I’ve blogged many times about the dangerous nature of the work our courageous police officers do every time they strap on their gear. Some of the people that these officers come into contact with are under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and others are just plain evildoers.

I’m not sure about the guy that Lebanon and Mt. Juliet police took on yesterday. The evening started when Lebanon police observed a suspected car thief. As an officer approached the vehicle the driver attempted to, and did, run him down. That act precipitated a high-speed car chase which eventually called of because of the high rate of speed. My prayers go out to the injured officer for a full and speedy recovery from any wounds he suffered at the hands of this maniac.

Shortly after the call-off the perp came roaring back into the city limits of Lebanon as if he were taunting the police. The pursuit resumed and this time the police were ready. They had set up spike strips which disabled the perps car. After the chase ended the guy was still in a confrontational mood and the police were forced to resort to the use of deadly force. The man was wounded but none of the wounds where life threatening.

The men and women at Phillip Miller & Associates send out a big, ‘Well Done” to these brave officers who risked their lives to take a serious crazy man off the streets. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

If it hasn’t occurred to you yet, a motor vehicle is considered a deadly weapon in Tennessee and most every other state. Using a vehicle for any other purpose other than getting from one place to another can lead to serious consequences.

Reference a recent road rage incident in Johnson City in which a , 32-year-old man was charged with domestic aggravated assault and violating an order of protection. The police report stated that a 27-year-old woman called police to report a man banging on her door at 8:30 in the morning, demanding to see his kids.

As he was leaving, the woman went to the parking lot to get his license plate number. He saw her and ran her down. Several witnesses saw the incident and gave statements to the police. The man turned himself into police the following morning and is now jailed under a bond of $50,000.00 on charges of domestic aggravated assault and violating an order of protection.

Road rage differs from aggressive driving. It is a criminal offense and is an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger(s) of one motor vehicle on the operator or passenger(s) of another motor vehicle or is caused by an incident that occurred on a roadway.

I would encourage each driver who ventures out onto the highways and byways of Tennessee to arm themselves with the telephone number of the appropriate law enforcement agency, either 911 or *847 for State Troopers and when you witness an aggressive driver, pull over to a safe place and call in the license number, description of the vehicle and any other specifics that you observed. Save a life and tell all of your friends and families to step up and help reduce traffic fatalities in Tennessee.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by an aggressive or raging driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out all about your rights and remedies.

In an effort to be a safe driver it is the duty of each driver to make periodic checks of all operating systems on their vehicles. It’s important to note how long it has been since you have had your brakes inspected by a qualified mechanic. Being able to stop your vehicle is rather important.

Other things such as turn signals and brake lights are important to make sure other drivers know what your intentions are and are able to avoid running into you. A dope dealer in Elizabethton will probably remember this advice the next time, probably many years from now, that he gets a chance to drive.

The 32-year-old dealer was driving in Elizabethton with a car full of dope and guns when he was stopped in a routine traffic stop because his taillights didn’t work. Can you believe it? Stupid is as stupid does. On top of it, he was driving through a drug-free school zone.

The man was arrested on one count of possession of a schedule II drug for resale, two counts of simple possession of a schedule II drug, one count of possession of a schedule III drug for resale, two count of simple possession of a schedule IV drug, one count of possession of a schedule VI drug for resale, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of a drug-free school zone.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a negligent driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Brandon and Jenilyn Franklin – husband 21, wife 18 – had been married barely six weeks, when a drunk and seriously drugged man’s truck hit their motorcycle head on. The man had no license, three previous convictions for driving under the influence, and a “cocktail” of prescription drugs in his system and in the truck he borrowed.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but after 4 ½ years he told the parole board that he was a changed man, and that he was ready to return to society. The parole board didn’t agree and denied his request. He will be eligible for parole again in 2017.

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In Tennessee in 2008, 327 people were killed in crashes where the driver or motorcyclist had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

Finally, the authorities are looking at this serious crime with a critical eye and the lesson for all Tennessee drivers is that, if you drink and drive you must be ready to stand for the consequences.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a drunk driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.

Most older people are capable and have a lifetime of valuable driving experience. For these reasons, decisions about a person’s ability to drive should never be based on age alone. However, changes in vision may cause safety concerns. People who accurately assess these changes can adjust their driving habits so that they stay safe on the road, or choose other kinds of transportation.

Symptoms

Do you have problems reading highway or street signs or recognizing someone you know across the street?

Do you have trouble seeing lane lines and other pavement markings, curbs, medians, other vehicles and pedestrians, especially at dawn, dusk and at night?

Do you experience more discomfort at night from the glare of oncoming headlights?

