Tennessee one of the worst states for distracted driving
Mar 29, 2019 10:51:48 GMT -5
clarencebunsen likes this
Post by Clipper on Mar 29, 2019 10:51:48 GMT -5
www.tennesseeinjurylawcenter.com/tennessee-worst-in-the-nation-for-distracted-driving/
March 14, 2019
Tennessee Worst in the Nation for Distracted Driving
by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.
According to a new report, Tennessee is worst in the nation for distracted driving accidents. Distracted driving car accident deaths in Tennessee are almost five times the national average. In just two years, Tennessee had more than 1,400 fatalities that were directly attributable to distracted driving accidents. When we hear distracted driving, most of us automatically think about texting and driving but it is more than that. It can be anything that keeps you from giving your full time and attention to driving such as putting on make-up while driving.
Unbelievably, from 2015 to 2017, Tennessee drivers and drivers in four other states were responsible for roughly 31% of all distracted driving deaths. That number is almost certainly higher because many drivers do not self-report and sometimes it is not obvious to investigators that distracted driving was the culprit in an accident. Actually, that is not exactly right. When we say, “distracted driving was the culprit”, it sounds like it was some outside force like the flu. The reality is those deaths were caused by a driver, a human being, using their phone or doing something else while operating their vehicle. This is not some outside force. This is us as drivers making the wrong decision. We have to stop it. Here are some tips on how you can avoid making this wrong decision.
If you don’t trust yourself, turn your phone off or use your phone’s Do Not Disturb feature or an app that automatically responds for you when a text comes in. On my phone, anyone who texts me while I am driving gets a message that says: “I’m driving with Do Not Disturb While Driving turned on. I’ll see your message when I get where I’m going turn it completely off while driving.” If it does not ring, ding, or beep, you are less likely to reach for it.
1. Ladies, put your make-up on before you leave or once you get to your destination.
2. For younger drivers, keep the number of passengers to the bare minimum. Passengers increase the risk of distraction for teens. For instance, male teens driving with passengers are six times more likely to be involved in a crash and twice as likely to drive aggressively than if they were driving alone.
3. Secure pets before leaving for your destination.
4.If a child needs your attention, pull over and help them with whatever they need as opposed to trying to do it while driving.
We can and must do better, Tennessee. We owe it to ourselves, our passengers and others on the road.
Five times the national average? Wow. I have posted about the number of distracted drivers who are on their cell phones, or are texting while going down the road on several occasions. I have also read about many many accidents lately around the area that were attributed to distracted drivers.
Just the other day a cement mixer went off the road, took down a utility pole, and crashed into a used car lot, pushing 8 vehicles up in a pile and rolling over. Police were still investigating when it was reported on the local tv news. I heard yesterday that a witness saw the driver playing with his phone when she passed him shortly before the crash. What the hell. Driving 45 mph on a parkway in a densely populated commercial area of the city, while playing with a phone? It is only a stroke of luck that it was unoccupied vehicles in a car lot that were destroyed and that he didn't just run over an occupied car traveling in front of him or beside him, killing or seriously injuring someone.
It may sound like I over react to the problem, but the number of drivers I see using a phone while driving is ridiculous and is enough to make a person leery of passing a car or having a car pass you. It makes it necessary to observe a car that you want to pass, make sure that they are driving straight and not wandering, before you actually dare to pass them. Even scarier is the fact that some of those vehicles wandering over the lines are semi trucks.
.
March 14, 2019
Tennessee Worst in the Nation for Distracted Driving
by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.
According to a new report, Tennessee is worst in the nation for distracted driving accidents. Distracted driving car accident deaths in Tennessee are almost five times the national average. In just two years, Tennessee had more than 1,400 fatalities that were directly attributable to distracted driving accidents. When we hear distracted driving, most of us automatically think about texting and driving but it is more than that. It can be anything that keeps you from giving your full time and attention to driving such as putting on make-up while driving.
Unbelievably, from 2015 to 2017, Tennessee drivers and drivers in four other states were responsible for roughly 31% of all distracted driving deaths. That number is almost certainly higher because many drivers do not self-report and sometimes it is not obvious to investigators that distracted driving was the culprit in an accident. Actually, that is not exactly right. When we say, “distracted driving was the culprit”, it sounds like it was some outside force like the flu. The reality is those deaths were caused by a driver, a human being, using their phone or doing something else while operating their vehicle. This is not some outside force. This is us as drivers making the wrong decision. We have to stop it. Here are some tips on how you can avoid making this wrong decision.
If you don’t trust yourself, turn your phone off or use your phone’s Do Not Disturb feature or an app that automatically responds for you when a text comes in. On my phone, anyone who texts me while I am driving gets a message that says: “I’m driving with Do Not Disturb While Driving turned on. I’ll see your message when I get where I’m going turn it completely off while driving.” If it does not ring, ding, or beep, you are less likely to reach for it.
1. Ladies, put your make-up on before you leave or once you get to your destination.
2. For younger drivers, keep the number of passengers to the bare minimum. Passengers increase the risk of distraction for teens. For instance, male teens driving with passengers are six times more likely to be involved in a crash and twice as likely to drive aggressively than if they were driving alone.
3. Secure pets before leaving for your destination.
4.If a child needs your attention, pull over and help them with whatever they need as opposed to trying to do it while driving.
We can and must do better, Tennessee. We owe it to ourselves, our passengers and others on the road.
Five times the national average? Wow. I have posted about the number of distracted drivers who are on their cell phones, or are texting while going down the road on several occasions. I have also read about many many accidents lately around the area that were attributed to distracted drivers.
Just the other day a cement mixer went off the road, took down a utility pole, and crashed into a used car lot, pushing 8 vehicles up in a pile and rolling over. Police were still investigating when it was reported on the local tv news. I heard yesterday that a witness saw the driver playing with his phone when she passed him shortly before the crash. What the hell. Driving 45 mph on a parkway in a densely populated commercial area of the city, while playing with a phone? It is only a stroke of luck that it was unoccupied vehicles in a car lot that were destroyed and that he didn't just run over an occupied car traveling in front of him or beside him, killing or seriously injuring someone.
It may sound like I over react to the problem, but the number of drivers I see using a phone while driving is ridiculous and is enough to make a person leery of passing a car or having a car pass you. It makes it necessary to observe a car that you want to pass, make sure that they are driving straight and not wandering, before you actually dare to pass them. Even scarier is the fact that some of those vehicles wandering over the lines are semi trucks.
.