Intersection Accident

A Johnson City, Tennessee driver of the Jeep Cherokee said he was unable to stop in time for a red light. The driver blamed wet streets for the fact that he ran a red light and caused a three-car collision. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

Each year crashes involving red light running claim the lives of more than 800 people and injure another 200,000 people. More than half of the deaths in red light running crashes are other motorists and pedestrians, so there should be no debate about the fact that red light runners are dangerous drivers who put other road users at risk.

More than 100,000 crashes a year are caused by drivers running red lights, killing some 950 people and injuring 90,000 others, making it a leading cause of fatal crashes in metropolitan areas, according to the Department of Transportation’s, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Worse, the numbers are on the rise: Fatal motor vehicle crashes at traffic signals increased 19 percent nationally between 1992 and 1998 (the last year for which FHWA had statistics); over the same period, all other types of fatal crashes increased just 6 percent. This is a situation where people are dying from something that’s 100 percent preventable.”

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville Automobile accident caused by a red light runner contact the experienced Nashville auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

When people at holiday parties find out that I am a Nashville automobile accident attorney I’m usually bombarded with questions. This year’s topic seemed to be Red Light Cameras (RLCs). Although many people understand the purpose of the cameras is to save lives and prevent property damages, there are still those who think that it’s simply big brother government reaching into the taxpayers pockets. To these people I say, “You’re Wrong, Red Light Cameras save lives.”

Each year crashes involving red light running claim the lives of more than 800 people and injure another 200,000 people. More than half of the deaths in red light running crashes are other motorists and pedestrians, so there should be no debate about the fact that red light runners are dangerous drivers who put other road users at risk.  A recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study in Oxnard, California, showed that red light running violations dropped a total of 42 percent after well publicized photo enforcement was introduced.  Another study in Fairfax, Virginia, showed that violations declined about 40 percent after one year of photo enforcement.  A key to all effective traffic law enforcement is publicity; without it there is no deterrent effect, and the purpose of red light cameras is deterrence.

Photo enforcement has such a strong deterrent effect precisely because it is not like so-called “speed traps.” The old image of a speed trap was that of “secret” enforcement at a location where almost every driver speeds. Officers could pick and choose whomever they wished to cite, even drivers who barely exceeded the limit.

The objective of photo enforcement is to deter violations, not to surreptitiously catch violators. The more public the enforcement is, the better.  Photo-enforcement cameras are in plain view, not hidden. There typically are signs and publicity campaigns warning drivers that photo enforcement is in use.  And unlike speed traps, photo enforcement is fair. The cameras are programmed not to photograph vehicles turning right on red or caught in the intersection when the light changes. Only violators who meet objective criteria specifically designed to omit minor, unintended infractions are photographed. There is no potential for impermissible profiling or discriminatory enforcement where photo enforcement is in use.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee intersection accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Cameras Reduce Intersection Deaths and Injuries

Starting tomorrow Memphis is joining the 21^st Century when it comes to reducing intersection deaths and injuries and the citizens are going to be howling mad. Memphis, like many cities around the country has decided to experiment with digital camera systems that are intended to identify drivers who run red lights and speed through intersections. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2005 alone, nearly 9,200 people died and approximately one million people were injured in intersection-related crashes-approximately 40-45 percent of all crashes. The two main factors of these accidents are those who speed through intersections and those who run red lights. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association red light running crashes are responsible for approximately 260,000 injuries and 750 fatalities annually.

According to an article in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that at one intersection in Memphis there were 386 intersection collisions during a three-year period. The article goes on to estimate that the cameras will generate 240,000 tickets amounting to $9.7 million in revenue with approximately $3.1 million going to the city. My blogs have been following the installation of these devices in Oak Ridge Tennessee and it appears that the majority of complaints are from people who don’t like to get tickets when they run red lights or speed through intersections.

An article on the WHBQ TV website quotes Germantown City Administrator Patrick Lawton as reporting that after having the cameras for over ten years, “What we’ve seen is a reduction of the head-on collisions, and the T-bone type collisions and those are more of the serious accidents in nature.” Research from around the world matches the Germantown results. Lives are saved and millions of dollars in property damages are prevented.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our Nashville car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. When you hire an auto accident attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting a qualified and dedicated lawyer.