Stupid is as Stupid Does

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer, I have some advice for car thieves. If you feel you have to steal a car take special care not to violate and traffic safety laws, such as speeding, red light running, seat belt violations, DUI and any other thing that will draw police attention to you and your stolen car.

I often write about fools who get behind the wheel of an automobile and go out of their way to show just how big of a fool they are, unfortunately many times other people have to suffer or die behind their actions. Today’s story has a happy ending for the innocent drivers on Knoxville roads and the brave men and women of the Knoxville PD who are tasked to get these types off the road. According to local media reports  A man was taken into police custody today after being found in South Knox County at the scene of crash involving a stolen car.

The man was found in the roadway, apparently having been ejected during a single-vehicle car crash at 12:45 p.m. on Gov. John Sevier Highway at Denwood Road. The car he was driving, a 1994 Honda was reported stolen 4 days ago. This wasn’t the man’s first brush with the law. He was previously charged with home invasion robbery, but other information was unavailable at this time.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident involving a guy like this you are really going to need an experienced Nashville auto accident attorney who knows the in’s and out’s of the law to secure a reasonable recovery on your behalf. That lawyer can be found at Phillip Miller & Associates. Check our website or call 615-356-2000.

Red Light Cameras Work

Recent studies have once again demonstrated the deterrent value of using automated enforcement cameras to reduce red light running. A new review of traffic data from the City of Philadelphia conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, has shown that the introduction of red light cameras after lengthening the yellow-light phase has virtually eliminated red light running violations at two problem intersections.

Researchers tracked signal violation rates at intersections before and after extending the yellow light sequence and again after red light camera enforcement had been in effect for about a year. The first step reduced signal violations by 36 percent. The cameras reduced the remaining violations by 96 percent . At the same time, violations were virtually unchanged at two control group intersections.

Another red light running study was conducted by researchers from Old Dominion University in Virginia. A team of researchers reviewing data collected both before, during and after the City of Virginia Beach’s six-month deployment of red light technology before Virginia’s red light camera authorizing law was allowed the sunset. The results showed that red light running violations more than tripled in just the first year after the law expired. Red light running at the several intersections that had previously been equipped with red light cameras is now worse than it was before they were installed.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile intersection accident caused by a red light runner you owe it to yourself to 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. Call us at 615-356-2000.

Red Means Stop

Preventing injuries and deaths at intersections should be a high priority for towns and cities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that last year alone, nearly 10,000 people died and approximately one million people were injured in intersection-related crashes that account for approximately 40-45 percent of all crashes.

Police investigators in Columbia, Tennessee will have to determine what a driver was doing in the seconds just prior to him running a red light and crashing into three other vehicles. Statistics show that nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.  Primary causes of driver inattention are distracting activities, such as cell phone use, and drowsiness.

In Tennessee, the Rules of the Road suggest that when you approach an intersection you should use a technique called “Traffic Checks”. “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.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed by a negligent driver in a Nashville intersection accident contact the experienced Nashville personal injury accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates by calling 615=356-2000.

A Red Light Always Means Stop

Yesterday morning three people were injured in a crash involving a Metropolitan Transit Authority bus and a car. The accident took place at 9th Avenue North and Church Street. Three people on the bus were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Local media sources reported that witnesses told police that the driver of the car ran a red light and hit the bus. Neither the driver of the car, nor the bus driver, were hurt.

Traffic Signals are used to control vehicle drivers and pedestrians at some intersections and crosswalks. Signals promote better movement of traffic on busy roads by assigning right of way. Traffic Signals are usually placed at heavily traveled intersections.

These lights tell you when or where to stop and go. A green light means you can go if it is safe. A yellow light means caution—prepare to stop for the red light. The red light always means stop. Standard traffic lights are red, yellow and green, from top to bottom respectively.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville Automobile accident caused by a red light runner contact the experienced Nashville auto attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Red Means Stop

A Johnson City, Tennessee driver of the Jeep Cherokee said he was unable to stop in time for a red light. The driver blamed wet streets for the fact that he ran a red light and caused a three-car collision. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

Each year crashes involving red light running claim the lives of more than 800 people and injure another 200,000 people. More than half of the deaths in red light running crashes are other motorists and pedestrians, so there should be no debate about the fact that red light runners are dangerous drivers who put other road users at risk.

More than 100,000 crashes a year are caused by drivers running red lights, killing some 950 people and injuring 90,000 others, making it a leading cause of fatal crashes in metropolitan areas, according to the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Worse, the numbers are on the rise: Fatal motor vehicle crashes at traffic signals increased 19 percent nationally between 1992 and 1998 (the last year for which FHWA had statistics); over the same period, all other types of fatal crashes increased just 6 percent. This is a situation where people are dying from something that’s 100 percent preventable.”

