A recent study done by the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, found that drivers older than 65 were half as likely to notice pedestrians near or moving toward the street as were experienced drivers between the ages of 28 and 45. Even though older drivers have much more experience behind the wheel, apparently older drivers, according to the study, have a narrower field of vision than younger drivers and this causes them to miss developments at curbside and on sidewalks that could negatively impact their relationship with pedestrians.

The difference is significant, with drivers 65 and old being half as likely to see pedestrians moving toward the street than younger drivers. Using a driving simulator, researchers found that those older than 65 tapped on their brakes in response to a “roadside hazard” about half as often, suggesting either that they did not see it or that they did not consider it something they needed to attend to.

On a positive note the study found that older drivers drive more slowly — about 20 percent more slowly, perhaps to compensate for shortcomings in their peripheral vision and attention. The lesson for Tennessee drivers is that we should recognize that older drivers see the road differently and that we should give them plenty of road room when we encounter one.

If you have parents or loved one you might want to discuss this study with them and encourage them to take due precautions when they drive. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee roadway accident caused by an elderly driver, you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

State Troopers near Elizabethton, Tennessee are still not sure how a roadway departure crash occurred. A 79-year-old woman was driving along the Elizabethton Highway when she left the road, over corrected, flipped and landed against a utility pole. My prayers go out to her for a speedy and complete recover.

Previous research has found that older driver fatal crash involvement rates per licensed driver declined substantially in the United States during 1997-2006 and declined much faster than the rate for middle-age drivers. The current study examined whether the larger-than-expected decline for older drivers extended to nonfatal crashes and whether the decline in fatal crash risk reflects lower likelihood of crashing or an improvement in survivability of the crashes that occur.

In 2008, older people accounted for 15 percent of all traffic fatalities and 18 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. Most traffic fatalities involving older drivers in occurred during the daytime (80%), occurred on weekdays (72%), and involved other vehicles (69%).

If you or a loved on is injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident caused by a negligent driver contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation.

Don't Stop On Interstate

Traffic on interstates usually moves more safely and efficiently because access is controlled. There are no stop signs, no railroad crossings and no traffic lights. Interstates usually have few steep hills or sharp curves to limit the view of the road ahead. Limited access or controlled access means that drivers enter or leave the roadway only at entrances and exits, called interchanges, without ever crossing the path of other traffic.

In most driving situations, you slow down or stop before you enter a busy road, but when entering an interstate, you do the opposite. You must use the merging or acceleration lane to speed up and merge with fast-moving traffic already on the interstate. Good judgment and good timing are necessary to merge smoothly with fast-moving traffic.

Upon entering the interstate on-ramp, stay to the right and increase your speed in the acceleration lane/entrance ramp. Use the ramp to reach interstate speed so you can merge smoothly into the travel lane when the way is clear. Be sure to give the proper left turn signal to indicate your need to enter the traffic lane.

Drivers already on the interstate should, for their own safety, make allowance for vehicles attempting to enter. It is your responsibility to yield the right-of-way to other cars on the interstate.

An elderly driver was injured after their car apparently stopped on the entrance ramp going from Briley Parkway onto Interstate-40 eastbound, and was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer. Fortunately, neither of the elderly people in the vehicle were seriously injured.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident involving an elderly driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee car accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, when I hear about an accident like the one that took the life of a 72-year-old Greenville, Tennessee man I immediately wonder if the accident was caused by a medical emergency.

The facts are simple, the man was driving in one direction on US Highway 321 and for some unknown reason he crossed the centerline and slammed head-on into a car traveling in the other direction. The driver and his passenger who were hit were injured and transported to a local hospital.

Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by medical emergencies  while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities. Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizures, diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile traffic accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates

Medical Emergencies

and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.

Medical Emergency

Wade Arlyn  (BoomBoom) Crane, a well known 66-year-old pro billiards player from Acworth, Ga. was killed early Sunday in a one-car crash in Knoxville, Tennessee. My sympathy goes out to the family, friends and fans of Mr. Crane.

Local media reports said that his car suddenly swerved across three lanes of traffic and hit a concrete wall on the right side of the roadway and then back across five lanes to slam into the left side wall. Police investigators believe that Mr. Crane suffered a medical emergency before his car went out of control. Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

According to a recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, older drivers face substantially elevated risk of being involved in and responsible for crashes in which they themselves die, and they pose more risk to other road users than the lowest-risk drivers do; however, the degree to which older drivers’ risk to other road users is elevated.

In 2008, older people accounted for 15 percent of all traffic fatalities and 18 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. Most traffic fatalities involving older drivers in occurred during the daytime (80%), occurred on weekdays (72%), and involved other vehicles (69%).

If you or a loved one is seriously injured in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by an older driver, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

When Is It Time To Stop Driving?

At what age is a person too old to drive safely? It’s a sensitive issue, because like everyone else, older adults depend on driving to maintain their independence and keep doing all the things they need and want to do. Most seniors are safe drivers. Their safety belt usage is high, and they have low rates of violations for speeding, reckless driving, and alcohol-related incidents.

However, as they age, their risk of being involved in an accident increases with each year of age. There are reasons why driving presents particular challenges to older people, including:

• Changes in vision, cognition, and physical function

• Medical conditions

• The use of medications.

Many seniors voluntarily limit their driving under certain circumstances, particularly when they realize their vision has changed and they don’t see as well at night or in bad weather. Others, however, may be reluctant to stop driving because the thought of losing their independence is too threatening, and they may fear becoming isolated, lonely, and dependent on family or friends.

