Exercise Caution Around Schools

When you are driving and you come upon a school zone intersection it is critically important that you immediately slow and obey all of the sign and crosswalks. The same thing when you come to an intersection and are faced with a stop sign, red light or traffic policeman, you always follow the signs and the directions of the police officer.

In Ogdenville Kentucky, just north of the Tennessee state line a LaRue County Sheriffs Deputy was directing traffic in front of an elementary school. He signaled the north bound lane to stop and 42-year-old man driving a pickup truck failed to follow his instruction and rammed into the Deputy, knocking him to the ground, inflicting serious head trauma. I wonder what this driver was doing that so distracted him from paying attention to what he was doing. The driver has been arrested and charged with assault. My prayers for a speedy and complete recovery go out to this deputy and his family.

Preventing injuries and deaths at intersections, especially at schools, should be a high priority for towns and cities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2005 alone, nearly 9,200 people died and approximately one million people were injured in intersection-related crashes that account for approximately 40-45 percent of all crashes.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville intersection collision contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.

Intersection Safety Saves Lives

If you ask most people to define an intersection they will tell you it’s a place where two or more roads or streets come together. In reality, it’s far more complicated than that. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration an intersection is a planned point of conflict in the roadway system. With different crossing and entering movements by both drivers and pedestrians, an intersection is one of the most complex traffic situations that motorists encounter.

Dangers are compounded when we add the element of speeding motorists who disregard traffic controls. Despite improved intersection design and more sophisticated applications of traffic engineering measures, the annual toll of human loss due to motor vehicle crashes has not substantially changed in more than 25 years. In 2008, there were 37,261 fatalities on our Nation’s roadways. Of these, 7,772 (20.8% of total fatalities) were intersection or intersection related.

The rules in Tennessee for intersections include issues such as the right-of-way, pedestrians, right turns, left turns and turn signals. Intersections include:

• Cross streets,

• Side streets,

• Driveways,

• Shopping center or parking lot entrances.

If you have read my blog in the past you know that I often refer to the concept of “traffic checks” which is the practice of looking frequently and carefully for vehicle traffic approaching from each direction. “Traffic checks” are especially important when merging or changing lanes and when approaching and crossing intersections. Below are five things to remember to navigate an intersection safely:

1. Look both ways as you near an intersection. Before you enter an intersection, continue checking traffic from both the left and right for approaching vehicles and/or crossing pedestrians. Look first to the left to make sure cross traffic is yielding the right-of-way. Then look for traffic from the right. If stopped, look both left and right just before you start moving. Look across the intersection before you start to move to make sure the path is clear through the intersection.

2. Watch your speed and be prepared to brake or stop unexpectedly at intersections if your traffic checks alert you to a possible hazard. You should slow down before reaching the intersection, drive at your slowest speed just before entering the intersection and gradually increase your speed as you cross the intersection.

3. You should be in the proper lane for the direction you intend to travel before you reach the intersection. Do not make last minute lane changes as you start through an intersection. Do not pass a vehicle in an intersection.

4. Do not move into an intersection and block it after the traffic lights have changed. This is not only common sense, but it’s also illegal to block an intersection after the light has changed.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I often recommend to my clients and blog readers to make the effort to contact the Department of Safety and review the Rules of the Road. If you or a loved one is injured in an intersection automobile accident, call our experienced Nashville accident attorneys and find out about your rights and remedies.