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville Automobile accident caused by a red light runner contact the experienced Nashville auto attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Red Light Means Stop

Stupid is as stupid does. My life experience tells me that there are some people, far too many, who are simply unable to see their own roll in their problems. These people blame everything on others and refuse to take responsibility for their own stupid actions.

Take, for instance, a recent intersection crash in Knoxville, Tennessee, in which a 23-year-old man who ran a stop sign and slammed into another vehicle, gets out of his wrecked car and tries to start a fight with the innocent victim.

To compound his stupidity, the guy then tries to fight with police officers responding to the crash. Instead of a ticket for running a red light this bozo ends up being charged with reckless driving, resisting arrest, aggravated assault, and disorderly conduct.

Aggressive driving is a major concern of the American public, ranking at or near the top of traffic safety issues in national surveys of motorists. In Tennessee and throughout the country, the public’s concern over aggressive driving continues to grow. Some studies indicate the public is actually more fearful of aggressive drivers than it is of impaired drivers. Aggressive driving is truly dangerous and cannot be tolerated.

Many people misunderstand the difference between aggressive driving and what has become known as “Road Rage”. Most experienced Tennessee Car accident lawyers think of  aggressive driving as certain driving behaviors, such as speeding, tailgating, or violating traffic control devices,

Road rage, like we have here, is a criminal offense. This occurs when a traffic incident escalates into a far more serious situation. For example, a person may become so angry over an aggressive driving incident that he or she overreacts and retaliates with some type of violence. These violent acts may range from a physical confrontation to an assault with a motor vehicle or possibly a weapon. Often, the roadway incident that caused the person to become enraged may have been something quite simple and even trivial.

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

Intersection Accident

A Johnson City, Tennessee driver of the Jeep Cherokee said he was unable to stop in time for a red light. The driver blamed wet streets for the fact that he ran a red light and caused a three-car collision. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

Each year crashes involving red light running claim the lives of more than 800 people and injure another 200,000 people. More than half of the deaths in red light running crashes are other motorists and pedestrians, so there should be no debate about the fact that red light runners are dangerous drivers who put other road users at risk.

More than 100,000 crashes a year are caused by drivers running red lights, killing some 950 people and injuring 90,000 others, making it a leading cause of fatal crashes in metropolitan areas, according to the Department of Transportation’s, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Worse, the numbers are on the rise: Fatal motor vehicle crashes at traffic signals increased 19 percent nationally between 1992 and 1998 (the last year for which FHWA had statistics); over the same period, all other types of fatal crashes increased just 6 percent. This is a situation where people are dying from something that’s 100 percent preventable.”

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville Automobile accident caused by a red light runner contact the experienced Nashville auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Technology Can Save Life

Red light running and speeding are real problems that jeopardize the safety and lives of Americans on a daily basis. Photo enforcement, a proven method of increasing road and intersection safety, is one of the solutions to the dangers of speeding red light running. This technology has already yielded undeniable proof of its effectiveness in saving lives. Consider the following red light camera and speed camera success stories:

New Orleans, LA — red light cameras led to an 85% drop in red light running and speed cameras led to an 84% drop in speeding.

Montgomery County, MD ― relative to comparison sites drivers traveling more than 10 mph above posted speed limits declined by about 70% at locations with both warning signs and speed camera enforcement.

Council Bluffs, IA ― a 90% reduction in red light running crashes.

Washington, DC ― red light running fatalities were reduced from 16 to 2 in the first two years of red light cameras.

Fairfax, VA ― a 44% reduction in red light running crashes.

Oxnard, CA ― a 22% reduction in red light crashes citywide.

New York City ― a 34% reduction in red light violations.

Technology is a double edge sword, cell phone technology can be the cause of intersection and red light running and red light camera technology can be an effective enforcement tool. For these and other Tennessee highway safety tips, visit the website of the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and educate yourself and your family and friends.

In the quarter century from 1985 through 2009, the lives of 1,055,881 men, women, and children have ended violently as the result of motor vehicle crashes in the United States. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children, teens, and young adults.

Statistics from the United States Department of Transportation indicate that 33,808 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. Although this represents the fewest people killed in crashes in a single year since 1950, it also represents an average of 93 lives needlessly cut short on an average day as the result of crashes on our roads.