What You Can Do

Make sure you always wear your glasses and that they are a current prescription. If you lose or break your glasses, don’t rely on an old pair; replace them right away with your newest prescription. Avoid eyewear with side pieces that may block your vision.

Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses at night. This reduces the amount of light that reaches your eyes and makes driving much more hazardous. Don’t darken or tint your car windows. Avoid driving at dawn, dusk and night. If you are extremely light-sensitive, check with your eye doctor to see if it can be corrected.

Keep your windshield, mirrors and headlights clean, and make sure your headlight aim is checked when your car is inspected. Choose a car with larger dials and easy-to-read symbols. Turn brightness up on the instrument panel.

Sit high enough in your seat so that you can see the road for at least 10 feet in front of your car. This will make a big difference in reducing the amount of glare you experience from opposing headlights at night. Use a cushion if your car seats can’t be raised.

Look to the lower right side of the road when there is oncoming traffic. Some vehicles have rearview mirrors that automatically filter out glare; you might find this feature beneficial, especially for nighttime driving.

If you are 60 or older, see an eye doctor every year to check for cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other conditions associated with aging.

If you or a loved is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by an elderly driver, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates.

In the quarter century from 1985 through 2009, the lives of 1,055,881 men, women, and children have ended violently as the result of motor vehicle crashes in the United States. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children, teens, and young adults.

Statistics from the United States Department of Transportation indicate that 33,808 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. Although this represents the fewest people killed in crashes in a single year since 1950, it also represents an average of 93 lives needlessly cut short on an average day as the result of crashes on our roads.

Since 2006, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has been sponsoring research to better understand traffic safety culture. The Foundation’s long-term term vision is to create a “social climate in which traffic safety is highly valued and rigorously pursued.” In 2008, the AAA Foundation conducted the first annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, a nationally-representative telephone survey, to begin to assess a few key indicators of the degree to which traffic safety is valued and is being pursued.

Summary of Major Findings

Personal experience with crashes

• One of every two Americans has been involved in a serious crash, has had a friend or relative seriously injured or killed in a crash, or both.

Perceptions of safety

• More than half of all drivers (52%) say driving feels less safe today than it did 5 years ago a 17-percentage-point increase from only a year ago. Nearly half cite some form of driver distraction as the main reason or as a reason for their feeling less safe.

Attitudes and behaviors: Drinking and driving

• Drivers view drinking and driving as a very serious threat, virtually all drivers disapprove of drinking and driving and acknowledge that others also disapprove of it, and very few drivers admit drinking and driving (fewer than 2 drivers in 100 admit having done so in the past month).

• There is almost universal support for requiring alcohol-ignition interlocks for drivers convicted of DWI more than once, and more than 2 in 3 Americans support requiring interlocks for first-time DWI offenders.

Attitudes and behaviors: Cell phone use and texting

• Cell phone use while driving has become widespread—more than 2 in 3 drivers report talking on their cell phone while driving in the past month; more than 1 in 3 say they do so fairly often or regularly. There is moderate social disapproval toward using a hand-held cell phone while driving, but over half of all drivers believe incorrectly that most others actually approve of it. Presently, people are generally accepting of hands-free cell phone use.

• Most people view drivers texting and emailing while driving as a very serious threat to their own personal safety and consider it completely unacceptable. However, many drivers don’t perceive social disapproval from others. Nearly 1 in 4 drivers (24%) admit to texting or emailing while driving.

• A two-thirds majority of Americans support restricting the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, but more people oppose (50%) than support (46%) an outright ban on using any type of cell phone (including hands-free) while driving. There is strong support for laws restricting texting while driving.

Attitudes and behaviors: Speeding

• Speeding on freeways is widespread—45% of drivers say they have driven 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway in the past month—and nearly 1 in 3 say they consider it acceptable to do so. In contrast, driving 15 mph over the speed limit on residential streets is much less common, and is rated as one of the most unacceptable things that a driver can do.

• Nearly 2 in 3 drivers report at least occasionally feeling pressure from other drivers to drive faster than they want to drive; more than 1 in 3 say they feel such pressure fairly often or regularly.

• More than 2 in 3 Americans support having more police on the roads to enforce speed limits.

Attitudes and behaviors: Red light running

• Most drivers view it as unacceptable to drive through a traffic light that has already turned red if they could have stopped safely; however, 1 in 3 drivers admit doing this in the past month.

Attitudes and behaviors: Drowsy driving

• Most drivers view driving while extremely drowsy as a serious threat to their safety and a completely unacceptable behavior, however, more than 1 in 4 still admit to driving when they were so tired that they had a hard time keeping their eyes open at some point in the past month.

