Roadway Departure Crash

Fifty miles north of Nashville, a 62-year-old man lost his life when the vehicle he was driving south on I-24 in Kentucky just above of the Tennessee state line left the road, crossed the median and slammed head-on into a north-bound tractor-trailer truck. An article in the Leaf-Chronicle, quoted the investigator, a Kentucky State Trooper as saying that the deceased driver suffered from some sort of medical emergency that caused him to lose control of his vehicle.

Recently I read an interesting article outlining the finding of a study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. According to the survey, 95 percent of respondents 55 and older have one or more medical conditions and 78 percent use one or more medication, yet only 28 percent  indicated some awareness of the potential impact on driving performance associated with  those medications. Previous research indicates that use of a single potentially driver impairing medication as well as use  of multiple medications increases the risk of being in a crash.

As we reach a certain point in the aging process we begin notice that many of the things we rely on to be safe drivers, eye sight, hearing, response time, are not as sharp as they once were. Another factor is that we suffer medical conditions and take medication for them that further limit our ability to be the drivers we once were.

No matter what your age, if you take one or more medications check with your physician about the possible effects that the meds might have on your driving. Many medications react in a totally different manner when used with alcohol or with other medications. Some medications have a tendency to make a driver drowsy and create the risk of falling asleep while driving.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident caused by a driver who was taking medication or who had a serious medical condition that impaired their driving, we urge you to contact our Nashville 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.