If you’re driving your vehicle, you are already multitasking. At a minimum you are: operating a piece of heavy machinery at high speed; navigating across changing terrain; calculating speeds and distances; and responding to all the other drivers and obstacles around you. Putting one more activity in the mix, even talking to your passengers or changing a radio station, can be enough to make you lose control of your vehicle or fail to respond in an emergency.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 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.

A  fatal accident in West Tennessee on I-40 this week caught my attention. There are only two possible things that could have caused this accident. It was intentional or the driver that caused the accident was distracted. According to an article on the website of the Jackson Sun a Huntingdon man, Rex Robinson, 47, was killed when he lost control of his vehicle after being hit from behind by a Dodge van driven by Gilbert Soo Hong, 53, of Irving, Texas. My prayers go out to the family and friends of Mr. Robinson.

Let’s picture this, you’re driving along a busy Interstate highway and you run into the back end of the vehicle traveling in front of you. I don’t know Mr. Hong and I can’t imagine a reason why he would intentionally ram Mr. Robinson’s car, so I have to conclude that Mr. Hong was doing something other than pay attention to the task of driving. No matter where we are, on the Interstate or driving in a parking lot, we must remember that we are piloting a deadly weapon and if you allow yourself to be distracted you could very well take the life of another.

Distracted Drivers Kill

If you or a loved one is injured in an Tennessee automobile accident caused by a distracted driver you owe it to yourself to have a free consultation with an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney. Contact Phillip Miller & Associates by telephone at 615-356-2000 or check out our website at www.seriousinjury.com.

Child Safety Seats Work

The Kingsport Times-News reported that a fast moving sedan slammed into the rear end of a parked van containing five small children and three adults. Miraculously none of the children were hurt, but the van’s driver and two other passengers were transported to the hospital. The sedan driver was uninjured but was cited failure to yield and failure to have automobile insurance.

The report went on to say that, “Rescue workers severed the middle post connected to the passenger door panel while getting one hurt passenger out of the van. The authorities did not release the names of any of the victims. According to the reporter, the children were crying and as they were being ushered to the side of the road, one little girl yelled, “I love you, Daddy” while one passenger was placed on a stretcher.

The staff here at Phillip Miller & Associates sends our deepest condolences to the family along with our great relief that none of the children were injured. It appears that the thoughtful parents had these kids safely secured in their car seats.

Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes, according to a landmark research report released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). 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.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I look at this situation and ask myself why it is that a fast moving car rams into the rear-end of a van parked along a city street at 9:30 in the morning. It’s improbable that the car driver intended to ram the van so there must have been either a medical emergency or another type of distraction that caused the driver to take his eyes off the road. In that the driver was ticketed at the scene and not taken for medical treatment, nor was he arrested for driving under the influence it appears that the investigating authorities will focus on what distracted the driver. A good starting point is to examine the driver’s cell phone and determine whether he was making or taking a call. I will follow this accident and let you know what the investigators find out.

If you or a loved one is injured by a distracted motorist contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates immediately to find out about your rights and remedies.