Attitudes and behaviors: Seat belt use

• Most drivers view it as unacceptable to drive without wearing a seatbelt, and more than 3 of 4 say that they never do; however, nearly 1 in 10 admits that they drive without wearing their seat belt fairly often or regularly.

• 2 of every 3 Americans support laws allowing police officers to stop and ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt even if they’re not breaking any other law.

For information on Tennessee highway safety issues and advice if you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident contact Phillip Miller & Associates.

According to the two other people in a motor vehicle an 18-year-old teen died after he jumped from a moving vehicle. The results of the toxicology report are not available at this time, but investigators believe that alcohol was a factor in the young man’s decision to bail out of the moving vehicle.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney, I am acutely aware that one can never judge the effects of alcohol on teenagers and that is why every state in the Union has raised it’s drinking age to 21 years old.

Children who begin drinking before age 15 are seven times more likely to abuse alcohol or to have alcohol problems as adults. By starting a conversation about alcohol early, you can stop them from making a decision that could potentially harm their health and future. The chance that children will use alcohol increases as they get older.

The lesson in this case is that teens need parental guidance and constant reminders that alcohol and driving or riding in cars is a dangerous game.

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

A 20-year-old Kingsport Tennessee man is lucky to be alive today. He was driving on I-26 at a high rate of speed while “huffing” the gas from an air duster used to clean electronic devices. He apparently got so high we forgot he was driving a car and left the road, crashed through a perimeter fance across a side street and slammed into a guard rail.

Police investigators found a half-empty can of air duster and the driver admitted to driving while huffing. He is lucky to be alive and lucky he didn’t kill another motorist or pedestrian. He was released on citations for driving under the influence, unlawful inhaling and failure to maintain proper control.

The principal concern regarding drugged driving is that driving under the influence of any drug that acts on the brain will impair one’s motor skills, reaction time, and judgment. Drugged driving is a public health concern because it puts not only the driver at risk, but also passengers and others who share the road.

Despite these acknowledged concerns, drugged driving laws have lagged behind alcohol legislation, in part because of limitations in the current technology for determining drug levels, and resulting impairment. For alcohol, detection of its blood concentration (BAC) is relatively simple and concentrations greater than .08% have been shown to impair driving performance.

Thus, 0.08% is the legal limit in this country. For illicit drugs, there is no agreed upon limit for which impairment has been reliably demonstrated. And determining current drug levels can be difficult, since some drugs linger in the body for a period of days or weeks after initial ingestion.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a drugged driver, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates at 615-356-2000.

It appears that a Tennessee automobile accident that took the life of a Dickson County man was caused by a medical emergency that incapacitated him and caused him to lose control of his truck. The driver was not wearing his seatbelt and as the car went out of control and slammed into a house the man was ejected through the windshield. Two passengers, a woman and a 4-year-old boy were uninjured.

Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by their medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities. Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizure attacks, diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

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

As an experienced Tennessee car accident lawyer, I regularly witness the role of aggressive drivers in many Tennessee car accidents.

Statistics suggest that as many as one third of traffic crashes resulting in death can be attributed to aggressive driving and two-thirds of resulting deaths can be attributed to aggressive driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)  defines aggressive driving as “the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner which endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property.”

Many states around the nation have specific statutes prohibiting aggressive driving, specifically drag racing. In Tennessee aggressive driving is addressed in the statutes as Reckless Driving. TN Code section 55-10-205)55-10-205, describes reckless driving as; “Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property commits reckless driving.” Sound like the shoe fits the drag racer? You bet it does.

I would encourage each driver who ventures out onto the highways and byways of Tennessee to arm themselves with the telephone number of the appropriate law enforcement agency, either 911 or *847 for State Troopers and when you witness an aggressive driver, or a drag racer, pull over to a safe place and call in the license number, description of the vehicle and any other specifics that you observed. Save a life and tell all of your friends and families to step up and help reduce traffic fatalities in Tennessee.

YOU ARE AN AGGRESSIVE DRIVER IF YOU

• Express Frustration. Taking out your frustrations on your fellow motorists can lead to violence or a crash.

• Fail to Pay Attention when Driving. Reading, eating, drinking or talking on the phone, can be a major cause of roadway crashes.

• Tailgate. This is a major cause of crashes that can result in serious deaths or injuries.

• Make Frequent Lane Changes. If you whip in and out of lanes to advance ahead, you can be a danger to other motorists.

• Run Red Lights. Do not enter an intersection on a yellow light. Remember flashing red lights should be treated as a stop sign.

• Speed. Going faster than the posted speed limit, being a “road racer” and going too fast for conditions are some examples of speeding.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident by an aggressive driver or drag racer, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and get a complete picture of your rights and remedies.