Don't Speed and Don't Get Distracted

Local Knoxville media sources reported that a 16-year-old young woman who died in a roadway departure crash last week was a fine young woman, who was well liked and respected at her high school.

The reports indicated that the young woman was driving at approximately 8:30 AM when, for some reason she left the road, struck the ditch, rolled and was ejected and died. Whenever you hear of a vehicle with a teen driver leaving the road, one of two, and possibly both are the cause of the accident. Those things are distractions and/or speed.

When a driver or passenger of a vehicle is ejected, an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney knows that the person was not wearing a seat belt. Tennessee law requires the use of seat belts. An overwhelming number of studies show that seat belts, when used correctly, save lives. Seat belts help prevent injury by preventing ejection.

Ejection greatly increases the chance of death or serious injury. The chance of being killed in a crash by being ejected from a vehicle is one in eight.  Safety belts virtually eliminate ejection.  The belted driver stays inside the car and is better protected from injury.

The lesson for Tennessee teen drivers is to stay within the speed limit and avoid distractions. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville auto accident involving a teen driver, contact the experienced Tennessee auto accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates.

Teen Fatality

All of Blount County Tennessee is saddened by the loss of one of their best and brightest, a 17-year-old highly respected Greenback High School student died Jan. 21, 2011, from injuries received in a Jan. 17 single-car auto accident in Blount County.

The young man was riding with three other teammates in a 1994 GMC Suburban that crashed at 6:04 p.m. Monday on Calderwood Highway. The Suburban left the right side of the road when rounding a curve heading south on the highway. The SUV flipped and came to rest on the northbound side of the road.

The deceased was in the vehicle with three other teens when it left the road in a turn and all of the boys were ejected from the vehicle. None of the boys were wearing seat belts and the THP report said that seat belts would have made a difference in the outcome of the wreck.

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.

The lesson here for all Tennessee teen drivers is that you must avoid distractions that can cause you to take your eye off of the road for only a second and crash. The other lesson is that seat belts work. They prevent drivers and passengers from being ejected from crash vehicles.

If you or a loved one are injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by teen driver contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates.

Teen Drivers

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds, causing roughly one-third of all deaths for this age group. Teenagers are overrepresented in traffic crashes both as drivers and as passengers. On the basis of miles driven, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. The high crash-involvement rate for this age group is caused primarily by their lack of maturity and driving experience coupled with their overconfidence and risk-taking behaviors.

High-risk behaviors include failure to wear safety belts, speeding, and driving while impaired (by alcohol or other drugs), and drowsy or distracted driving. This age group is particularly susceptible to distractions caused by other passengers in the vehicle, electronic devices, and music. A larger percentage of fatal crashes involving teenage drivers are single-vehicle crashes compared to those involving other drivers. In this type of fatal crash, the vehicle usually leaves the road and overturns or hits a roadside object such as a tree or pole.

In general, fewer teens wear their safety belts compared to other drivers. A larger proportion of teen fatal crashes involve speeding, or going too fast for road conditions, compared to other drivers. More teen fatal crashes occur when passengers, usually other teenagers, are in the car than do crashes involving other drivers. Two out of three teens who die as passengers are in vehicles driven by other teenagers.

As parents of Tennessee teen drivers it it our responsibility to teach them and see that they practice safe driving skills. If you want to learn more about how to do that, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of their decades of experience.