Reduce Highway Fatalities

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security officials today announced preliminary figures indicating the state has recorded the fewest number of traffic fatalities in 48 years. In 2011, there were 947 traffic-related deaths on Tennessee roadways, representing the lowest figure since 1963 when 941 people were killed as a result of a crash.

Practice Winter Weather Safety

About this time every year I try to focus my blog on specific things a Tennessee driver can do to stay safe during the holiday season. I think that you might want to focus on three things: 1. Road Safety 2. Parking Lot Safety and 3. Weather conditions.

Road Safety- The Winter holidays are very busy times for the average American. It gets darker sooner in the day, holiday shopping makes everyone a bit on edge and many drivers become downright aggressive, and holiday parties can lead to drunk drivers.

Aggressive Driving

In Tennessee and throughout the country, the public’s concern over aggressive driving continues to grow. Some studies indicate the public is actually more fearful of aggressive drivers than it is of impaired drivers. Aggressive driving is truly dangerous and cannot be tolerated. Several states are considering legislation to deal specifically with the aggressive driving issue.

Traditionally, the traffic safety community has defined and attempted to measure aggressive driving in a variety of ways. Some studies of aggressive driving have focused on specific driving behaviors, such as speeding, tailgating, or violating traffic control devices, which are commonly thought of as behaviors typically associated with aggressive driving.

Drunk Driving

Alcohol played a factor in a significant number of crashes during last year’s holiday season. Forty-two percent of the fatalities that occurred during last year’s Christmas holiday were alcohol related. The number of alcohol-related crashes grew to 57 percent during the New Year’s holiday.

December is National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, with assistance from other agencies, will staff more than 100 sobriety and driver’s license checkpoints through New Year’s Day. Don’t be a statistic, if you drive, don’t drink and if you drink don’t drive. If you see or suspect a driver of being under the influence, or driving in a dangerous aggressive manner, take action and call the police, you may save a life. In an urban are dial 911 and in a rural area dial *847 for the State Troopers.

Parking Lot and Shopping Safety

The number one rule when you are in big box store parking lots is to keep your eyes open for trouble. Do not get out of your vehicle unless you have carefully studied the area for people who don’t belong there.

Don’t shop at night if avoidable, and always shop with friends or family. A single person is always a target. Always trust your instincts. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Report suspicious activity to mall security or call the police. Be careful in parking lots. Some people are in such a rush that they back out of a parking spot without paying attention to other cars or pedestrians.

Weather –

Be aware of hazardous conditions. There are several driving events that require intense concentration on the part of the driver. A driver must always be on the defensive, thinking about what other drivers might do AND be prepared to respond with proper reactions. In addition, certain conditions, especially bad weather, trigger the need for special knowledge and skills.

Wet pavement can be as treacherous as snow and ice. To drive under these conditions:

Slow Down. The pavement is particularly treacherous when it first begins to rain. Dirt and oil accumulations make a greasy film on the roadway, and it takes several minutes for it to wash away.

Avoid Hydroplaning. A lot of water standing on the road during a heavy rain causes tires to lose all contact with the road, even if driving under 50 m.p.h. If the vehicle starts to hydroplane, slow down by letting up on the gas. Never suddenly apply the brakes.

Improve Your Vision: (a) keep windshield wipers in good condition, (b) wait a few minutes after the rain starts so the rain/wipers can remove dust and grime, (c) use the defroster/air conditioner to keep windows/mirrors clear.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our 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. Call 615-356-2000.

Photo Courtesy of the AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety

Lately this Tennessee automobile accident lawyer has been giving a lot of thought to acts of aggressive driving. A recent article on the website of the Atlanta-Journal-Constitution points out an incident on I-285 that epitomizes the thoughtless nature of those

Report Aggressive Drivers

who choose to put the lives of other drivers on the line so that they can get the thrill of drag racing.

According to the article two cars were racing on I-285 when one of them clipped another car and then, at high speed, hit three other cars, sending at least three people, with moderate to mild injuries, to the hospital and leaving thousands of dollars of damaged vehicle. Instead of stopping to see if they could help the inured, the cowardly jerks fled the scene.

