Observe Construction Zone Safety

Hit & Run drivers are, in my consideration, the worst kind of human being. Most H&R drivers are under the influence of alcohol, others have already run afoul of the law and have lost their driving privileges, yet they continue to get behind the wheel and ignore the rules.

Many H&R drivers are trying to avoid detection because they don’t have insurance and they don’t want to face the responsibility for their actions. No matter which category they fall into they are the very worst type of person, someone who will leave an injured or dying pedestrian lying in the street.

Reference a Hit & Run accident in Kingsport Tennessee, last week in which a motorist, distracted by using a cell phone, hit a traffic worker in a clearly marked worker present zone, and then fled the scene. By now I’m sure she is sorry she compounded her mistake by fleeing the scene and leaving the worker injured in the street, because she has been arrested and jailed.

Construction zones can present a driver with a challenge. The zones are usually well marked in advance and require vehicles to start reducing speed in preparation for the upcoming area on the road where the construction equipment and workers are located.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee construction zone accident it’s important that you secure the services of an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney like those that you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. Time is of the essence in these cases so contact us immediately at 615-356-2000

Share the Interstate

Construction zones can present a driver with a challenge. The zones are usually well marked in advance and require vehicles to start reducing speed in preparation for the upcoming area on the road where the construction equipment and workers are located.

This weekend I drove from Nashville to St. Louis for some business and was amazed at how many drivers ignore the signs warning drivers to slow down for a construction zone and instead of following the slow-down suggestions they use the opportunity to speed up and get ahead of the people in front of them. This dangerous behavior in turn brings out bad behavior in others who don’t want the cheaters to get ahead of them. Some of those people who are slowing down and forming one lane as directed begin to attempt to block and retaliate against the speeders by refusing to allow them to merge.

The other danger I noticed was the tailgating by some on those who reduce their speed as directed. When you reduce your speed from 70 mph to 55 mph you should, according to the Tennessee Rules Of The Road, keep one car length for every ten miles per hour you are traveling, not so in these Interstate construction zones. What happens is that the danger of a rear-end collision is magnified. Driver one is worried about the driver 2 right on his tail and is paying more attention to the tailgater then he is to the driver in front of him.

The Tennessee Department of Safety suggests the following:

* Slow down! Drive within the posted speed limits, which are usually reduced in work zones. If you don’t, you’ll pay the price.

* Don’t tailgate! Most work zone accidents are caused by rear-end collisions.

* Eliminate distractions! Put down the cell phone; leave the radio dial alone. This is not the time to look for a new CD!

* Keep your ears open! Do not wear earphones while driving.

* Merge early! You can be ticketed and the cause of an accident for being a last chance merger.

* Watch for flaggers! Follow their signals, and don’t change lanes within the work zone unless instructed to do so.

* Expect the unexpected! Work zones change constantly.

* Turn your lights on before you enter the zone! Turn on your vehicle’s headlights to become more visible to workers and other motorists.

* Stay calm! Remember the work zone crew members are working to improve your future ride.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee construction zone accident it’s important that you secure the services of an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney like those that you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. Time is of the essence in these cases so contact us immediately at 615-356-2000

Practice Construction Zone Safety

With the federal stimulus money coming into Tennessee aimed at improving the highway infrastructure of our state, motorists are faced with many more construction zones that require particular attention to speed, distance between vehicles and avoidance of outside distractions such as cell phone, iPods and other electronic devices.

Unfortunately many Tennessee motorists still don’t get it. Witness a report from TV station WBBJ out of Jackson Tennessee about a 50-year old Memphis woman died Thursday in a fiery crash in Henderson County when she ignored a worker flagging traffic and rammed into a TDOT truck parked on the side of the road in a construction zone. Another driver suffered minor injuries.

