Yield To Entering Vehicles

Maybe the 24-year-old driver was too high on Hyrocodone to be aware that a tractor-trailer was entering I-40 in front of him, or maybe he simply refused to yield the right of way as required by the Tennessee Rules of the Road. No matter what the reason, he rear-ended the tractor-trailer and died because of it.

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.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee interstate highway automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free evaluation of your case. Call 615-356-2000.

Interstate Driving Is Different

One of the things I have learned about teen drivers is that their lack of hands on experience with interstate driving can and often does turn fatal. One of the most important rules of interstate driving is that a driver must be aware of all vehicles near them. This requires a driver to constantly be using your mirrors and judging speeds and distance of these other vehicles.

This past week, a teen driver was piloting a Dodge Durango on I-24 at Exit 31, just north of Nashville. At the last second the teen driver swerved to avoid a piece of blown-out tire and hit a tractor-trailer loaded with ethanol. The collision caused both vehicles to go out of control and leave the roadway to the right.

The tractor-trailer rolled over and spilled the content of it’s cargo onto the roadway and into a stream. It is truly a miracle that neither the truck driver, the Durango driver or his passenger were seriously injured.

Interstate driving is different and if you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville interstate accident you ought to consider contacting the experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates to learn about your rights and remedies.

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. As an experienced Nashville personal injury lawyer, I warn against trying this if you have consumed alcohol.

Reference a fatal Nashville one-car accident on an entry ramp along I-65 from Dickerson Pike this past weekend. A local teacher was heading home about 12:30 AM, and as she entered the on ramp she lost control and slammed into a wall and left the road and ended up in a wooded area. Investigating officials suggested that alcohol may well have been a factor in the collision.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you owe it to your self to contact the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates

Interstate Fatality

and learn about your rights and remedies.

Pay Attention To The Road Ahead

The photograph of the accident tells the story of the death of a Baxter, Tennessee man who was killed the other day on I-40 in Smith Country Tennessee. The 28-year-old man slammed into the rear-end of a tractor-trailer that had stopped due to traffic backed up because of another accident.

Local media sources say that there was no evidence that the man tried to stop. Weather conditions may have played a roll, it was dark and raining with high winds, but my experience as a Tennessee personal injury lawyer tells me that the driver was somehow distracted and simply wasn’t paying attention to the traffic in front of him.

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.

Interstate driving requires good skills and habits so you can safely get where you are going. Safe use of the interstates demands a complete awareness of a higher speed type of driving and constant alertness by the driver.

There are several driving events, such as rain, snow and ice and darkness, that require intense concentration by 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.

The lesson here for Tennessee drivers is that while driving on the interstate highway a driver, no matter the time or conditions of the road must stay alert to the traffic in front and alongside of your vehicle and avoid distractions at all costs.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee interstate highway accident, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.

Watch Out For Others

Pursuant to the Tennessee Rules of the Road, when you are driving on an interstate highway and there is a vehicle sopped on the right shoulder, especially if the vehicle is an emergency responder, you are required, if safely possible, to move to the left lane of traffic.

Sunday night on I-40 in Cumberland County Tennessee a tractor-trailer driver did just that. She saw a vehicle stopped on the shoulder and proceeded to change lanes. When she successfully completed the change she observed a man standing directly in front of her truck. She had no time to take evasive action and ran over and killed the man.

Follow-up reports indicate that the New Orleans man committed suicide by stepping out in front of the truck. A note was found in his vehicle that said he intended to take his own life. My prayers go out to this man, whatever troubled him is no longer causing him pain. My prayers also go out to the driver of the tractor-trailer who was used as the instrument of this man’s suicide. I hope she finds peace.

The lesson here for Tennessee drivers is that no matter how safe you drive, no matter how you follow the rules of the road, you have to be always alert to the actions of the other guy.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by another driver, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I can tell you that interstate driving is a whole different ball game form other types of roadways. No matter what, it is important to watch for advance directional signs. Choose the right exit, and be sure you are in the proper lane well before you turn off the interstate. The heavier the traffic, the earlier you should move into the proper lane. Exit signs are usually placed at least one mile ahead of the exit turn-off.

To leave the interstate, signal your intention to change lanes, and move to the lane nearest the exit/off-ramp. Maintain speed until you enter the deceleration lane, which is usually outlined by a series of yellow reflectors. Reduce your speed to the exit ramp posted speed. Speed should be reduced further on the exit ramp. Your vehicle should be slowed to the posted limit for the roadway you will be entering.

This is how you shouldn’t do it. A Tennessee man is in serious condition after he decided to pass, at high speed, another vehicle exiting the interstate. Take note, there was only one lane at this exit. The driver swerved back to the right, lost control and slammed into the guardrail. Police had to extract the unconscious man who was trapped in his vehicle.

Police suspect Jones of driving under the influence of alcohol and seized a bag of suspected marijuana and rolling papers from the vehicle. The driver is in critical condition at Vanderbilt Medical Center. If you or a loved one is injured or killed by a drunk driver contact the experienced Nashville personal injury attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation.

Entering An Interstate

In my capacity as a Nashville automobile accident attorney I have become a keen observer of driver attitudes, especially on Nashville area Interstate highways. Today as I was driving to a meeting across town I observed a driver who was smoking and talking on his cell phone, and from my point of view, doing something else on the front seat while entering I-40 who did everything wrong and but for some “on their toes” drivers he would have caused a multi-car collision. After calming down from the near miss I had just witnessed I knew exactly what the topic of my evening blog would be. Entering an Interstate.

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.

Unnecessary stopping on interstate on-ramps causes many rear-end collisions and also obstructs the even flow of traffic. Do not drive to the end of the ramp and stop, or you will not have enough room to get up to the speed of the interstate traffic.  Drivers behind you will not expect you to stop.  If they are watching the traffic on the main road for space to merge, you could easily be hit from the rear.  If you have to wait for space to enter an interstate, slow down on the ramp so that you will still have some room to speed up before you have to merge.  Heavy traffic conditions sometimes create a slowdown at an entrance ramp.  Unless it is absolutely unavoidable, it is best to keep your vehicle moving at least at some slow pace.

Remember please, you are piloting a 3000 lb deadly weapon at a reasonably high rate of speed when you make this maneuver, put down the cell phone, the coffee and put on your eye makeup when you arrive at your destination.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed by a negligent driver entering a Nashville Interstate highway 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.