child’s core body temperature heats up three to five times as fast as adults, kids are all the more at risk of getting heatstroke, when the body’s core temperature hits 104 degrees. NHTSA has posted a “Keeping Our Kids Safe” page on its Web Site.

Tennessee drivers should remain alert for dangerous situations and if they observe children left in a vehicle I suggest they immediately call 911, or in rural areas *847, and report the situation, you might well save a child’s life.

For these and other Tennessee highway traffic safety tips visit the website of the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of our wealth of knowledge of all things auto safety. Call 615-356-2000.

Tennessee Tractor-Trailer Fatality

Heavy fog and limited visibility may have been the cause of the tragic deaths of two people in Green County, Tennessee, but the death of the 4-month-old baby might well have been prevented if the parents had taken the time to secure the child in a safety seat. The same might apply had the adults buckled up.

The vehicle slammed into a tractor-trailer that was crossing the highway in front of them. The local media report doesn’t mention whether the car was exceeding the speed limit, or whether the driver was somehow distracted and didn’t have time to stop. The use of safety belts, child restraint safety seats and child booster seats are required by Tennessee law. These can help save you and your passengers’ lives in the event of a traffic crash.

There are several driving events that require intense concentration by the driver. A driver must always be on the defensive, thinking about what other drivers might do AND be prepared to respond with proper reactions. In addition, certain conditions, especially bad weather, trigger the need for special knowledge and skills. Avoid fog if possible. But if you must drive—never put your headlights on high beam because the light will be reflected into your eyes.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident caused by a driver who is distracted or following too close, you owe it to yourself to immediately contact the experienced tractor-trailer attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates.

What does this mean to you if you or a family member are the victim of a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident and suffer a serious or life threatening injury?  It means that the trucking company has a huge advantage in investigating the cause of the accident and developing a strategy for its defense to any claim that arises. During one of these situations evidence can disappear and negligent drivers can be coached on what to say to police investigators. The trucking company has the benefit of an expert that was actually at the accident scene. This may not be possible for the victim since injuries are usually severe in nature. Needless to say it is important to act quickly so that an expert can examine the evidence on your behalf. Call 615-356-2000.

Educating Your Teen Drivers

It’s never too early to start teaching your children to drive. I’ve said this many times at business and social affairs and I get the strangest looks form parents. I’m not talking about letting your child get behind the wheel, I’m talking about a trend that is taking hold across the country called “commentary driving”.

You can start while your kids are in their safety seats by pointing out stop lights and making a game of it. It is a small step to focus your children on the many things a driver must observe when they are behind the wheel. As you child starts to show an interest in driving, usually about age 13-14 for most kid’s, talk your way through the process of driving.

Think of it as a play-by-play for a sporting event. Comment on what you see as a driver. Look for things you see as the driver that might make you change direction or speed. Turn of the radio and cell phone off so that you have no distractions. Remember to turn off the radio and avoid using your cell phone, and tell them you are doing this to avoid distractions.

Teach your teen that a driver has to deal with 200 events per mile of city driving and from those events has to make 100 decisions during that same distance. It is suggested that you keep up this dialogue for five minutes or so and then let the child comment on what he/she sees.

Once the child is old enough for driving lessons have them comment from behind the wheel. So, what do we learn by using this process? We learn that driving a car on a public street is a serious and dangerous business and that the person behind the wheel cannot take chances or become distracted.

If you or a loved one is seriously injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident caused by a negligent driver, contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Teen Drivers

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.  The basic reasons behind this statistic are obvious, teen drivers have no experience with the myriad issues faced by drivers with experience, furthermore, they are immature and often takes risks, most often speeding, and are easily distracted which contribute to the increased death rate.

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Watch Out - Stay Alert

It won’t be long before school will be out for the summer, and I thought I’d take this opportunity to remind you to watch out for children on bicycles. Children don’t always make the best decisions when riding in or near highways, roads and streets so it’s up to you and I, the adults, to make the streets safe.

Distractions kill and if we are not fully engaged in, and paying attention to our driving, things could go very bad for  whole lot of people. Here is something to consider:

TCA 55-52-105 Child Bicycle Safety Rules and Regulations

With regard to any bicycle operated over any highway, street or sidewalk, it is unlawful:

(1) For any person under sixteen (16) years of age to operate or be a passenger on a bicycle unless at all times when so engaged such person wears a protective bicycle helmet of good fit fastened securely upon the head with the straps of the helmet;

(2) For any person to be a passenger on a bicycle unless, with respect to any person who weighs fewer than forty pounds (40 lbs.), or is less than forty inches (40²) in height, the person can be and is properly seated in and adequately secured to a restraining seat;

(3) For any parent or legal guardian of a person below twelve (12) years of age to knowingly permit such person to operate or be a passenger on a bicycle in violation of subdivision (1) or (2); and

(4) To rent or lease any bicycle to or for the use of any person under sixteen (16) years of age unless:

(A) The person is in possession of a protective bicycle helmet of good fit at the time of such rental or lease; or

(B) The rental or lease includes a protective bicycle helmet of good fit, and the person intends to wear the helmet, as required by subdivision (1), at all times while operating or being a passenger on the bicycle.

