Drowsy Driving Kills

It is well established that driving while drowsy or fatigued increases one’s risk of being involved in a Tennessee motor vehicle crash. However, estimates of the prevalence of drowsy drivers on the road and of the proportion of motor vehicle crashes that involve drowsy driving as a contributing factor vary widely.

A survey in the year 2002 found that more than one in three drivers admitted having fallen asleep while driving at some point in their lives; more than one in ten reported doing so in the past year. The most frequently cited statistics suggest that drowsy driving might contribute to roughly 1 to 4 percent of crashes; however, research using more sophisticated methodology suggests that the true prevalence may be much higher.

An ongoing study by the Institute for Traffic Safety will develop new estimates of the prevalence of drowsy drivers on U.S. roads using data from a nationally-representative survey of drivers, and examines the role of drowsy driving in a nationally-representative sample of crashes. This study is expected to be released in November 2011.

If you are having trouble staying awake, please pull over and allow another person to drive. If you are alone, get outside and get yourself awake by walking, jumping and other physical activity. If necessary, pull to safety and take a brief nap.

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

Distracted Driver

Alcohol was not a factor in a late night Tennessee traffic accident in Bartlett Tennessee during which a 1999 Malibu crossed over into the oncoming lane, struck another vehicle that hit a guardrail killing a 12-year-old passenger. As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I see this as just another in what has become an epidemic of roadway departure crashes on Tennessee highways.

The Malibu driver and his infant child were injured but were injured but not critically. The driver of the other car and an 8-year-old passenger were not injured. What makes a driver swerve into oncoming traffic?

There are several possible causes, the first being drowsy driving. Sleepiness and driving is a dangerous combination. Most people are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving but don’t realize that drowsy driving can be just as fatal. Like alcohol, sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, impairs judgment and increases your risk of crashing.

Another possibility is that the driver was distracted to the point that he took his eyes off of the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 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.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney we know that these crashes are referred to as “Roadway Departure Crashes” (RDCs). The Federal Highway Administration defines a RDC as a non-intersection crash that occurs when a vehicle crosses an edge line or a centerline, or otherwise leaves the traveled way.

According to the Federal Highway Administration roadway departure crashes are frequently severe and account for the majority of highway fatalities. In 2008, there were 19,794 fatal roadway departure crashes resulting in 22,080 fatalities, which was 53 percent of the fatal crashes in the United States.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a distracted or drowsy driver, take advantage of a free consultation with the experienced Nashville car crash lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates to learn about your rights and remedies.

Drowsy or Sleepy Drivers Pull Over...Please

A recent Tennessee car crash caused me to ponder the problem of overtired or drowsy drivers on the highways in Tennessee. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that if you are driving a car and you are falling asleep that nothing good is going to come from that situation. It only makes sense that when you find yourself nodding off that you ought to pull over and rest, get a cup of coffee or get out of your vehicle and exercise to wake yourself.

The Kingsport TimesNews reported that a N.C. man on I-26 near Kingsport, Tennessee who had exercised reasonable care by pulling off the Interstate to answer a cell-phone call was crashed into by a driver who had fallen asleep while driving in the same direction. The Church Hill, Tennessee man told investigating officers that he must have dozed off prior to the collision.

I wonder what the odds are that you are pulled over in the emergency lane of an Interstate highway in rural Tennessee and another driver falls asleep at just the right time so that he drifts off of the highway directly into your vehicle. They have to be astronomical and that’s a good reminder of the dangers that await you when you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and head out onto the highways and by-ways of Tennessee.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our Nashville car accident attorneys

Sleeping Tennessee Drivers Always Crash

today for a free consultation.