Teen Driving Fatality

Another Tennessee Valley teen died in a car accident, just days after the school year began. A 16-year-old boy was killed when he lost control of his 1999 BMW as he attempted to pass another vehicle. The BMW left the road, hit an embankment and flipped several times. The teen driver was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the car and pronounced dead at the scene.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer, I have seen far too many teen deaths and I strongly encourage parents to be realistic about the skills and propensities of their children. It’s a time of excitement and dread for every parent, the time when their precious little Bobby or Betty reaches the age when they can drive. Excitement because their child is growing up and the parents can relinquish to job of being the chauffeur for their busy teens and dread because the know in their heart of hearts the dangers that teen drivers face as they take to the highways and byways.

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.

Teen Fatality

All of Blount County Tennessee is saddened by the loss of one of their best and brightest, a 17-year-old highly respected Greenback High School student died Jan. 21, 2011, from injuries received in a Jan. 17 single-car auto accident in Blount County.

The young man was riding with three other teammates in a 1994 GMC Suburban that crashed at 6:04 p.m. Monday on Calderwood Highway. The Suburban left the right side of the road when rounding a curve heading south on the highway. The SUV flipped and came to rest on the northbound side of the road.

The deceased was in the vehicle with three other teens when it left the road in a turn and all of the boys were ejected from the vehicle. None of the boys were wearing seat belts and the THP report said that seat belts would have made a difference in the outcome of the wreck.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney we know that these crashes are referred to as “Roadway Departure Crashes” (RDCs). The Federal Highway Administration defines a RDC as a non-intersection crash that occurs when a vehicle crosses an edge line or a centerline, or otherwise leaves the traveled way.

According to the Federal Highway Administration roadway departure crashes are frequently severe and account for the majority of highway fatalities.

The lesson here for all Tennessee teen drivers is that you must avoid distractions that can cause you to take your eye off of the road for only a second and crash. The other lesson is that seat belts work. They prevent drivers and passengers from being ejected from crash vehicles.

If you or a loved one are injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by teen driver contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates.

Teen Driver

The recent death of a Murfreesboro teen leaves his family and friends with so many unanswered questions. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this young man. The facts of the accident are that for some unknown reason the young man’s pickup crossed the centerline and slammed head-on into a dump truck on South Church St. What caused this child to lose control of his vehicle is the question that will remain unanswered.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney we know that these crashes are referred to as “Roadway Departure Crashes” (RDCs). The Federal Highway Administration defines a RDC as a non-intersection crash that occurs when a vehicle crosses an edge line or a centerline, or otherwise leaves the traveled way.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, roadway departure crashes are frequently severe and account for the majority of highway fatalities.

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.

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.

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.

Two Teens Killed

It was a bad holiday weekend in Middle Tennessee for teenagers. Two Lawrence County teens, a 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, were killed and three persons were injured in a single car accident on the Fall River Road on Friday night. Three others were injured and transported to local hospitals.

The 22-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle in a curve and left the road, hit a mailbox and then a fence before coming to a stop. There is no indication from local media sources whether any of the people involved were, or were no wearing their seatbelts.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney the facts indicate to me that either driver distraction or speed, or both, were contributing factors in this tragic accident. The lesson here is that a driver, no matter what is going on in their vehicle, must keep his/her eyes on the road and observed all traffic rules.

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

Parent's Are The Key

Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens taking about 3,000 young lives every year. That’s eight teen deaths each day that can be prevented. As a parent, you should know that the main cause of teen crashes is driver inexperience. All new drivers—even straight-A students and “good kids”—are likelier than experienced drivers to be involved in a fatal crash. It’s a fact.

The good news is that you can make a difference by getting involved with your teen’s driving. Learn about the most dangerous driving situations for your young driver—and how to avoid them. Check out the web site of Phillip Miller & Associates for great resources.

As a parent, you have the greatest influence over your teen’s behavior. In fact, leading experts believe parents play a key role in preventing teen car crashes and deaths. Take the first step: Talk with your teen about staying safe behind the wheel. Then, keep the conversation going. You can steer your teen in the right direction.

Teach them that;

* Teen drivers are four times likelier to crash than older drivers.

