Seat Belts Save Lives

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney, I find it hard to believe that people still get into an automobile and fail to secure their safety seat belts. I mean this isn’t rocket science and it’s not like they don’t know that it’s a deadly mistake.

Reference a single car fatal accident just south of Memphis that took the life of a 61-year-old man who was not wearing his seat belt and was somehow distracted and drove off of the roadway. He over corrected, returned to the roadway and was ejected when his car went into the ditch.

Tennessee law requires the use of seat belts. An overwhelming number of studies show that seat belts, when used correctly, save lives.

In 2009, 388 people in passenger vehicles died in motor vehicle crashes in Tennessee between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly two-thirds (64%) of those killed in traffic crashes at night nationwide were not wearing their seat belts, compared to less than half (45%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed during the daytime hours of 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.

According to NHTSA, when worn correctly, seat belts have been proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent, and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.

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.

Speed, Distractions?

A Monroe County woman was killed this past weekend when the car she was driving rounded a curve and began to slid across the road striking a boulder. Neither she nor her nine-year-old passenger were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. It’s hard to say what caused the driver to lose control of the car, she might have been distracted, she might have been going too fast for the conditions, or she might have had faulty equipment such as bald tires. It’s not hard to say what caused her fatality and the injuries to the child, and that is that they were not wearing seatbelts.

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. The economic cost of speed-related crashes is estimated to be in excess of $40.4 billion per year. In 2007, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, and 13,040 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes. The total economic cost of crashes was estimated at $230.6 billion in 2000.

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.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by speeding or distracted driver contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights.