Distracted By Technology

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) distraction is anything that diverts the driver’s attention from the primary tasks of navigating the vehicle and responding to critical events. To put it another way, a distraction is anything that takes your eyes off the road (visual distraction), your mind off the road (cognitive distraction), or your hands off the wheel (manual distraction). So when you think about tasks that can be a driving distraction, you can see that they often fit into more than one category: eating is visual and manual, whereas using a navigation system is all three.

There are two basic components of the distraction safety problem: The attentional demands of the distracting task and the frequency with which drivers choose to multitask.  Task demands relate to the amount of resources (visual, cognitive, manual) required to perform the task.  The other issue is exposure, which is how often drivers engage in the task.  Putting those two concepts together, even an easy task can be a bigger safety problem if the person does the task 50% of their driving time.

Yesterday evening while I was watching a documentary on television I saw a commercial that made me wonder if we are taking the technology thing in the wrong direction. One of the main satellite TV providers is now marketing a TV system that you can watch in your car. Is it time for legislatures to take a look at this problem? I mean, if 80% of the nations traffic accidents are caused by distracted drivers, is it time to try to undistract them and save lives and prevent injuries and the attendant cost?

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney the first thing I’m going to when a client comes to me for help is to inspect the vehicle of the driver who is at fault and determine which and how many electronic devices the offender has in his vehicle and try to determine whether they were in use at the time of the collision.

If you or a loved one is involved in a Nashville automobile collision caused by a distracted driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates. 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.

Obey The Red Light

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.

Question: How serious is the red light running problem?

Answer:  Red light running (RLR) is a serious traffic safety problem. According to the Safety Evaluation of Red-Light Cameras (FHWA-HRT-05-048, April 2005), RLR is estimated to produce more than 100,000 crashes and approximately 1,000 deaths per year in the United States.

Question:  Why do people run red lights?

Answer: RLR is a dangerous form of aggressive driving. Based on self-reported behavioral surveys, RLR is a result of people wanting to save time. However, several factors can lead to RLR such as impatient and inattentive drivers, improperly timed traffic signals, lack of enforcement efforts and the attitude that no harm will come from running a red light.

Question: What is the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) position on the use of photo enforcement cameras?

Answer: FHWA and NHTSA support a comprehensive approach to intersection safety that incorporates engineering, education, and enforcement countermeasures to prevent RLR and improve intersection safety. Red light camera (RLC) systems can be a very effective countermeasure to prevent red light running (Red Light Camera Systems Operational Guidelines, FHWA-SA-05-002, January 2005).

Question: Do studies show that there are safety benefits from installation of these cameras systems? Do rear-end collisions increase when RLCs are installed – in which case, aren’t we just trading one type of crash for another?

Answer: Analysis of data in the most comprehensive study to date (Safety Evaluation of Red-Light Cameras (FHWA-HRT-05-048, April 2005)) from seven jurisdictions (Baltimore; Charlotte; El Cajon, CA; Howard County, MD; Montgomery County, MD; San Diego; San Francisco) at 132 intersections using RLCs found:

25% decrease of total right-angle crashes

16% decrease of injury right-angle crashes

15% increase of total rear-end crashes

24% increase of injury rear-end crashes

The increase in rear-end collisions is problematical, but is the direct result of drivers following too close and being willing to take a chance at running the red light. Reserachers believe that once the driving population of a city using the RLC system gets used to the reality that the car in front of them is going to be less likely to ignore the traffic signal that they will be more cautious and respond more quickly to the signal.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville automobile collision at an intersection by a red light runner contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Neck Strains Common In Car Accidents

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney the most common injury I  see in car accidents is the neck sprain, also referred to as hyperflexion. When two or more vehicles collide the occupants are jarred, the extent of which is determined by many different factors, but for our purposes let’s talk about a rear-end collision. The injury is commonly known as a “whiplash injury“.

I recently read an interesting and very informative article by Elizabeth Quinn in about.com. In the article she describes the cervical vertebrae which are connected to each other by ligaments and how, when in a whiplash situation, they are stretched or torn beyond their normal range of motion. She then goes on to describe the symptoms of a sprain, such as pain in the neck, especially on movement, muscle spasms in the nexk and upper back and shoulders, and headaches that center in the back of the head.

She makes an important point that is essential knowledge if you are in such a collision and that is, the pain is oft times delayed for 24 to 48 hours. This is why it is important to have yourself checked out by an MD or Chiropractor, even with light impact collisions. Follow their treatment plan and in most situations the pain and symptoms will subside in a month or so. Self diagnosis and treatment might miss a more serious injury and make it more difficult to treat successfully.

As an automobile accident attorney I want to reiterate, the pain and other symptoms may not manifest themselves for a day or so and you should not make any rash decision to settle your case or make any kind of statements about your condition until you have had the opportunity to see a doctor.

If you or a loved one sustains a neck sprain in a Nashville automobile collision contact our experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associate

s and find out about your rights and remedies