* Crash risk goes up when teens drive with other teens in the car. Nearly two out of three teen crash deaths that involve 16-year-old drivers happen when a new driver has one or more teen passengers.

* Night-time fatal crash rates for 16-year-olds are nearly twice as high as daytime rates.

If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Tennessee car accident caused by a teen driver, please contact Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here.

Teen Driver

A teen driver goes on trial this week, charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of four teen friends. The 2008 crash happened when he fled from police as he gave a group of teenagers a ride after a community event. The dead children included twin 16-year-olds, their 14-year-old brother and another 15-year-old girl.

According to The Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 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. In 2005, twelve teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries.

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash. In 2005, the motor vehicle death rate for male drivers and passengers ages 16 to 19 was more than one and a half times that of their female counterparts.

How do we change this culture of highway safety ignorance and change to way young people think when they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle? As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, I have discussed this question with a number of Tennessee highway safety professionals on a regular basis. The answer is education and enforcement. Educate these children (The Anvil) about the danger their unsafe driving poses, not only to themselves, but to others and enforce (The Hammer) the safety laws in a strict and swift manner.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. When you hire an auto accident attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting a qualified and dedicated lawyer. Details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our website at www.seriousinjury.com where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest.

Too Young To Die

A pair of fatal Tennessee roadway departure crashes this week have left family and friends of the victims in shock. As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney we define an RDC as a non-intersection crash that occurs when a vehicle crosses an edge line or a centerline, or otherwise leaves the traveled way.

According to the Federal Highway Administration roadway departure crashes are frequently severe and account for the majority of highway fatalities. In 2008, there were 19,794 fatal roadway departure crashes resulting in 22,080 fatalities, which was 53 percent of the fatal crashes in the United States.

In Sumner County, Tennessee two teen boys were killed when the vehicle in which they were riding failed to negotiate a curve in the road, crossed the centerline and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. A 25-year-old Union City man crossed the centerline and over corrected, sending his pickup rolling into a ditch. The man was not wearing his seatbelt and was partially ejected and was dead at the scene. My prayers go out to the family and friends of these young men.

The lessons to be learned from these accidents are simple, but often not learned. The first crash was obviously due to an inexperienced driver going well in excess of the speed limit. The second was caused by inattention to the task at hand. The driver was somehow distracted and failed to stay in his lane. Speed could well have been a cause in this accident also.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a serious Tennessee car accident due to somebody else’s negligence, then you may be feeling angry, frightened, or even alone in your suffering.

There is no reason for you to bear your burden alone.  The experience of a Tennessee auto accident is traumatic enough and your recovery will bring its own challenges.  You don’t need the added stress of worrying about who will pay for the medical care you need, how your car will be repaired, and if the individuals responsible for your suffering will be brought to justice.  This is the time to call Phillip Miller & Associates, the law firm of local Tennessee attorneys and staff who for the past 25 years have dedicated their lives to protecting the rights of injured men, women, and children in Tennessee.

Teen Driving Accidents Kill Others

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I have handled more accidents involving teen drivers than a I care to think about. One of the things that I began to notice several years ago is that when teen drivers crash it seems that other parties are impacted more often than in adult accidents. A recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety supports my observation.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety analyzed data on fatal motor vehicle crashes from 1998 through 2007 and identified all fatal crashes involving a 15, 16, or 17-year-old drivers of a passenger vehicle. Over the 10 years from 1998 through 2007, there were 24,655 drivers ages 15 through 17 involved in fatal crashes. These crashes killed 28,138 people, of whom 10,388 (36.9%) were the 15, 16, and 17-year-old drivers themselves.

However, the majority of fatalities in those crashes (63.1%) were people other than those drivers, and included 8,829 of their passengers, 6,858 occupants of vehicles operated by drivers aged 18 or older, and 2,063 non-motorists and others. On a positive note, the number of young drivers involved in fatal crashes each year decreased substantially over the years analyzed, with 776 fewer drivers age 15 to 17 involved in fatal crashes in 2007 than in 1998, resulting in the deaths of 311 fewer young drivers and 540 fewer deaths of other people in 2007 than in 1998.

There was also a substantial decrease in the fatal crash involvement of adult drivers over the same period; however, the decrease in the fatal crash involvement of young drivers and people killed in those crashes was significantly larger than what would have been predicted from the decrease in the fatal crash involvement of adults.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a teen driver you owe it to yourself to retain the experienced Nashville car crash lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and maximize your recovery.

