Wet Road-No Seat Belts Take Lives Of Three Family Members
Wet Road No Seat Belts
Sometimes driving the speed limit can be dangerous. Reference an article in the Bowling Green Daily-News about a three members of a Kentucky family who were killed when their pickup truck hydroplaned, lost control and smashed head-on into a FEDEX truck coming in the other direction. Dead at the scene were Tamara Roberts, 45, he 11-year old son Dillon Roberts and Ms. Roberts 70-year old father, Dallas Wallace. None of the deceased were wearing a seat belt.
The delivery driver, Gary Hutchinson, 55, was injured and transported to St. Elizabeth hospital with minor injuries. Mr. Hutchinson was wearing his seat belt.
The speed at which you drive determines how much time you have to act or react and how long it takes to stop. The higher the speed, the less time drivers have to spot hazards. Judge the speed of other traffic, and react to avoid the mistakes of other drivers. The Basic Speed Rule (BSR) is not a Tennessee law, but it is a general safety principle. The BSR does not set an exact speed limit; instead, it teaches that the speed you may drive is limited by current conditions. For example, if the posted speed limit is 65 m.p.h., and you are driving at night on a two-lane state highway and it’s raining or foggy, 65 m.p.h. is too fast for those conditions. To obey the BSR, think about your speed in relation to other traffic (including pedestrians and bicycles), the surface and width of the road, hazards at intersections, weather, visibility and any other conditions that could affect safety.
Seat Belts
In the U.S., a person was injured in a traffic crash every minute and a half in 2005. An average of 119 people died in car crashes every day in 2005, or one death every 12 minutes. Crashes are the leading cause of death for every age from three to 33 years old. Seat belts are the most effective safety devices in vehicles today, reducing the chance of injury or death in a crash by 45 percent and saving an estimated 15,632 lives in 2005.
Failure to use a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior. In 2005, traffic crashes on Tennessee’s roadways killed 1,270 people. Sadly, many of those deaths could have been prevented if the victims had taken the time to buckle up. Over half of all traffic deaths happen within 25 miles of home. Many occur on roads with posted speeds of less than 45 m.p.h.
Phillip Miller is a Tennessee Accident Attorney specializing in
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