Nashville Automobile Accident Attorney Comments On A Speed Related Crash With Two Fatalities
Speeding and No Seat Belts
According to Ohio State Troopers, Tennessee residents Nicholas and Beth Poe weren’t wearing their seatbelts when their Nissan Maxima slammed into a dump truck. Troopers also opined that speed appeared to play a part in the crash. The investigation is continuing and the Troopers preliminary report didn’t give enough information to get a complete picture of what happened, but as an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney, I can tell you without hesitation that the two identified factors of speed and no seatbelts never lead to a happy ending.
Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. The economic cost of speeding-related crashes is estimated to be in excess of 40.4 billion dollars per year. In 2007, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, and 13,040 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes. The total economic cost of crashes was estimated at $230.6 billion in 2000. Motor-vehicle crashes cost society an estimated $7,300 per second. In 2000, the cost of speeding-related crashes was estimated to be $40.4 billion, $76,865 per minute or $1,281 per second. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle, and increases the distance a vehicle travels while the driver reacts to a dangerous situation.
The use of seat belts are required by Tennessee and Ohio law. Seat belts help prevent injury five different ways, by:
1. Preventing ejection: Ejection greatly increases the chance of death or serious injury. The chance of being killed in a crash by being ejected from a vehicle is one in eight. Safety belts virtually eliminate ejection. The belted driver stays inside the car and is better protected from injury.
2. Shifting crash forces to the strongest parts of the body’s structure. To get the most benefit from a seat belt, be aware of the following points:
• The lap belt should be worn low over the pelvis with the bottom edge touching the tops of the thighs snugly.
• The shoulder belt should be worn over the shoulder and across the chest, not under the arm and over the abdomen. Make certain that the shoulder belt is not worn so loosely that it slides off the shoulder.
• Pregnant women should wear the lap belt below the abdomen and the shoulder belt above the belly.
3. Spreading crash forces over a wide area of the body. Safety belts reduce the possibility of injury from “hostile” surfaces inside the car (steering wheel, dashboard, windshield, controls, etc.). Even if the belted driver collides with some of these surfaces, it happens with much less force and often results in less serious injury.
4. Keeping the body more closely in the “proper driving posture.” The belt keeps the driver “in the driver’s seat.” The belted driver is better able to deal with emergencies and often avoids more serious trouble.
5. Protecting the head and spinal cord. The belted driver is less likely to be stunned or made unconscious by the crash and is better able to cope with the situation. Research has found that proper use of lap/shoulder belts reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent (for occupants of light trucks, 60 percent and 65 percent respectively)
If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a speeding driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies at no charge.
Phillip Miller is a Tennessee Accident Attorney specializing in
Phillip has an AVVO rating of 10.0 (Superb), has been designated as a “Superlawyer”, and is the President Elect of the Tennessee Association for Justice.
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