Teach Teens The Dangers of Texting

In a mock scenario,  one person died and two were seriously injured in a staged two-car crash at Station Camp High School Tuesday morning that involved Vanderbilt LifeFlight, Gallatin police and fire departments, and Sumner County Emergency Management Services.

The mock accident was caused by an activity popular among high school age students who text while driving. Here’s the scenario; A car full of teens whose driver had been texting collided with a car driven by a pregnant woman. The wreck was followed by a dramatic 911 call, followed by sirens and a dramatic rescue by emergency personnel and a LifeFlight air lift to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to save a dying woman and her unborn child.

Of the thousands of deaths caused by texting drivers who became distracted, I would bet that not one of them thought when they set out driving that day that they were going to kill themselves or another, but taking your eyes and your attention off the road for even a second can change your life, or end another’s.

The experienced auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates applaud the effort made by the school and emergency responder community of Sumner County for taking the time to being this important issue the attention it deserves.

Hang Up And Arrive Alive

An interesting study regarding long commute drivers conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind and cosponsored by the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, that New Jersey drivers who have a long commute are more likely to speed and drive distracted by talking on a cell phone or texting.

The study showed that although 25 percent of New Jersey drivers say they regularly travel more than 70 mph on state highways, drivers with long commutes (39 percent) were more likely to speed than those with shorter commutes (22 percent).

More than 60 percent who drive 20 or more miles to work will speed “most of the time” or “often,” compared with 53 percent who have shorter commutes and 42 percent who have no commute, according to the study.

Additionally, nearly 20 percent of long commuters talk on a handheld cell phone “very often” or “sometimes” while driving, but less than 10 percent of those who do not drive to work do the same. Commuters of both short (32 percent) and long (31 percent) distances were more likely to text and drive than those who do not commute to work (16 percent), the report found.

For this and other Tennessee highway traffic safety tips and information, visit the website of Phillip Miller & Associates or call 615-356-2000.

Distractions Kill

A 39-year-old Monroe County Tennessee youth league football coach died in a motorcycle accident Wednesday morning as he drove to work on Niles Ferry Road in Monroe County. A van driving the other direction simply crossed the centerline and hit him head-on.

Investigators will attempt to determine what the van driver was doing when he stopped paying attention to his driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 6 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

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 are involved in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a distracted driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Please Pay Attention

Three Ohio motorcyclists were injured in multi-vehicle accident on the Alcoa Highway. It appears that the Ohio men slowed for traffic, the car behind them also slowed, unfortunately a teen driver following that car wasn’t paying attention and slammed into that car and that car slammed into the three motorcycles.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, I’d bet that the teen was distracted, probably by using her cell phone, hopefully not texting.

Texting Can be Dangerous to Your Health

On July 2009 the newly enacted law prohibiting texting while driving a motor vehicle took effect. Enforcement of this law might prove to be a difficult task and I encourage each and every one of you to do your part and report any violations you might witness. An officer may not be able to issue a citation because of your call but it might be an opportunity for the offending motorist to get the message that texting while driving is not only dangerous but your call just might save another’s life. As an experienced Nashville car accident lawyer , saving lives is our paramount goal.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto accident as a result of distracted driving or other negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville motorcycle accident lawyer from our law firm will fight to help you win. We will treat you with the utmost compassion and respect. Call us today and speak with an experienced Nashville personal injury lawyer to discuss the details of your case. Call (615) 356-2000.

Distracted Driver

One has to question what the Tennessee driver of a Nissan Versa was doing as she was driving along US Highway 11-E, it’s apparent that she wasn’t paying attention to the road ahead of her. In front of her a State Trooper with her emergency lights engaged had pulled to the left lane to assist another driver who had left the roadway. As the Trooper was assessing the scene the Versa slammed into the rear-end of her patrol vehicle.

The Trooper’s car then slammed into the Toyota she was attending to. Fortunately the Trooper suffered only minor injuries as did the Versa driver. As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer my first guess from the facts set forth in the local media report, is that the driver of the Versa was using her cell phone as she drove along the highway. The only other thing I can think of is that she fell asleep, but my money is on the cell phone.

Over the last few years, cell phones have become more common in our day-to-day lives. In 1995, cell phone subscriptions covered only 11 percent of the U.S. population; in 2010, that number grew to 93 percent. This has led to a substantial increase in cell phone use while driving. According to the National Safety Council, 23 percent of all crashes each year involve cell phone use, resulting in 1.3 million crashes nationally. Almost 70 percent of the respondents to a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey reported talking on a cell phone while driving during the previous 30 days. Researchers observing more than 1,700 drivers found that three out of every four drivers using a cell phone committed a traffic violation.

Talking on a cell phone while driving makes you four times as likely to crash, and texting while driving increases your chances of a crash by up to 8 to 23 times. While a growing number of drivers are turning to hands-free devices, studies show hands-free devices provide no safety benefit. It’s the conversation, not the device, that creates the danger. Cell phone use while driving isn’t just a visual and manual distraction, but a cognitive distraction. In addition to taking their eyes and hands off the wheel, distracted drivers take their mind off the primary task of driving.

The lesson for Tennessee drivers is to put it down, turn it off, and live. If you or one of your family is injured in a Nashville automobile accident caused by distracted driver talking on a cell phone you are going to need an experienced Nashville auto accident lawyer like those you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. Contact us for a free consultation at 615-356-2000.