Since 2006, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has been sponsoring research to better understand traffic safety culture. The Foundation’s long-term term vision is to create a “social climate in which traffic safety is highly valued and rigorously pursued.” In 2008, the AAA Foundation conducted the first annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, a nationally-representative telephone survey, to begin to assess a few key indicators of the degree to which traffic safety is valued and is being pursued.

Summary of Major Findings

Personal experience with crashes

• One of every two Americans has been involved in a serious crash, has had a friend or relative seriously injured or killed in a crash, or both.

Perceptions of safety

• More than half of all drivers (52%) say driving feels less safe today than it did 5 years ago a 17-percentage-point increase from only a year ago. Nearly half cite some form of driver distraction as the main reason or as a reason for their feeling less safe.

Attitudes and behaviors: Drinking and driving

• Drivers view drinking and driving as a very serious threat, virtually all drivers disapprove of drinking and driving and acknowledge that others also disapprove of it, and very few drivers admit drinking and driving (fewer than 2 drivers in 100 admit having done so in the past month).

• There is almost universal support for requiring alcohol-ignition interlocks for drivers convicted of DWI more than once, and more than 2 in 3 Americans support requiring interlocks for first-time DWI offenders.

Attitudes and behaviors: Cell phone use and texting

• Cell phone use while driving has become widespread—more than 2 in 3 drivers report talking on their cell phone while driving in the past month; more than 1 in 3 say they do so fairly often or regularly. There is moderate social disapproval toward using a hand-held cell phone while driving, but over half of all drivers believe incorrectly that most others actually approve of it. Presently, people are generally accepting of hands-free cell phone use.

• Most people view drivers texting and emailing while driving as a very serious threat to their own personal safety and consider it completely unacceptable. However, many drivers don’t perceive social disapproval from others. Nearly 1 in 4 drivers (24%) admit to texting or emailing while driving.

• A two-thirds majority of Americans support restricting the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, but more people oppose (50%) than support (46%) an outright ban on using any type of cell phone (including hands-free) while driving. There is strong support for laws restricting texting while driving.

Attitudes and behaviors: Speeding

• Speeding on freeways is widespread—45% of drivers say they have driven 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway in the past month—and nearly 1 in 3 say they consider it acceptable to do so. In contrast, driving 15 mph over the speed limit on residential streets is much less common, and is rated as one of the most unacceptable things that a driver can do.

• Nearly 2 in 3 drivers report at least occasionally feeling pressure from other drivers to drive faster than they want to drive; more than 1 in 3 say they feel such pressure fairly often or regularly.

• More than 2 in 3 Americans support having more police on the roads to enforce speed limits.

Attitudes and behaviors: Red light running

• Most drivers view it as unacceptable to drive through a traffic light that has already turned red if they could have stopped safely; however, 1 in 3 drivers admit doing this in the past month.

Attitudes and behaviors: Drowsy driving

• Most drivers view driving while extremely drowsy as a serious threat to their safety and a completely unacceptable behavior, however, more than 1 in 4 still admit to driving when they were so tired that they had a hard time keeping their eyes open at some point in the past month.

Attitudes and behaviors: Seat belt use

• Most drivers view it as unacceptable to drive without wearing a seatbelt, and more than 3 of 4 say that they never do; however, nearly 1 in 10 admits that they drive without wearing their seat belt fairly often or regularly.

• 2 of every 3 Americans support laws allowing police officers to stop and ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt even if they’re not breaking any other law.

For information on Tennessee highway safety issues and advice if you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident contact Phillip Miller & Associates.

Aggressive Driving or Road Rage?

As law enforcement agencies develop their programs, they should define aggressive driving based on their state laws, customs and practices by the agency, and by the public’s understanding.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving as, “when individuals commit a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property.” Some other communities define aggressive driving as “the operation of a motor vehicle involving three or more moving violations as part of a single continuous sequence of driving acts, which is likely to endanger any person or property.”

To avoid conflict with the term road rage, departments should clearly identify that issue and train their officers to use the correct terminology during the program as well as during traffic stops and public information opportunities. Road rage differs from aggressive driving. It is a criminal offense and is “an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger(s) of one motor vehicle on the operator or passenger(s) of another motor vehicle or is caused by an incident that occurred on a roadway.”

Some behaviors typically associated with aggressive driving include: exceeding the posted speed limit, following too closely, erratic or unsafe lane changes, improperly signaling lane changes, failure to obey traffic control devices (stop signs, yield signs, traffic signals, railroad grade cross signals, etc.). Law enforcement agencies should include red light running as part of their definition of aggressive driving. NHTSA calls the act of red light running as one of the most dangerous forms of aggressive driving.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car accident caused by an aggressive driver, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates.