Cell Phone Distraction

A 47-year-old Tennessee woman lucked out when her car left US Highway 41, over-corrected, lost control then left the roadway again striking an embankment and then rolled over. The cause of the crash was that she had dropped her cell phone and took her eyes off of the road in her attempt to reach it. She was transported with non-life endangering injuries.

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.

Drivers who use a cell phone – either handheld or hands-free, are four times more likely to be involved in a crash, according to a 1997 New England Journal of Medicine examination of hospital records, and a 2005 study funded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety linking injury crashes to cell phone records.

About 30 research studies conclude that there is an increased crash risk when using a cell phone while driving. Many of these studies further conclude that using a hands-free phone while driving is just as risky as talking on a handheld phone.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I implore you to put the cell phone down when you are driving. You might think that you are a good enough driver to driver and talk at the same time, but statistics say you are not.

If you are injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a cell phone using driver, you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and secure your rights and remedies.

Teach Teens The Danger Of Distractions

Over the last several Blogs at “The Tennessee Auto Accident Attorney” we have talked about younger drivers and the hazards they face as the travel the highways and byways of Tennessee. As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, I regularly speak to parents of teen drivers, and on every occasion I remind them that simply telling their children to act in a safe manner when they are behind the wheel, it is the duty of the parents to teach them by example.

I also share some sobering statistics. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 38% of all teen deaths in the United States. In 2008, about 3,500 teens in the United States aged 15–19 were killed and more than 350,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes. Young people ages 15-24 represent only 14% of the U.S. population. However, they account for 30% ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28% ($7 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females.

Reference a fatal accident in Bristol, Tennessee, in which one teen boy is dead and another remains in serious condition as I write this Blog. According to local media sources, the 16-year-old driver lost control rounding a curve, left the road and slammed into a tree. As an experienced Nashville personal injury lawyer, my first thought is that speed and/or distraction were the cause of this tragic accident.

Most Americans typically learn to drive during the teen years, when the brain is not fully mature yet. Recent research is beginning to give us insight why many teens have difficulty regulating risk-taking behavior:

* The area of the brain that weighs consequences, suppresses impulses and organizes thoughts does not fully mature until about age 25.

* Hormones are more active in teens, which influence the brain’s neuro-chemicals that regulate excitability and mood. The result can be thrill-seeking behavior and experiences that create intense feelings.

Chances are, your community has been struck by a tragic accident involving a teenage friend, classmate or family member. Tennessee parents have an excellent resource available at the website of the National Safety Council. Check out http://teendriver.nsc.org/ for helpful tips and suggested study materials.

My experience investigating and trying Tennessee teen driver accident cases tells me that it is never too early to start training your child for the day he or she gets behind the wheel and you watch them drive off into the real world.

If you or a loved is injured in a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident caused by a teen driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies. Call us at 615-356-2000.

Photo Courtesy of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Would Seat Belts Have Made A Difference?

A roadway departure crash is East Tennessee left one woman dead, and three other injured. According to local media reports, a 2010 Murano driven by a 27-year-old man rounded a curve on Boyd’s Creek Road, lost control and crossed the yellow center line and slammed into the 1999 pickup truck driving by the deceased, a 51-year-old woman. None of the people involved were wearing their seat belts.

Was it speeding or distraction or both that caused the driver to lose control? Distraction from the primary task of driving could present a serious and potentially deadly danger. In 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police-reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported on the crash report.

While these numbers are significant, they may not state the true size of the problem, since the identification of distraction and its role in the crash by law enforcement can be very difficult.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident caused by a distracted driver you owe it to yourself to 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.

Death By Distrction

Giles County police investigators will have to try and figure out what it was that so distracted the 21-year-old driver that he drove off the roadway struck a ditch and crashed into two telephone poles, killing his 21-year-old friend who was his passenger. Two other passengers were injured.

Statistics show that nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve 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.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require and experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Firey Nashville Fatal Crash

Nashville police investigators believe that the woman killed in a firey crash in Joelton, Tennessee early Friday morning is a 69-year-old local woman but they will have to wait for positive identification through dental records.

According to local media reports the crash happened around 2 a.m. at the Davidson/Robertson County line on White’s Creek Pike. The car she was driving crossed the centerline and slammed into a pickup truck coming the other way. The truck driver told police he tried to avoid the crash, but couldn’t.

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.