In addition, any changes in vision or physical function may have happened slowly over time so they don’t realize they’re no longer as safe behind the wheel. The task of bringing up this delicate issue may then fall to a family member, friend, or caregiver.

It’s estimated that by 2020, 54 million Americans will be over age 65, and many of them will still be driving. The question of whether they should limit their driving or stop altogether is one that more and more seniors and their families will face. Conversations about this important safety issue are not easy. Your parent or relative may resent discussing the topic or resist admitting to any problems with driving. The question needs to be handled with tact and diplomacy.

To find out more about this and other Tennessee highway safety issues contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and learn what you need to help in dealing with the issue.

Is it Time To Hang Up Your Car Keys

The good news is that seniors are among the safest drivers on the road, many limit their driving to compensate for age-related health and functional changes. The bad news is that  seniors are more likely to be seriously injured or killed when involved in a crash. With advancing age come changes in medical health and function that impact on the ability to drive safely. While most seniors accept the need to “hang up the keys”, a minority may drive too long and pose a safety risk to self and others

Over next 20 years, number of senior drivers will nearly double. These drivers will likely travel more miles than their predecessors. The majority will remain safe drivers, but a growing minority will need attention from state governments, health/ service professionals, family members, etc., to know when driving retirement is necessary.

Whether someone is an MFD (medically fit driver) can be an issue at any age but more likely as we get older. Studies conducted by the AAA Foundation for Highway Safety indicate that certain age-related medical conditions may impair driving ability and thereby elevate crash risk.

Reporting of MFD concerns is a voluntary process in most states, including Tennessee (615-251-5235).  The first responsibility for addressing MFD concerns resides with the individual driver. Many states require drivers to notify the DMV of health conditions that may impair driving safety. Most states, Tennessee included, allow health professionals, law enforcement personnel, and others to report potentially unfit drivers for re-testing and possible license revocation. Mediaclly fit drivers must have sufficient vision, attention, memory (and other cognitive skills) and have motor function to manage the operational, tactical and strategic tasks of driving.

To learn more about highway safety issues visit the web site of Phillip Miller & Associates. If you or a loved one is seriously injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident, contact our Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyers for a free consultation.

Elderly Drivers

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I try to keep my readers up on important issues. The other day I wrote about having “The Conversation” with our elderly parents. Studies have shown that older drivers have high death rates and lower rates of involvement in crashes that kill others. Relative to other age groups, drivers aged 85 and older face the highest risk of their own death, whereas teens pose the greatest risk to passengers, occupants of other vehicles, and non-motorists.

For example, the results of a recent study suggest that if a randomly-selected driver in his or thirties and a randomly-selected driver aged 85 or older were to drive equal numbers of miles, the older driver would be over 1500% more likely than the younger driver to be responsible for and die as a result of a crash, and about 220% more likely than the younger driver to kill an occupant of another vehicle or a non-motorist.

Reference a recent incident in Nashville involving an elderly driver on an interstate highway who hit four cars and a sign while driving. She kept on going and the 911 hotline lit up with callers from the scene. After she was stopped she was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. It’s unclear at this time the cause of the incident, maybe it was a medical emergency, a medication problem or it might have been time for this ladies family to step in and protect her by taking the car away.

In hindsight there were probably a number of signs that her family might have noticed that might have warned them that it was time to consider the possibility that she might need to relinquish her car keys. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this poor lady.

The lesson here is that families need to be proactive and avoid the inclination to avoid bringing up the topic with the ones we love. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by an elderly driver contact the experienced Nashville auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I try to keep my readers up on important issues. The other day I wrote about having “The Conversation” with our elderly parents. Studies have shown that older drivers have high death rates and lower rates of involvement in crashes that kill others. Relative to other age groups, drivers aged 85 and older face the highest risk of their own death, whereas teens pose the greatest risk to passengers, occupants of other vehicles, and non-motorists.

Reference a fatal accident that took the life of an 87-year-old Oneida Tennessee driver. From local media reports it appears that the woman was attempting to turn left onto US Highway 27 in Huntsville Tennessee when she turned into the path of a pickup truck, leading to a head-on collision. The woman was not wearing her seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

In hindsight there were probably a number of signs that her family might have noticed that might have warned them that it was time to consider the possibility that she might need to relinquish her car keys. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this poor lady.

The lesson here is that families need to be proactive and avoid the inclination to bring up the topic with the ones we love. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident

Elderly Drivers

caused by an elderly driver contact the experienced Nashville auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Getting older does not necessarily mean a person’s driving days are over. But it is important to plan ahead and take steps to ensure the safety of your loved ones on the road. National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers free materials to help you learn more about how to recognize and discuss changes in your older loved one’s driving.

Talking with an older person about their driving is often difficult. Most of us delay that talk until the person’s driving has become what we believe to be dangerous. At that point, conversations can be tense and awkward for everyone involved. But there are things you can say and do to make those conversations more productive and less tense.

For most of us, driving represents freedom, control, and competence. Driving lets us go to the places we want or need to go. For many of us – even as we get older – driving is important economically. We drive to get to and from work, and sometimes as part of our jobs. Driving is important socially; it lets us stay connected to our communities and favorite activities.

Driving or riding in a car is how most older adults get around. Most people 65 and older change how they drive as they age, choosing to drive only during daylight hours, for example, or limiting where they drive, or cutting back on how often they drive.

In 2008, older people accounted for 15 percent of all traffic fatalities and 18 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. Most traffic fatalities involving older drivers in occurred during the daytime (80%), occurred on weekdays (72%), and involved other vehicles (69%).

If you or a loved one is seriously injured in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by an older driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.