Follow Carefully

There are several driving events that require intense concentration by the driver. A driver must always be on the defensive—thinking about what other drivers might do AND be prepared to respond with proper reactions. In addition, certain conditions, especially bad weather, trigger the need for special knowledge and skills.

To share the road safely, stay a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. Nationally, safety agencies and driver education programs have tried to define a safe following distance for drivers to maintain. This has ranged from a two to four second following distance. Use the following tips to determine if you are following too closely:

A. As the car ahead of you passes a stationary point on the road (a sign post, driveway, utility pole, etc.), count the seconds it takes you to reach the same spot.

B. Count to yourself “one-thousand and one, one thousand and two,” etc. You should NOT reach the same point on the road before you finish counting to at least “one-thousand-two.” If you do, you are following too closely.

C. Slow down slightly to increase the space between you and the other vehicle. Find another spot to check your new following distance. Repeat this exercise until you are following no closer than two seconds.

This principle will hold true at any speed on state and federal highway with moderate speed limits. However, during inclement weather, interstate highway driving at higher speeds and night driving, the two-second rule should be increased to allow for improved visibility. A minimum of four seconds should allow for better reaction time and a safer space cushion under these conditions.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a driver who was following too closely contact the experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Intersection Crash

According to the Tennessee Rules of the Road, when you are sitting at a green light that doesn’t have a protected left turn arrow, you are required to wait and yield the right of way to oncoming vehicles. In this kind of situation green doesn’t mean go, it means wait until the oncoming traffic has cleared.

Unfortunately for a Springfield, Tennessee man, he failed to yield and the error cost him his life. According to local media sources the driver had a green light but he turned into oncoming traffic and hit an SUV head-on. The man was pronounced at a local hospital and three other people were injured but their injuries were considering non-life threatening. Our prayers go out to the family and friends of the deceased and to the injured for a speedy and complete recovery.

If you or a loved one are injured or killed in an accident like this, contact the experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, and take advantage of a free consultation. Call 615-356-2000.

Yield To Funeral Processions

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I think the least understood of the Tennessee Rules of the Road is what to do when you come upon a funeral procession. In most circumstances, the funeral procession is being directed by a private agency officer who has no police authority to stop or direct traffic.

In Tennessee, it is a common and accepted practice for oncoming traffic to pull to the side of the roadway as a sign of respect when meeting a funeral precession.  Tennessee law instructs the following:

• Vehicles following a funeral procession on a two-lane highway may not attempt to pass such procession; and,

• No operator of a vehicle shall drive between vehicles in a properly identified funeral procession except when directed to do so by a traffic officer.

Reference an article on the website of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reporting on the injury to a funeral escort motorcyclist when a car tried to cut through the procession and turned in front of him while he was directing a funeral procession. The driver of the car was given a citation for failing to yield to a funeral procession.

A co-worker of the injured man said that people cutting through funeral processions are a constant problem for escort services, particularly in Memphis. The co-worker added that in outlying areas, such as Southaven and Millington, motorists pull over respectfully and wait for the group to pass.

If you or a loved one is seriously injured or killed in a Nashville auto accident contact the experienced Tennessee personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies. Call 615-356-2000.

Confused Driver

All Tennessee drivers should be aware of the Tennessee Rules of the Road. These rules are set forth clearly in the Tennessee Driver Study Guide. Of specific interest is the section on turning from one road into another, or a private driveway.

I encourage each of you to review these rules at least once every couple of years to determine whether you have picked up any bad driving habits along the way. A recent two-car collision in Clarksville, Tennessee makes clear why my suggestions should be followed.

A 24-year-old man was attempting to turn left from Riverside Drive into a private parking lot. He apparently failed to employ the number one rule of turning and that is to wait until the coast is clear before your turn. Either the man was distracted or simply wasn’t paying attention to the oncoming traffic because he turned directly into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

The errant driver was uninjured and the innocent driver was transported with non-life threatening injuries. The lesson for Tennessee drivers is to pay attention to the traffic around you. I know that sounds simplistic but truth be told, the majority of the people who cause car accidents simply aren’t paying attention to what’s going on around them.

If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Tennessee car accident, please contact Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here.

One last thing: If you are hurt and have any questions at all, contact our office at (615) 356-2000. Don’t delay. Cases involving personal injury or death in Tennessee must be acted on quickly. Time is running. Call for an appointment, if it’s bad enough that you need to read this far into a website blog, it’s bad enough to get an attorney involved.

I’ll have to say I find claims like this somewhat spurious. Why, I would ask did you not simply use your other foot to push on the brake and stop the vehicle?  As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I would opine that the driver was distracted somehow and when the car accelerated she simply wasn’t able to react. Distractions can kill.

Under the Tennessee Rules of the Road we are required to stop for a moment before we turn the ignition key and make certain that all of your systems are functioning and anything that would constitute a dangerous condition should be addressed.

If you would like to have more information about highway safety in Tennessee check out my website at www.seriousinjury.com. If you are involved in an automobile accident take advantage of the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates. Call 356-2000

A Clarksville Tennessee driver was driving his Honda Accord on Trenton Road without his headlights, when a pickup truck pulled out of  private driveway and the Honda swerved to avoid hitting the truck. When the Honda swerved into the other lane he hit a Chevrolet pickup and a Toyota Camry and then rear-ended the original pickup.

