Bad Luck For DUI Driver Good Luck For The Rest Of Us

When you get behind the wheel of a Tennessee motor vehicle and you are drunk there is no such thing as bad luck, you are making your own luck. Reference a recent DUI arrest in Kingsport Tennessee last week.

A Kingsport police officer was on his way to work. He was driving his patrol car and was attempting to merge with other traffic onto Highway 11-W when a car driven by a 45-year-old Kingsport man nearly sideswiped the cruiser and continued on along the highway weaving to the right and then the left of the lane.

The officer lit up his emergency lights and the driver continued along, stopping only after the officer activated his siren. When the officer approached the car the driver had a half empty pint of whiskey in full view between the seats, he spoke with a slur, failed the field sobriety test and when the officer did a record check he found that the driver had previous problems with driving and alcohol and had a suspended license.

He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and driving on a revoked license, then transported to the Kingsport city jail. Every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.

Last year, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. During that same period over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

Drunk driving is a serious problem in Tennessee. Continued driving by previously convicted DUI offenders continues to be a plague on the roadways of Tennessee. In an effort attack this problem Tennessee now mandates interlock devices be placed on the vehicles of all second offenders and those with blood alcohol levels above.

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

New Tennessee Sanctions For DUI

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney who has for years lobbied for stricter sanctions for drunk drivers, I’m happy to announce that as of the new year some serious sanctions now apply in Tennessee to those with multiple DUIs and blood alcohol levels higher than 1.5 will now be required to pay for and use and ignition interlock device.

An ignition interlock device requires a driver to blow into it and have his/her breath alcohol tested before the car will start. This also applies to drivers convicted of DUI who had a minor in the car, or refuse to take a breath or blood test.

On average a human being loses their life at the hands of a  drunk driver every 45 minutes. In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving related crashes, a decline of 9.8 percent from the 13,041 drunk driving related fatalities of 2007.

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 2001, more than half a million people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present an average of one person injured almost every minute.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident caused by a drunk driver, contact the experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free and confidential consultation.

Two Dead In Tennessee Roadway Departure Crash

The other day I reported that 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 not wearing their seatbelts.

A local media report now says that the 22-year-old driver is in the Lawrence County Jail and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and 2 counts of vehicular homicide. Also injured in the crash was a 15-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman.

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In Tennessee in 2008, 327 people were killed in crashes where the driver or motorcyclist had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

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

Motorcyle Fatality

A Chattanooga man is charged with vehicular homicide for a crash that killed a biker, in September. Already facing charges of driving under the influence and on a suspended license, the man is looking at some serious jail time. Police reports say that the man was driving his SUV on Hixson Pike when he crossed the centerline and hit a motorcycle head-on, killing a 51-year-old Perry Maddox who was dead at the scene. Investigators say that alcohol played a major role in the fatal accident.

As my goal with this blog is to educate my readers in the hope that you all will practice safe driving and instill in your family and friends the need to do the same. On average a human being loses their life at the hands of a drunk driver every 45 minutes. In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving related crashes, a decline of 9.8 percent from the 13,041 drunk driving related fatalities of 2007.

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 2001, more than half a million people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present an average of one person injured almost every minute.

When you hire an attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting the whole package.  You don’t just get an extremely qualified and dedicated lawyer, you also get a loyal Tennessee resident who cares about the quality of life in their community and who puts their time and money into standing up for causes and charities they believe in.  You can read about some of the causes we support on our home page, along with a summary of our professional qualifications.  Additional details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our personal profiles, where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest.

Please contact Phillip Miller & Associates today and take your first step forward towards putting the frustration and horror of your Tennessee motorcycle accident experience behind you.

Some Facts About Drunk Driving

As my goal with this blog is to educate my readers in the hope that you all will practice safe driving and instill in your family and friends the need to do the same. Today I thought I would share some specific information about drunk driving compiled by Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD) using statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

On average a human being loses their life at the hands of a  drunk driver every 45 minutes. In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving related crashes, a decline of 9.8 percent from the 13,041 drunk driving related fatalities of 2007.