Aggressive driving is a traffic offense or combination of offenses such as following too closely, speeding, unsafe lane changes, failing to signal intent to change lanes, and other forms of negligent or inconsiderate driving. Unfortunately, these actions put the rest of us at risk.

Aggressive driving is a major concern of the American public, ranking at or near the top of traffic safety issues in national surveys of motorists. In Tennessee and throughout the country, the public’s concern over aggressive driving continues to grow. Some studies indicate the public is actually more fearful of aggressive drivers than it is of impaired drivers. Aggressive driving is truly dangerous and cannot be tolerated.

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

Drunk Driving Crackdown

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer I am all too aware of the dangers posed by the holiday season. Fortunately for all Tennesseans the fatality rate for drunk driving collisions is steadily decreasing year after year. But those statistics offer little hope to families who lose loved ones to drunk drivers during the holiday season.

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In 2008, 327 people died in highway crashes in Tennessee involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. That’s an 11 percent decline from the 377 alcohol-related deaths in 2007. As part of National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month, the Tennessee Highway Patrol will be stepping up its enforcement crackdown to find and remove impaired drivers from Tennessee roadways.  Troopers will be conducting more than 100 sobriety and driver license checkpoints now through the New Year’s holiday to get drunk drivers off the road.

The holiday season is one of the deadliest and most dangerous times of the year due to an increase in impaired driving.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in December 2008, 888 people were killed nationwide in crashes that involved a drunk driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. That was down from 992 people killed in similar impaired driving crashes in 2007.  In Tennessee, in December 2008, eight people were killed in crashes that involved a drunk driver with a known BAC of .08 or higher compared to 12 people in December 2007.

“The holidays are about gathering together with friends and family to celebrate the joys of the season, but no amount of good cheer will save people from the consequences of impaired driving,” said Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Mike Walker. “Impaired driving is against the law and Troopers will be out in force working to save lives by making sure drunk and drugged drivers are kept off the road. If we catch you, we will arrest you. No exceptions. No excuses.”

The 2009 Christmas holiday period begins Thursday, December 24th, at 6:00 p.m., and runs through Sunday, December 27, at 11:59 p.m. During the 2008 Christmas holiday period, nine people were killed in traffic crashes on Tennessee roadways. This represents one death every 11 hours and 20 minutes. Alcohol was involved in nearly 29 percent of those crashes and four of the seven motorists killed were not wearing safety restraints.

The 2009 New Year’s holiday period begins at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, December 31, 2009, and will end 11:59 p.m. Sunday, January 3, 2010. Last year, 2008-09, 12 people were killed during the New Year’s holiday period and 42 percent of the fatalities occurred in alcohol-related crashes.

Please set an example to your friends and family, especially your teen drivers. If you drink don’t driver, if you drive don’t drink. If you observe and impaired driver identify the vehicle and call 911 or in a rural area *847 and report them. You may save a life. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident involving a drunk or impaired driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Practice Holiday Driving Safety

If you are involved in a Nashville automobile accident during this Holiday season you owe it to yourself to contact one of the experienced Tennessee car accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies by taking advantage of a free consultation.

Many Nashvillians involved in automobile accidents seem to feel that they can handle the negotiations with the other person’s insurance company on their own and save money. Indeed, during the first telephone conversation with the Insurance company representative you will be told that you don’t need to hire an attorney, they will just take more money out of your pocket. At this stage I urge you to end the conversation and visit my website, just listen to what I have to say about this situation. The adjustors for these companies are trained and in fact, receive a bonus for beating automobile accident victims out of a righteous settlement.

During this Holiday season there are a number of important things to be alert for while driving the highways and byways of Nashville. Remember, everyone is in a rush and tempers flare without much coaxing. Be polite and yield rather than engage.

Many drivers during the season have taken a taste of the dew and their reflexes are impaired or they are being aggressive with their vehicles. Once again, don’t engage, but do get a description of any vehicle you think is being driven by a drunk or aggressive drivers and contact the authorities. You might just save a life. If you are driving in Nashville, dial 911, and if you are outside of a municipal area dial *847 for the Tennessee State Troopers. Traffic police will on the job but they need your help to get the drunks off the roads.

Make it a safe and happy Holiday season and get home alive. Seasons Greeting to all from the staff at Phillip Miller & Associates.