Three of the people involved in the accident were transported to a local hospital with non-lifesaving injuries and the Honda driver who caused the crash was cited for failure to use reasonable care. The lesson here for Tennessee drivers is a simple one. When you get behind the wheel of a Tennessee motor vehicle, take a second and see to it that your vehicle is ready for the road. How hard is it to remember to turn on your headlights after dark?

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a careless driver consider hiring a serious Nashville automobile accident attorney like those you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates

Use Headlights After Dark

and see to it that you recovery every nickel that you are due.

Watch Out For Others

Pursuant to the Tennessee Rules of the Road, when you are driving on an interstate highway and there is a vehicle sopped on the right shoulder, especially if the vehicle is an emergency responder, you are required, if safely possible, to move to the left lane of traffic.

Sunday night on I-40 in Cumberland County Tennessee a tractor-trailer driver did just that. She saw a vehicle stopped on the shoulder and proceeded to change lanes. When she successfully completed the change she observed a man standing directly in front of her truck. She had no time to take evasive action and ran over and killed the man.

Follow-up reports indicate that the New Orleans man committed suicide by stepping out in front of the truck. A note was found in his vehicle that said he intended to take his own life. My prayers go out to this man, whatever troubled him is no longer causing him pain. My prayers also go out to the driver of the tractor-trailer who was used as the instrument of this man’s suicide. I hope she finds peace.

The lesson here for Tennessee drivers is that no matter how safe you drive, no matter how you follow the rules of the road, you have to be always alert to the actions of the other guy.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by another driver, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I think the least understood of the Tennessee Rules of the Road is what to do when you come upon a funeral procession. In most circumstances a funeral procession is being directed by a private security agency which has no police authority to stop or direct traffic.

In Tennessee, it is a common and accepted practice for oncoming traffic to pull to the side of the roadway as a sign of respect when meeting a funeral precession. Tennessee law instructs the following:

*Vehicles following a funeral procession on a two-lane highway may not attempt to pass such procession; and,

* No operator of a vehicle shall drive between vehicles in a properly identified funeral procession except when directed to do so by a traffic officer.

If you would like to learn more about Tennessee highway safety issues or the Tennessee Rules of the Road visit my web site at Phillip Miller & Associates and check us out.

Under The Influence

Sporting a long list of DUI convictions, a California woman knew she shouldn’t drive after she and her man friend took drunk at dinner last weekend in Knoxville, so she did the next right thing and turned the keys over to the one person with them who hadn’t had anything to drink. So far, even though she is drunk, it appears that she made the correct decision. Well, that isn’t exactly how it played out.

According to an article published on the Knoxville television station WBIR-TV website, that responsible party was a thirteen year old boy. It appears that the plan failed when the car stalled in an intersection and the Knoxville police stopped to check it out. The boy was released to another family member and the woman was charged with two misdemeanor counts, one of child endangerment and the other of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. I guess, if you think about it, she did avoid another DUI conviction and a sentence of up to eleven months and twenty-nine days in jail.

Child Endangerment: Known as the Tennessee Drunk Driving Child Protection Act, there are added penalties for people who violate DUI laws when accompanied by a child under 18 years old.  There is a mandatory minimum jail sentence of 30 days, and a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000.  Both of these child-related penalties are added onto any other incarceration, penalty and fines.  If the child suffers serious bodily injury, the violation is a Class D felony, and if the child dies, it is a Class C felony of especially aggravated child endangerment.

As explained in the Tennessee Rules of The Road, driving involves multiple tasks, and the demands can change continually. To drive safely, you must maintain alertness, make decisions based on ever-changing information present in the environment and execute maneuvers based on these decisions. Drinking alcohol impairs a wide range of skills necessary for carrying out these tasks.  Fatal injuries, resulting from alcohol-related traffic crashes, represent a tremendous loss of human life.  In 2005, over 16,000 deaths nationwide (39 percent of all traffic fatalities) were alcohol related.  In Tennessee, 37 percent of all traffic fatalities (464 deaths) were alcohol-related. Examples are driving too fast, passing cars without enough clear distance and speeding around curves.  Showing off is another example of impaired judgment.

If you or a loved on is injured in a Nashville car accident by a driver under the influence of alcohol contact the Nashville car accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Education And Enforcement Reduce Fatalities

An article on Channel 2, WKRN Nashville caught my attention this morning and I’m happy to report the news is positive. Following an interview with a Spokesperson for the Tennessee Highway Patrol Channel 2 reports that Since 2005 Tennessee roadway fatalities have decreased on a consistent basis. According to the article by last October (2008) there had been 805 fatalities on Tennessee roads and this year (2009) there has been a reduction with only 707 fatalities. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not in any way saying that 707 fatalities is a good thing, but a decrease of this size means that someone is doing something right.

I regularly advise my readers that they can do their parts by following the Rules of The Road by not speeding, tailgating, running red lights or any other thing that puts others in jeopardy. THP officials said they attribute the decrease largely in part to people paying more attention to the law. They go on to say that education and enforcement are getting the people’s attention. Recent educational programs by the State include, DUI, aggressive driving and seatbelt enforcement.

The Staff and automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates encourage everyone who gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle in Tennessee to focus on the fact that you are behind the wheel of a weapon that can take your life and the lives of others and you should act accordingly.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee automobile accident contact the Nashville car accident lawyers at Philip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

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