Roadway Departure Crashes

Whenever you see an accident, usually involving one car that, for no apparent reason leaves the road, an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer starts thinking about driver distractions. Just what was the driver doing moments before the crash that caused his/her vehicle to go off the highway? What caused the driver to change focus from driving to other things?

Reference three Tennessee car accidents this past Saturday resulting in two deaths and one driver with minor injuries. A single car wreck claimed the life of a 33-year-old Dresden man. Police say the man was driving along when his Yukon SUV left the road and hit a guardrail. The man was not wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from his vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

In Nashville, a man was driving in excess of the speed limit on Dickerson Road when for no apparent reason he veered off the roadway and hit a telephone pole. His car burst into flames and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Later that night a 2002 Jeep Liberty driven by a 16-year-old Obion County teen driver  ran off the road, over-corrected, went off the road again and crashed into a roadside ditch. The teen was wearing her seat belt and suffered only minor injuries.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney the main question is what were each of these drivers doing in the two seconds before their vehicle left the road? 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.

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. 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.

The lesson here for Nashville drivers is that you must keep all of your attention on the acting of driving and avoid distractions. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require and experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.