Once again, from the point of view of an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, you have to wonder what this unfortunate lady was doing that kept her from seeing the worker flagging traffic. Our prayers go out to her family and friends. She either acted intentionally or she was somehow distracted and since most automobile fatalities occur when a driver is distracted, I would focus my investigation on her cell phone or other electronic devices and her autopsy on her blood alcohol count.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that highway and street construction workers are at risk of fatal and serious nonfatal injury when working in the vicinity of passing motorists, construction vehicles, and equipment. Each year, more than 100 workers are killed and over 20,000 are injured in the highway and street construction industry.

Historically, efforts to reduce vehicle-related worker injuries in this industry have focused on improving traffic control devices and work zone configurations to minimize confusion of motorists passing through the work zone and to limit collisions involving motorists.

The premise has been that by minimizing traffic collisions in work zones, worker injuries are minimized. But it appears that the real problem lies in the hands of the motorists who navigate these dangerous obstructions. It’s up to us, ladies and gentleman, we have to put aside the distractions and focus all of our Attention on the task at hand, and that task is piloting a deadly weapon through the normal obstacles we face everyday on the highways of Tennessee.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville automobile accident involving a distracted driver in a construction zone contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies. If you have been involved in an accident and are thinking of handling the negotiations with the other drivers insurance company on your own, you owe it to yourself to at least check out our website and educate yourself before undertaking this complicated and complex process.

Practice Construction Zone Safety

Construction zones can present a driver with a challenge. The zones are usually well marked in advance and require vehicles to start reducing speed in preparation for the upcoming area on the road where the construction equipment and workers are located. This weekend I drove from Nashville to St. Louis for some business this week and was amazed at how many drivers ignore the warnings and instead of following the slow-down suggestions use the opportunity to speed up and get ahead of the people in front of them. This dangerous behavior in turn brings out bad behavior in others. Some of those people who are slowing down and forming one lane as directed begin to attempt to block and retaliate against the speeders by refusing to allow them to merge.

The other danger I noticed was the tailgating by some on those who reduce their speed as directed. When you reduce your speed from 70 mph to 55 mph you should, according to the Tennessee Rules Of The Road, keep one car length for every ten miles per hour you are traveling, not so in these Interstate construction zones. What happens is that the danger of a rear-end collision is magnified. Driver one is worried about the driver 2 right on his tail and is paying more attention to the tailgater then he is to the driver in front of him.

The Dyersburg State Gazette reported on an incident that occurred this past Friday at a construction site up in Dyer County. Traffic began stopping for a construction site and a tractor-trailer was following another too closely and ran into the rear-end of the first one spilling it’s cargo of corn across the highway.

The Tennessee Department of Safety suggests the following:

* Slow down! Drive within the posted speed limits, which are usually reduced in work zones. If you don’t, you’ll pay the price.

* Don’t tailgate! Most work zone accidents are caused by rear-end collisions.

* Eliminate distractions! Put down the cell phone; leave the radio dial alone. This is not the time to look for a new CD!

* Keep your ears open! Do not wear earphones while driving.

* Merge early! You can be ticketed and the cause of an accident for being a last chance merger.

* Watch for flaggers! Follow their signals, and don’t change lanes within the work zone unless instructed to do so.

* Expect the unexpected! Work zones change constantly.

* Turn your lights on before you enter the zone! Turn on your vehicle’s headlights to become more visible to workers and other motorists.

* Stay calm! Remember the work zone crew members are working to improve your future ride.

On March 1, 2006, The Tennessee Department of Safety, in cooperation with the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office, implemented new, tougher driving penalties for teen drivers. This new rule is called Hayden’s Rule. A baby girl, Hayden Maples, was born February 18, 2003, after a teenage driver who had approximately 18 points on his driving record, hit Hayden’s mother head-on. The teenage driver had decided to pass another car on a double yellow line in a construction zone. Tragically, the driver died, and as a result of the accident, Hayden was born with a severe brain injury. Learn about the penalties for teenage drivers under Hayden’s Rule.

If you or a loved one is injured in a construction zone accident contact the experienced Nashville Accident and injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.