Driving Wothout A License

If you live in Tennessee and want to drive a motor vehicle, you must have a valid Tennessee driver license. If you move to Tennessee from another state and have a valid drivers license from another state or country you must apply for a Tennessee drivers license if you;

So why is it that one fatal crash in five (20%) involves a driver who is unlicensed or whose license is suspended, canceled, or revoked. States differ dramatically in their incidence of crashes involving unlicensed and invalidly licensed drivers, from 6.1% in Maine to 23.4% in New Mexico. Unlicensed drivers are almost five times more likely to be in a fatal crash than are validly licensed drivers.  Nationally two-thirds of drivers continue to drive while under suspension.

Why do these people drive without licenses and what can we do to deter them from continuing this dangerous behavior. The obvious answer is that these are drivers who have at one time had licenses and because of prior traffic violations, had that license suspended or revoked. In just about every case of an unlicensed driver you are going to find an uninsured driver. Insurance companies pay particular attention to selling coverage to someone on a revoked or suspended license. These types of drivers are more than likely to run from an accident with another motor vehicle or a pedestrian.

What can we do with people who continue to ignore the law and driver a motor vehicle? There are any number of things we can do. We can put them in jail. In Tennessee any one in this category who has been charged and convicted of driving without a license on two or more occasions can be charged as an Habitual Traffic offender. In some cases the car they were driving can be confiscated and sold and there are new technological devices that are reaching the market as we speak that will make it virtually impossible for a driver to get behind the wheel.

This is a very tricky area of the law for those motorists who are involved in a Nashville automobile accident with people like these. As I mentioned, for the most part they do not have insurance and are unable to personally pay for any damage they might cause, but there are avenues to explore but they required an experienced lawyer. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident with one of these people you really need to check in with one of the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates to find out about your rights and remedies.

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Head-On Fatality

Witnesses say the woman driver drifted across the middle lane and slammed head-on into a Franklin, Kentucky police officer driving a marked police cruiser. The officer had to be extricated from the vehicle and was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. He was listed in stable condition.

Our prayers go out to the family of the deceased, and to the officer wishing him a full and speedy recovery. Investigators will have their hands full trying to figure out why the woman crossed the center-line.

Whenever you see an accident, usually involving one car that leaves the road or crosses the center-line, an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer starts thinking about driver distractions. Just what was the driver doing moments before the crash that caused his/her vehicle to go off the highway? What caused the driver to change focus from driving to other things?

I’ve noticed several accidents like this in East Tennessee this past week and I thought I might use them as examples to my reader of why it is so important to keep your focus on your driving and ignore distractions.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident caused by a distracted driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Drive Drunk Lose Your Car

We often talk about modern technology and the good and bad things that come from them. It’s well known and a constant topic of my Blogs that cell phone and texting are the leading cause of distracted driving and highway fatalities. GPS and related programs can help drivers find their way but can also cause a driver to take his eyes off the road long enough to leave the road, hit something hard and die.

A new technology that will soon be employed, a database and let county clerks check it to see if drivers meet financial responsibility requirements (insurance) before registering or renewing their vehicle registrations, will now be available to police and highway patrol officers. In Tennessee there is a serious problem with drivers on the road who ignore the requirement that they must have a statutory minimum car insurance policy.

Drivers who fail to have insurance cause the policy costs of other drivers who do to cost much more then if all drivers were covered. The cost of uninsured motorist policies has skyrocketed in recent years.

What this means is that when a driver is stopped for an infraction, the officer would have access to the clerks records to determine on the spot whether there is insurance on the car. If not, the car would be impounded and the driver ticketed and required to walk home. This technology would help police and highway safety departments get these selfish drivers off the road and save lives and lower insurance rates.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a serious Tennessee car accident due to somebody else’s negligence, then you may be feeling angry, frightened, or even alone in your suffering.

There is no reason for you to bear your burden alone.  The experience of a Tennessee auto accident is traumatic enough and your recovery will bring its own challenges.  You don’t need the added stress of worrying about who will pay for the medical care you need, how your car will be repaired, and if the individuals responsible for your suffering will be brought to justice.  This is the time to call Phillip Miller & Associates, the law firm of local Tennessee attorneys and staff who for the past 25 years have dedicated their lives to protecting the rights of injured men, women, and children in Tennessee.

Watch Out For Hydroplaning

The Winter season with lot’s of precipitation and cold weather can lead to a serious situation known as hydroplaning. Hydroplaning is what happens when the tread on your tires cannot channel all the rain-water out from under your tires – or, from under each patch of tire that is supposed to be resting on the road and providing you with traction. When hydroplaning, those tire patches are riding on a layer of water instead of pavement.

Many different factors can affect the speed at which a tire will hydroplane, such as water depth, speed, weight of the vehicle, width of the tire, depth of tread, and tread pattern, but all tires will hydroplane with the right combination of speed and water depth.

Most often, you hydroplane when your fast moving vehicle hits a deep puddle. The steering wheel jerks suddenly and the vehicle veers toward the puddle. It’s a good idea to slow down before hitting a puddle.

For this and other highway safety tips, or if you have been involved in a Tennessee automobile accident, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and get the information you need. Call 615-356-2000.