[Acts 1993, ch. 399, § 6; 1998, ch. 684, § 2; 2000, ch. 916, § 5.]

For these and other helpful Tennessee highway safety tips visit the web site of Phillip Miller & Associates or call 615-356-2000.

Speed Kills

The local media reports in Rhea County, Tennessee said that the out of control vehicle hit a brick mailbox that weighed at least 3000 pounds and knocked it 15 or more feet from it’s foundation. The driver and three other people in the vehicle were killed. Fortunately a 17-year-old, a three-year-old and an 8-month old survived. Witnesses told the media that the road is posted for 45 MPH and the curves are 15 MPH but they locals regularly speed on the road.

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It's Your Child's Life Take Minute

A 23-month-old Hendersonville boy died Monday from injuries he sustained a day earlier in a one-car accident in eastern Tennessee. According to local media reports the investigating Trooper said it appeared that the child’s father was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The baby was ejected from the vehicle during the crash, the child safety seat was not properly secured. I have nothing to say about this man, he has to answer to the criminal system.

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Tennessee Teen Driver

An 18-year-old high school senior died and another was critically injured in a single-car crash this past Wednesday night on Benford Road, in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The 18-year-old driver, was dead at the scene of the crash, and the 18-year-old passenger was flown to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.

According to local media reports, the driver created a hill, lost control of the vehicle, ran off the roadway, through a field and slammed into a tree directly at the driver’s side door. The investigating Trooper said that speed was the cause and that the young men had not been wearing their seat belts the outcome might have been different.

Among experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), it is generally agreed that teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group.

Per mile, the crash rate for 16 year-old drivers is 10 times the rate for drivers between 30 and 59. The basic reasons behind this statistic are obvious, teen drivers have no experience with the myriad issues faced by drivers with experience, furthermore, they are immature and often takes risks, most often speeding, and are easily distracted which contribute to the increased death rate.

As a parent, you ultimately want your child to be well trained to tackle life’s challenges. Learning to drive is part of that training and it’s important that parents play an active role in the process. Talk to your teen early and often. Discuss the risks and responsibilities of driving with your child at a young age and keep talking to your teen before, during and after the licensing process. This discussion should have the same – or even higher priority level, as discussing sex and drugs.

If you or a loved is injured in a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident caused by a teen driver, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Photo Courtesy of AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Cell Phone Use Is Deadly

It’s a story that is being played out all to often across the country, a driver ran a red light while talking on a cell phone. The driver’s vehicle slammed into another vehicle crossing with the green light directly in front of her. The vehicle she hit was not necessarily the first car through the intersection, it was the third or fourth. The police investigation determined the driver never touched her brakes and was traveling at approximately 45 mph when she hit the other vehicle.

A  T-bone crash like this usually costs someone their life. Witnesses tell investigators that the driver was not looking down, not dialing the phone, or texting. She is observed looking straight out the windshield talking on her cell phone as she sped past four cars and a school bus stopped in the other south bound lane of traffic.

Researchers often call this type of crash a classic case of inattention blindness caused by the cognitive distraction of a cell phone conversation. Vision is the most important sense for safe driving. Yet, drivers using hands-free phones (and those using handheld phones) have a tendency to “look at” but not “see” objects. Estimates indicate that drivers using cell phones look but fail to see up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment.

Distracted drivers experience what researchers call inattention blindness, similar to that of tunnel vision. Drivers are looking out the windshield, but they do not process everything in the roadway environment that they must know to effectively monitor their surroundings, seek and identify

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville car accident caused by a driver under the influence of a cell phone contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to find out about your rights and rememedies. Call 615-356-2000.

Teen Drivers

I have been thinking a lot lately about Tennessee teen automobile deaths. I’ve discussed here many times the sad fact that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.

The basic reasons behind this statistic are obvious, teen drivers have no experience with the myriad issues faced by drivers with experience, furthermore, they are immature and often takes risks, most often speeding, and are easily distracted which contribute to the increased death rate.

Reference a tragic accident in Cheatham County that lead to the death of a 13-year-old young man. The teen and a 12-year-old were passengers in a vehicle driven by a 16-year-old. According to local media reports they were driving down Ridge Circle Drive, when the car ran off the road and hit several trees. None of the teens in the car were wearing a seatbelt.

Witnesses told authorities that the vehicle was speeding prior to running off the road. Tennessee law allows drivers as young as 16 to have restricted drivers licenses. The restriction prohibits the intermediate driver from having more than one minor in the vehicle at a time.

In addition to laws, safety experts agree that parents play a key role in helping teens become good drivers. Parents should not rely solely on drivers education classes to teach good driving habits and should restrict night driving, restrict the numbers of passengers riding with their teen, supervise practice driving, always require use of seat belts and choose vehicles for safety, not image. Parents can also set a good example by practicing safe driving techniques themselves.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a teen driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.