Stupid Drunk

As an experienced Nashville, Tennessee automobile accident attorney I can tell you that the best way to insure that your teen driver develops good driving skills and  learns to practice safe driving is for the parents to teach and practice safe driving as the child matures. Experience gained by watching your parents is a sure fire way to learn the proper skills that you will need to make it safely through your teen age years.

On the other hand, there are drivers like Oda Renee Baker, 36, of Whitesburg, who, while driving under the influence of alcohol, with her 10-year-old son as a passenger, attempted to flee a traffic stop and in doing so ran over the foot of Hawkins County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Scott Alley, before racing away. Ms Baker was driving on a revoked license after having been convicted of  three previous DUI’s. What an example she is to her son.

According to an article in the Kingsport Times-News Baker fled south on Route 66 at a high rate of speed, lost control at a curve, and struck a culvert, tree and several large rocks just south of Forest Hills Road. Her son was taken to the hospital and his condition is unknown. She was charged with two counts of vehicular assault, DUI fourth offense, child endangerment, felony evading arrest and driving on a revoked license.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration about three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. Over 1.46 million drivers were arrested in 2006 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States. In 2008, there were nearly 61 million children age 14 and younger in the United States. This age group made up 20 percent of the total U.S. resident population in 2008. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for ages 3 to 14. In 2008, a total of 1,347 children age 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle driving crashes. Out of those 216 deaths, about half (99) were occupants of a vehicle with a driver who had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher.

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.

Under The Influence

Sporting a long list of DUI convictions, a California woman knew she shouldn’t drive after she and her man friend took drunk at dinner last weekend in Knoxville, so she did the next right thing and turned the keys over to the one person with them who hadn’t had anything to drink. So far, even though she is drunk, it appears that she made the correct decision. Well, that isn’t exactly how it played out.

According to an article published on the Knoxville television station WBIR-TV website, that responsible party was a thirteen year old boy. It appears that the plan failed when the car stalled in an intersection and the Knoxville police stopped to check it out. The boy was released to another family member and the woman was charged with two misdemeanor counts, one of child endangerment and the other of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. I guess, if you think about it, she did avoid another DUI conviction and a sentence of up to eleven months and twenty-nine days in jail.

Child Endangerment: Known as the Tennessee Drunk Driving Child Protection Act, there are added penalties for people who violate DUI laws when accompanied by a child under 18 years old.  There is a mandatory minimum jail sentence of 30 days, and a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000.  Both of these child-related penalties are added onto any other incarceration, penalty and fines.  If the child suffers serious bodily injury, the violation is a Class D felony, and if the child dies, it is a Class C felony of especially aggravated child endangerment.

As explained in the Tennessee Rules of The Road, driving involves multiple tasks, and the demands can change continually. To drive safely, you must maintain alertness, make decisions based on ever-changing information present in the environment and execute maneuvers based on these decisions. Drinking alcohol impairs a wide range of skills necessary for carrying out these tasks.  Fatal injuries, resulting from alcohol-related traffic crashes, represent a tremendous loss of human life.  In 2005, over 16,000 deaths nationwide (39 percent of all traffic fatalities) were alcohol related.  In Tennessee, 37 percent of all traffic fatalities (464 deaths) were alcohol-related. Examples are driving too fast, passing cars without enough clear distance and speeding around curves.  Showing off is another example of impaired judgment.

If you or a loved on is injured in a Nashville car accident by a driver under the influence of alcohol contact the Nashville car accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.