Avoid Distractions

Although this report is not about a Tennessee Teenage driver fatality I thought it important to being this situation to your attention. An 18-year-old Alabama woman attending Freshman orientation at LSU with her mother died in an automobile accident when the car she was driving pulled into traffic from a private driveway and was hit by a pickup driven by a 22-year-old man from Baton Rouge. The young woman’s mother was injured but is expected to recover. My prayers go out to her family and friends.

What could have distracted her from looking out for traffic before she pulled out into the path of the truck? When you are pulling out from a private driveway you must yield the right of way to oncoming traffic. Under Tennessee law intersections are places where traffic merges or crosses. They include:

• Cross streets,

• Side streets,

• Private Driveways,

• Shopping center and parking lot entrances.

More crashes happen at intersections than at any other place. Intersections constitute a very small part of rural and urban street/highway systems, yet they are implicated in 31.9 percent of all motor vehicle crashes and 15.5 percent of all fatal crashes (2004 NHTSA data). Be very careful when approaching any intersection or driveway. Never assume another driver will yield the right-of-way to you. Wait until the coast is clear and always be prepared to stop.

“Traffic checks” is the process of looking frequently and carefully for vehicle traffic approaching from each direction. “Traffic checks” is especially important when merging or changing lanes AND when approaching and crossing intersections. Look first to the left to make sure cross traffic is yielding the right-of-way. Then look for traffic from the right. If stopped, look both left and right just before you start moving. Look across the intersection before you start to move to make sure the path is clear through the intersection. Above all avoid distractions, if you have to use your cell phone wait until you are finished with your call and then focus on what you are about to do.

The lesson for Tennessee teens here is perfectly clear. Keep your mind and you eyes on the road and avoid doing things that distract you from focusing on this task.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a distracted teen driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation.

Teen Drivers

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I’m not often able to blog about good news, but a recent article on the website www.insurancenewsnet.com contains a ray of hope for teenage drivers.

Nashville Tennessee - A state official says Tennessee has made some headway in reducing traffic fatalities among teens. Phillip Doss, director of the state’s Offices of Research and Educational Accountability, commented as a national campaign pushes for 16 as the minimum driving age. In Tennessee, teens can apply for a learner’s permit six months after their 15th birthday. They can be licensed at 16 with restrictions. Statistics show that the state ranked sixth in the nation for fatal crashes involving teen drivers in a national study by Allstate Insurance in 2008.

A recent state study of the effectiveness of Tennessee’s graduated driver’s license law concluded that states with higher minimum driving ages have lower rates of teen driving-related accidents and deaths. “This is a major public health problem,” said Jacqueline Gillan, vice president of the nonprofit Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety group, which is lobbying for a higher minimum driving age. “Teens are dying on our roads. This happens every day, in every community in the country.”

In an effort to keep young drivers safer, Tennessee introduced a graduated driver’s license law in 2000 to ease teens into the responsibilities of driving and to limit the number of unsupervised hours they can spend on the road. After getting a learner’s permit, drivers at age 16 can move up to an intermediate license that allows them to drive unsupervised, with no more than one passenger, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.

In the decade since the graduated licensing law took effect, it has had some success in reducing the number of accidents, according to a study released this month by the state comptroller’s office. There has been a drop in the number of traffic crashes involving young drivers. In 2005, there were 136 accidents for every 1,000 drivers ages 15 to 24 on the road. By 2009, the number had dropped to 111 crashes for every thousand young drivers. “We’ve been aware for some time that automobile accidents were the leading cause of death for young people,” said Phillip Doss, director of the state’s Offices of Research and Educational Accountability, which studied the effect of the graduated driver licensing law. “On paper, you’d have to say it looks pretty good,” he said, noting that the number of fatal accidents involving teen drivers has generally been trending down over the past decade, although the most recent statistics show fatalities still tragically high.

In 2000, the year graduated driver’s licenses became law, there were 189 fatal crashes involving teen drivers in Tennessee. In 2008, the death toll was 184, according to the most recent data available from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

If you or a loved on is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and get a clear understanding of your rights and remedies.

http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=198047