Would Seat Belts Have Made A Difference?

A roadway departure crash is East Tennessee left one woman dead, and three other injured. According to local media reports, a 2010 Murano driven by a 27-year-old man rounded a curve on Boyd’s Creek Road, lost control and crossed the yellow center line and slammed into the 1999 pickup truck driving by the deceased, a 51-year-old woman. None of the people involved were wearing their seat belts.

Was it speeding or distraction or both that caused the driver to lose control? Distraction from the primary task of driving could present a serious and potentially deadly danger. In 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police-reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported on the crash report.

While these numbers are significant, they may not state the true size of the problem, since the identification of distraction and its role in the crash by law enforcement can be very difficult.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident caused by a distracted driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

A Red Light Always Means Stop

Yesterday morning three people were injured in a crash involving a Metropolitan Transit Authority bus and a car. The accident took place at 9th Avenue North and Church Street. Three people on the bus were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Local media sources reported that witnesses told police that the driver of the car ran a red light and hit the bus. Neither the driver of the car, nor the bus driver, were hurt.

Traffic Signals are used to control vehicle drivers and pedestrians at some intersections and crosswalks. Signals promote better movement of traffic on busy roads by assigning right of way. Traffic Signals are usually placed at heavily traveled intersections.

These lights tell you when or where to stop and go. A green light means you can go if it is safe. A yellow light means caution—prepare to stop for the red light. The red light always means stop. Standard traffic lights are red, yellow and green, from top to bottom respectively.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville Automobile accident caused by a red light runner contact the experienced Nashville auto attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Tennessee Car House Collision

Maybe it’s just me but, in my several decades as a Nashville personal injury lawyer, I don’t think I’ve seen as many automobile accidents where a driver crashes into a house as I have in the last few months. To my surprise, I see a report on a local TV news outlet reporting on a fatal one-car accident in Chattanooga in which a woman driving an SUV died after her vehicle crashed into a house.

Fortunately, the house was abandoned and the passengers, the deceased’s daughter and friend, were not seriously injured. According to the report the 31-year-old driver was speeding and not wearing her seatbelt. On impact, most drivers not wearing seat belts, as with this woman, are ejected from the vehicle and die.

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle, and increases the distance a vehicle travels while the driver reacts to a dangerous situation.

It’s really a simple concept that takes only a second or two to complete, but failure to exercise it can lead to catastrophic results, as we see here. The use of seatbelts are required by Tennessee law.  Seat belts can, and often do, help save you and your passengers’ lives in the event of a traffic crash.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and learn about your rights and remedies.

Ten Year Old Killed

According to local media reports a medical emergency was the cause of a crash that claimed the life of two people, one of them a 10-year-old girl.

The reports said that a man and two children were driving in a Ford Expedition when they were struck by on the passenger side by a Honda Accord. Apparently, the Honda driver didn’t have a history of medical problems but something caused him to lose consciousness. The report went on to say that the man had just spoken to his wife by cell phone and told her he wasn’t feeling well.

After passing out, his car accelerated through the parking lot of a market, and according to several witnesses went airborne before slamming into the SUV. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the deceased and the two other passenger who were injured.

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 drivers’ 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 seizure attacks, 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 and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.

Friends Don't Let Friends Drink And Drive

Making an effort to stop a drunk from getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle is a good thing and we all ought to do what we can to avert a highway tragedy.   Sometimes the effort to prevent the driver can turn deadly as shown in a recent incident in Knoxville.

According to local media reports, A couple of local men had been drinking at a private residence, when one guy decides to leave at around 3 A.M. the other fellow argues with the man and warns him that he is drunk and doesn’t need to get a DUI. The argument escalated and the homeowner ended up being stabbed.

As police arrived they observed a car fleeing from the home and a short pursuit lead to the arrest of the suspect. Instead of sleeping it off at his friends house, he is now in jail facing charges of aggravated assault, DUI, driving on a suspended license and felony fleeing.

Whether it’s referred to as drunk driving, driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence, impaired driving simply means a person’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle is compromised by alcohol and other drugs that change the function of the brain and body.

The experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates have handled hundreds of cases involving drunk drivers and can help you if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in such an accident. Contact us for the free consultation and find out about your rights by calling 615-356-2000.

Red Means Stop

A Johnson City, Tennessee driver of the Jeep Cherokee said he was unable to stop in time for a red light. The driver blamed wet streets for the fact that he ran a red light and caused a three-car collision. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

Each year crashes involving red light running claim the lives of more than 800 people and injure another 200,000 people. More than half of the deaths in red light running crashes are other motorists and pedestrians, so there should be no debate about the fact that red light runners are dangerous drivers who put other road users at risk.

More than 100,000 crashes a year are caused by drivers running red lights, killing some 950 people and injuring 90,000 others, making it a leading cause of fatal crashes in metropolitan areas, according to the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Worse, the numbers are on the rise: Fatal motor vehicle crashes at traffic signals increased 19 percent nationally between 1992 and 1998 (the last year for which FHWA had statistics); over the same period, all other types of fatal crashes increased just 6 percent. This is a situation where people are dying from something that’s 100 percent preventable.”

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville Automobile accident caused by a red light runner contact the experienced Nashville auto attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.