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 2001, more than half a million people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present an average of one person injured almost every minute.

Since 1980 (the year Mothers Against Drunk Driving was founded), alcohol-related traffic fatalities have decreased nearly 50 percent, from over 30,000 to under 15,500 and MADD has helped save over 383,000 lives.

Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public an estimated $114.3 billion in 2000, including $51.1 billion in monetary costs and an estimated $63.2 billion in quality of life losses. People other than the drinking driver paid $71.6 billion of the alcohol-related crash bill, which is 63 percent of the total cost of these crashes.

In 2007, 84 percent (12,068) of the 14,447 drivers with a BAC of .01 or higher who were involved in fatal crashes had BAC levels at or above .08, and 55 percent (7,974) had BAC levels at or above .15. The most frequently recorded BAC level among drinking drivers in fatal crashes was .16.

Only 17 percent of impaired drivers who are injured in crashes are charged and convicted. Eleven percent are charged and not convicted and 72 percent are never charged. The last statistic is interesting and seems to be a statistic that should be directed at our local and state prosecutors for an answer.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville automobile accident involving a drunk driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies. If you are considering handling the followup to an accident on your own you owe it to yourself to at least check out our website and familiarize yourself with the process you face. The best law firms provide free consultations. At Phillip Miller & Associates we provide free consultations for the victims and their families.

Rural Roads Are Deadly

As an experienced Nashville car accident attorney I can assure you that high speed, alcohol, a winding 30 mph rural road and add a dash of no seatbelt and the end result is definitely going to add up to a dead driver. According to the Kingsport Times-News that’s just what happened to a Church Hill man injured in a single-vehicle accident Friday evening who died Saturday from the injuries. The article quoted Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Billy Collier as saying “extremely high speed and alcohol were the main contributors to the accident.”

Wesley W. Mabe, 22, was driving under the influence of alcohol at a high rate of speed when he was unable to negotiate and curve in the rural road. According to the Trooper he left the road “struck a tree, a fence and another tree before coming to a final rest.” The Trooper said he was not wearing a seatbelt but that since there was no intrusions on the driver’s side of the car, a seatbelt might well have saved his life.

Rural road safety is a particular concern, because the majority of highway fatalities take place on rural roads. According to the Federal Highway Administration rural roads account for approximately 40 percent of the vehicle miles traveled in the U.S., but almost 57 percent of fatalities, even though just 23% of the US population live in rural areas. According to the latest data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the fatality rate for rural crashes is more than twice the fatality rate in urban crashes. In 2007, 23,260 people were killed in rural motor vehicle crashes, accounting for 57 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee automobile accident contact our experienced Tennessee accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies. Don’t try to take on the other persons insurance company on your own.

Michael James Price 37-years of age of Clarksville, Tennessee was no stranger to trouble with the police, but his run of trouble took a fatal turn yesterday morning. According to the Nashville Tennessean at about 12:10 a.m. Price left the scene of a single-vehicle wreck where the vehicle he was driving had run into a ditch on Park Lane.

It appears that Price walked to Fort Campbell Boulevard and at 12:20 a.m. as he crossed the street he stepped into the path of a southbound 1989 Honda Civic, was struck and went into the windshield and died at the scene. The driver of the Honda, 72-year-old Geraldine Benne was unhurt but according to Clarksville Police, was badly shaken-up. Our sympathies go out to the family of this troubled man and also to the innocent driver who collided with him

At the time of his death Price was on bond on charges related to a recent arrest during which he was charged with evading police, driving under the influence of alcohol, assault on a police officer and various other charges following his arrest. While he was being field tested for DUI he spit on a police officer, not always a good idea, and when in the police cruiser he had to be Tazered and hobbled when he tried to kick out the window of the patrol car.

According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention, every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $51 billion dollars. In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

If you or a family member is injured in an alcohol related automobile accident in Tennessee contact our experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.