Ah, April Fools’ Day, a day on which people commonly play practical jokes because what better day to play a practical joke then on the day when people are expecting it. So tricky! Nonetheless, at The Law Offices of John Day, we thought we would play along. Which of these Tennessee roadway/safety laws is an April Fools’ joke? Can you spot the fake?
- Tennessee has a “slow poke” law which requires you to obey the minimum speed limit posted. If no minimum speed limit is posted, you cannot drive so slow as to impede normal and reasonable movement of traffic.
- For funeral processions, you are not required by law to pull over. Although you better not let your mama or your grandmother find out that you did not pull over! However, it is illegal to not yield to a funeral procession in the intersection, to attempt to pass a funeral procession or to drive in between vehicles in a funeral procession.
- In Tennessee, you can take for personal use or consumption any wild game accidently killed by a motor vehicle.
- Similarly, if you accidentally kill a deer with your vehicle, you must notify law enforcement or TWRA within 48 hours.
- Tennessee has a “Move Over” law that requires you to move over for any vehicle stopped on the side of the road. If you are unable to move over due to a hazard or the flow of traffic, you must slow down.
- It is illegal to hold your cellphone while driving in Tennessee and, in January of 2024, the Tennessee Legislature passed the “Eddie Conrad Act” which increases penalties for texting and driving.
- The length of your vehicle and anything you are towing cannot exceed more than 65 feet.
- It is illegal to ride or be a passenger on a bicycle without wearing a helmet if you are under the age of 16.
- You must give a turn signal at least fifty feet before executing a turn.
- You do not need insurance to operate a motor vehicle in Tennessee.
Hopefully, the April Fools’ Day joke was obvious. It is Number 10. In Tennessee, it is absolutely required that you have statutorily mandated legal minimums of insurance before operating a motor vehicle. For a couple of decades, the minimum limits for bodily injury have been, and still are, $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident. Truly, that is the April Fools’ Day joke. If you think about how the price of everything from eggs to homes has increased in the last couple of decades, the fact that insurance requirements have not been raised is bad for Tennessee accident victims.
After an accident, if you are taken by ambulance to the hospital, have diagnostic tests such as x-rays or an MRI and spend two nights in the hospital, you will almost certainly surpass the $25,000 limit. So what happens if you are seriously injured in an accident and require a lot of medical treatment including surgeries, therapy, etc. and the other driver only has minimum limits or no insurance at all?
This type of scenario is why you should talk to your insurance agent about uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. This type of insurance is surprisingly affordable, and it covers you and your family if you are injured by someone without sufficient insurance coverage or without any insurance coverage. If you are seriously injured in a car accident, it is no joke. We encourage you to seek the assistance of an experienced injury attorney as soon as possible.
If you have questions following a car accident, we can help. Our award-winning lawyers handle all car accident cases on a contingency basis so we only get paid if we recover money for you. Give us a call to get started.
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