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.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Police investigators are trying to determine the cause of a fatal two-car collision in Sevier County, Tennessee. Local news reports say that a 25-year-old man was driving along Boyd’s Creek Road when, for some unknown reason, he struck a vehicle going the other direction. The second driver, a 51-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two passengers in the first car were injured and hospitalized. Although police investigators refused to speculate on the cause of the crash I think there are several factors that might be relevant. The local media report failed to mention whether the young man submitted to a blood alcohol test. The crash occurred near midnight and my experience tells me that this might be the case.

Investigators will question the injured passenger to determine if the driver was somehow distracted by a cell phone, conversation with passengers, or in some other way. Passengers will be able to shed light on the question of alcohol or drug use.

Head-On Collision

The stories and situations mentioned in this blog are for informational purposes only. Phillip Miller & Associates does not claim to represent any party referenced in this post. This blog exists to raise public awareness of the very real dangers we face every day and to serve as a central location where information and opinions can be exchanged with regard to the way that the situations mentioned on this site are impacted by existing legal statutes.

What could have caused the driver of a BMW going east bound on I-40 to take his eyes and attention off the roadway, enter the median and slam into two cars heading the opposite way, and then proceed to hit a tractor-trailer? The driver must have been distracted, impaired or suffered a medical emergency.

I don’t have any independent information about this accident other than what I read in a local media source, but as an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, I am familiar with a number of reasons that a fatal interstate collision like this one could happen.

Distraction from the primary task of driving could present a serious and potentially deadly danger. There has been increased attention on the danger of distracted driving recently, specifically on the dangers of cell phone use and texting while driving. Other secondary task involvement includes eating, drinking, conversing with passengers, as well as interaction with invehicle technologies and portable electronic devices.

Greater sophistication in these technologies may present greater physical and cognitive challenges for drivers than traditional information sources. Less obvious forms of cognitive distractions such as daydreaming or dealing with strong emotions also present potentially dangerous situations for drivers.

Last, but not least, the driver may have experienced some sort of medical emergency that caused him to lose control and crash. An autopsy may shine some light on this option.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require and experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Avoid Distractions While Driving

Another Tennessee single-car roadway fatality took the life of a Georgia man. Investigators will have their work cut out for them trying to determine the cause. According to local media reports the man was driving a 2005 GMC Sierra pick up truck when he lost control of the vehicle on U.S. Highway 45 when his vehicle veered into the median and struck a traffic sign.

He then overcorrected and crossed to the other side of his lane, left the road and struck a tree. The report said that he was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident. The big question for police investigators as well as his family and friends is what caused the man to veer into the median in the first place.

Whenever you see an accident, usually involving one car that leaves the road, an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney starts thinking about driver distractions. Just what was the driver doing moments before the crash that caused his/her vehicle to go off the highway? What caused the driver to change focus from driving to other things?

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. Each of these accidents had the potential to have taken numerous other lives but somehow that didn’t happen.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have to avoid distractions while we are behind the wheel or we are going to die or kill someone else. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a distracted driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation. Call 615-356-2000.

A 44-year-old man driving a Mitsubishi Eclipse apparently crossed the centerline as he drove along Pulaski Pike near the Maury and Giles county lines this past Tuesday, and slammed head-on into a Toyota Camry driven by a 60-year-old Lynnville woman. Emergency crews had to use special equipment to extricate the woman from the Toyota. Both drivers were transported and a subsequent local media report said they were both in stable condition the following day.

This kind of crash is one of an epidemic number of roadway departure crashes that are becoming a plague to Tennessee drivers. 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 an 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

Tennessee Head-On Collision

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. Local investigators will have the job of determining just what caused the man to drift into the other lane and fail to make any attempt to return to his lane and avoid the collision.

The lesson here for Nashville drivers is that you must keep all of your attention on the acting of driving and avoid distractions. You never know when another driver is going to fall asleep, have a medical emergency or get distracted and leave their lane and initiate a deadly collision.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require and experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies. Call 615-356-2000.

She Was Not Wearing Her Seatbelt

Since the police don’t believe that alcohol or drugs were involved in a fatal two-car collision, investigators are going to have to filter through a whole lot of evidence to determine what caused the 20-year-old woman who was driving north suddenly crossed over into the south bound lanes and collided with a Durango driving by a 32-year-old Nashville man.

The young woman was not wearing her seat belt and was killed at the scene, while the male driver who was wearing his seatbelt was injured, treated and released from the hospital.

What causes someone to lose control? Was she distracted while using her phone, or other electronic device? Was she drowsy and fell asleep? Did she have some sort of medical emergency? It’s hard to know exactly, but we do know that distractions are the number one cause of highway traffic accidents. Our prayers go out to the family and friends of this young woman.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require and experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.