Roadway Departure Crash

A press release put out by the Metro Nashville Police Department related that a man killed in a one car accident when the Mazda M6 he was driving ran off of Morgan Road in Joelton is identified as Christopher J. Cox, 19, of Union Hill Road.

A citizen reported in a 911 call that there was a car overturned in a ravine. Upon arrival police found the car with the 19-year-old man inside. According to the report police believe the accident occurred sometime after 2AM that same day.

My prayers go out to the family and friends of this young man. The circumstances leave so many questions for his family. Police investigators must now determine the cause of the crash. An autopsy will reveal whether drugs or alcohol are involved, If he had a cell phone they will be able to track whether he was talking or texting at, or about, the time of the wreck.

It will be more difficult for police to determine whether the man simply fell asleep, and tire marks can help them determine whether another car was involved and caused the man to leave the road. The Joelton are along Morgan Road is hilly and sided by ravines and steep gullies and if one leaves the road, even slightly, things can get dicey pretty quick.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville auto  accident take a minutes and contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation. Call 615-356-2000

Get Fired or Die

The U.S. National Safety Council (NSC) estimates at least 23 percent of all motor vehicle crashes each year involve cell phone use. And now, not only can texting-while-driving get you killed, it can also quite possibly get you fired.

NSC recently surveyed Fortune 500 companies on this topic and found that one out of five respondents has a total ban on cell phone use while driving, and the ban covers all employees. More than half of respondents report that these policies were implemented in the past two years. Organizations with total bans, range in size from 100 employees to 70,000.

The lawyer in me wonders how the company can enforce such a ban, and the cynic in me wonders whether it’s an attempt by the companies involved to cover their you know what’s.  But the facts show a different picture, among those Fortune 500 companies surveyed by NSC that have total bans on cell phone use while driving, 22 percent say they experienced decreased crash rates, and 22 percent also say they saw decreased property damage.

If you are interested in learning how your company can achieve these numbers, the NSC offers a free Cell Phone Policy Kit for Employers. According to the NSC, allowing employees to use cell phones while driving can incur significant corporate liability. The NSC says crash scenarios in which employers have been liable include employees who were driving:

During work hours and outside typical work hours

To or from work appointments and for personal reasons

In business or personal vehicles

While having business and personal conversations

While using employer-provided and employee-owned phones

While using hands-free and handheld devices

If you or a loved one is killed or seriously injured in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a driver distracted while using a cell phone, an experienced Nashville personal injury lawyer like those at Phillip Miller & Associates, might well be able to help you recovery for all of the damages, both property and physical, that you have suffered.

On The Lookout

In my last Blog I wrote about the dangers of driving and talking on a cell phone. Most all states have banned texting while driving, but many more have moved to ban any cell phone use while driving. I have seen the statistics on cell phone distracting fatalities and it’s not pretty. Distracted driving is the cause of 80% of all accidents and the number one distraction is cell phone use.

Some cities, such as El Paso, Texas have banned the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. Among citizens and news media there was a misperception that the ordinance was not being enforced, but city officials pointed out that between the first of the year and March 11, they issued more than 1851 tickets for violating the hand-held law. Since the ordinance became law on April 1, 2010 the city has issued 6,435 tickets at $114 per ticket fine. A spokesman for the Police Department said that if the department had the human resources that they would have tripled the number of tickets.

Unfortunately the article doesn’t mention the most important statistic, and that is, has the number of distracted driving accidents been reduced during the ban. I have written the reported and asked him to address this issue and will report to you when I hear.

For this an other Tennessee highway safety information, visit the website of the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates.

Texting Teen drivers

There are steps parents and others can take to drive down the dreadful rate of teen traffic injuries and fatalities. Overall an estimated 6,000 people are killed and 500,000 people are injured annually because someone was texting, e-mailing or talking on a mobile phone while driving and this problem is bigger for teens than for adults.

First, kids text more. Texting is the teenagers preferred mode of communication. According to a recent survey conducted by LG Mobile phones, while half of all teens admit to texting while driving, only 4 percent of parents are aware of this.

Secondly, teens are novices when it comes to driving. They especially need to focus on the road to compensate for any lack of driving skill or experience.

Third, teens can easily be prone to distraction. If a teen is caught up in a dramatic or tense texting conversation, it could be too enticing to focus on the phone instead of the road, and it only takes a second or two and they are off of the road and on their was to the hospital or morgue.

The U.S. government’s official website on distracted driving, www.distraction.gov, cites multiple statistics on the dangers of this careless behavior:

• Using a mobile phone while driving, whether it’s handheld or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.

• Driving while using a mobile phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent.

• Drivers who use handheld devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves as those who don’t.

• An estimated 11 percent of drivers are talking on cell phones while driving at any point during the day.

As parent’s, educators, and highway safety experts, we need to impress upon teens the need to not text or talk on the phone while driving. The very best way to do this is for you to avoid these activities while you drive

Educate your teens as to the seriousness of the situation and let them know that it is important to have a plan in order to avoid temptation. For example, have them always keep their cell phone off while driving or in the backseat out of reach to avoid distraction completely.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a serious Tennessee auto accident caused by a texting teen driver stop by or call the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find about your cause of action.

Texting Drinking and Driving

She was driving drunk and texting at 3 AM, and guess what happened? What happened was that she lost control of her car and crashed into a house in Knoxville Tennessee. Texting and driving is illegal in Tennessee.

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.