She Was Not Wearing Her Seat Belt

We will probably never know what caused a Nashville woman who was driving along Thompson Lane to leave the roadway and strike a fire hydrant. She was most probably distracted by something, a cell phone, radio, GPS for a second or two and simply drove off of the road.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I am acutely aware that driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.  Primary causes of driver inattention are distracting activities, such as cell phone use, and drowsiness.

The cause of her death is not such a mystery. During the crash she was ejected from the vehicle and stuck by one of her tires that had been knocked free during the crash. She was ejected because she was not wearing her seat belt.

Tennessee law requires the use of seat belts. An overwhelming number of studies show that seat belts, when used correctly, save lives. Seat belts help prevent injury five different ways, by:

1. Preventing ejection: Ejection greatly increases the chance of death or serious injury.  The chance of being killed in a crash by being ejected from a vehicle is one in eight.  Safety belts virtually eliminate ejection.  The belted driver stays inside the car and is better protected from injury.

2. Shifting crash forces to the strongest parts of the body’s structure.  To get the most benefit from a seat belt, be aware of the following points:

• The lap belt should be worn low over the pelvis with the bottom edge touching the tops of the thighs snugly.

• The shoulder belt should be worn over the shoulder and across the chest, not under the arm and over the abdomen.  Make certain that the shoulder belt is not worn so loosely that it slides off the shoulder.

• Pregnant women should wear the lap belt below the abdomen and the shoulder belt above the belly.

3. Spreading crash forces overa wide area of the body.  Safety belts reduce the possibility of injury from “hostile” surfaces inside the car (steering wheel, dashboard, windshield, controls, etc.).  Even if the belted driver collides with some of these surfaces, it happens with much less force and often results in less serious injury.

4. Keeping the body more closely in the “properdriving posture.” The belt keeps the driver “in the driver’s seat.”  The belted driver is better able to deal with emergencies and often avoids more serious trouble.

5. Protecting the head and spinal cord. The belted driver is less likely to be stunned or made unconscious by the crash and is better able to cope with the situation. Research has found that proper use of lap/shoulder belts reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent (for occupants of light trucks, 60 percent and 65 percent respectively)

To learn more about this and many other aspects of highway safety, or if you or a family member is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates at www.seriousinjury.com.

Distracted Driver

Whenever you see an accident, usually involving one car that leaves the road, an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney starts thinking about driver distractions or  medical emergency. When investigating a distracted driver case we try to determine just what the driver doing in the moments before the crash that caused his/her vehicle to leave it’s lane and cross over into an oncoming vehicle? What caused the driver to change focus from driving to other things?

Reference an article reporting on a collision in Blount County Tennessee in which a lone driver was traveling along a two-lane highway when for some unknown reason she crossed over the double yellow line and crashed head-on into a van carrying 5 people. She was not wearing her seatbelt and suffered serious injuries. Her condition at the present time is critical. All of the van passengers were wearing a seatbelt.

I don’t envy the investigators on this one. The first thing they are going to have to determine is whether the driver had some sort of medical emergency that rendered her unable to control here vehicle, that evidence will be determined by the treating physicians. The next thing that will need to looked at is whether she had and was using a cell phone, was smoking a cigarette or eating while she drove. All of these activities are considered major distractions that lead to thousands of automobile accidents each year.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration driver inattention by distraction is the leading factor in most crashes. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.  Primary causes of driver inattention are distracting activities, such as cell phone use, and drowsiness.

It only takes a second, look away at something inside or outside the car, look back to the road in front of you and your life, and lives of other human beings can change in a way you never anticipated. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car accident caused by a distracted driver contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.