Despite decades of public safety campaigns, drunk driving is on the rise. According to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the most recent data shows nearly 14,000 people lost their lives to drunk driving in the last data year, a nearly 15% increase over the prior year. Drunk driving accidents account for almost 1/3 of all traffic related deaths. Continue reading
Golf carts are no longer just for golf. If you go to the beach, the lake or even in your own neighborhood subdivision, golf carts are likely to be on the road. In our little area at Tims Ford Lake, 80% of the residents have a golf cart. The Days have resisted the trend in an effort to force ourselves to walk more but we are definitely in the minority. Each year there are approximately 15,000 golf cart injuries. If you own a golf cart or have been injured in a golf cart accident, you should understand some key legal issues. Continue reading
As Nashville injury lawyers, we have seen an uptick in the number of pedestrian accident cases in our office, but these new numbers are startling. Nashville has roughly double the number of pedestrian accidents resulting in death as the rest of the country. Last year alone, 49 pedestrians lost their lives in Nashville. Read on to learn more about the causes and what can you do to help reduce these statistics. Continue reading
The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is often referred to as the 100 Deadliest Days for teen drivers. In fact, according to AAA, more than 2,000 teen drivers will be killed nationwide during that period. Car crashes involving teen drivers spike during this period in large part because teens are out of school and so they have more time to be out on the roads. Do you know the risks for your teen driver? Read on to learn about the dangers and safety tips for preventing the most common killer of teens. Continue reading
The National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) is the federal agency charged with overseeing the safety of vehicles on the country’s roadways. After an eight-year investigation, the Knoxville company, ARC Automotive of Knoxville, Inc., has been told to recall roughly 67 million inflators in the United States because they could explode and hurl shrapnel. According to the NHTSA, two people have been killed and seven have been injured in the United States and Canada. Here is what you need to know and some legal thoughts on this issue. Continue reading
May is National Walking Month. Walking is a fabulous form of exercise. It also helps reduce carbon emissions, allows you to see a city or area more closely, decreases road congestion and saves money. But, walking can also be dangerous. Pedestrian fatalities have increased every year for more than a decade and pedestrians now account for 17% of all fatalities involving cars and trucks. In 2021 (which is the most recent data-analyzed year) there were 1,512 pedestrian involved crashes in the State of Tennessee. In the country as a whole, a pedestrian is killed every 81 minutes. Nashville’s data has been released for 2022 and the city saw a record high 49 pedestrians killed. Read on to refresh yourself on Tennessee pedestrian law and some things you can do to help reverse this trend. Continue reading
Drivers are using their cellphones during 58% of trips taken, an 8% increase from just 3 years ago. Just as alarming, the amount of time drivers are interacting with their phones while driving increase by 23% during that same time period. In 2020, drivers would interact with their phone while driving for 1 minute and 47 seconds. A recent report indicates that has now increased to 2 minutes and 12 seconds. Not surprisingly, all of this distracted driving is literally killing people. Accidents involving cars, bicycles and pedestrians are all up because distracted drivers are 2.4 times more likely to cause a crash. Read on for more scary statistics and tips to protect yourself. Continue reading
Have you ever wondered if a pedestrian can ever be at fault for a car accident? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that a pedestrian can have zero fault, partial fault or total fault for an accident involving a car. It all comes down to the facts of the accident. Let us explain in a little bit more detail. Continue reading
Perhaps, too many of us watched an excessive number of Smoky & The Bandit reruns or thought Ricky Bobby of Talladega Nights should be used for driving inspiration. We don’t know the cause, but we do know this: the South is a dangerous place to drive. In fact, according to recently released federal statistics, 8 of the top 11 most dangerous places to drive are “southern states”, as that term is defined by the U.S. Census as opposed to the teams currently comprising The SEC. Read on to learn where Tennessee is ranked and our number one piece of advice on protecting yourself. Continue reading
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released its report on accidents involving cars, trucks, pedestrians and cyclists for 2021 (the most recently analyzed data) and the numbers are alarming. So, let’s just get right to them. More Americans were killed on our roadways in 2021 than any year since 2005 – 42,915 people lost their lives. Another 4.5 million people were injured and 23 million vehicles were damaged. 7,342 pedestrians were killed in 2021, the biggest number since 1981. 985 cyclists were killed, the biggest number since 1980. What is causing this increase in car, pedestrian and bicyclists accidents? What are the financial costs? And how can you protect yourself from this growing trend? Continue reading
Tennessee Injury Law Center