Tennessee Injury Law Center
According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security statistics, there were 1,579 pedestrian accidents last year. But, there were actually many more because the State’s statistics do not include pedestrian accidents that occurred on private property, which means parking lots (where lots of pedestrian accidents occur because of the unavoidable interaction between cars and pedestrians). For the first quarter of this year, there have already been 378 pedestrian accidents, so we thought we would share some tips to help avoid being a pedestrian accident statistic:
- Slow down. Your reaction time is shortened the faster you are going. On curvy and hilly roads, you may need that extra time to avoid a pedestrian.
- Move over if it is safe to do so. That extra room for error could save a life if the pedestrian trips and falls or if your tire should hit a pothole causing you to veer slightly off course. If there is no oncoming traffic, why would you not move over?
- Avoid distracted driving. If you are texting, using your navigational device, taking a selfie, etc., you are less likely to see and react to a pedestrian in time to avoid an accident.
- In areas where children are likely to be (neighborhoods, school zones, parks), use extra care and caution. Children are much more likely to dart into traffic or behave in an unexpected way.
- Signal turns and lane changes. If you fail to do so, a pedestrian will not know your intentions and might think it is safe to enter the roadway.
- Make sure your headlights are in good working order so that you can be seen by pedestrians at night.
- Come to a full stop at stop signs and do not assume a pedestrian sees you.
- Do not drive under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, illicit drugs or any other substance that impairs your judgment or reaction time.
- Look before backing up and check your mirrors often especially in parking lots.
- Know your legal rights and obligations as a driver and a pedestrian.
At The Law Offices of John Day, P.C., our award-winning lawyers have been privileged to represent individuals who have been injured in pedestrian accidents and families who have lost a loved one in a pedestrian accident. We hope you never need our services, but if you do we offer a free consultation in which we will gladly review your case, answer your questions and explain your legal rights and options. We handle all pedestrian accidents on a contingency basis, which means we only get paid if we recover money for you and your family. To get started, just give us a call at 615-742-4880 (Nashville) or 615-867-9900 (Murfreesboro) or 866-812-8787 (toll-free). Or, if you prefer, contact us online and we will reach out to you. We have recovered millions of dollars for our satisfied clients and we would like to help you too.