A Tennessee statute provides that a funeral procession has the right-of-way when the lead vehicle properly identifies the funeral procession by using a flashing amber light or is identified as a police escort or other “properly identified” escort. A funeral escort may also use a siren and flags to identify…
From 2000 to 2010, 2,344 children under the age of 15 were killed in drunk driving accidents. In a whopping two-thirds of those fatal accidents, the children were actually riding with the drunk driver as opposed to the drunk driver being a stranger in another vehicle. Unfortunately, drunk driving was not the…
Under Tennessee law, a first time DUI offender must spend 48 hours in jail. But a drunk driver convicted of vehicular homicide may receive probation and avoid jail time. Memphis’ Commercial Appeal newspaper has reported three such incidents in which someone under the influence of alcohol who caused a fatal accident spent…
We all know that drinking and driving is dangerous. The same is true about driving while under the influence of certain drugs including prescription medications. But, most people are not aware that certain medical conditions can impair driving ability. For instance, individuals diagnosed with epilepsy need to have their seizures well-controlled and meet…
If you have an airbag system in your vehicle, you likely take comfort in this additional piece of safety equipment. But because of a defect, your airbag may now present a serious risk of injury. Takata Corporation, a Japanese company, is the second largest manufacturer of vehicle safety equipment including…
Yesterday, we told you about the alarming increase in texting while driving amongst teens. Today, we want to share with you some new technology to help combat this dangerous and deadly behavior. Earlier this week, a new app was released in the Apple store. The app completely disables an iPhone while driving. The app…
The good news: teen smoking is down. In fact, it is at a 22 year low. The bad news: texting while driving is on the rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently released a new report which shows that 41.4% of students admit to texting and emailing while driving…
OK, I will admit it. I am a card-carrying member of AARP and I am proud of it – mostly because of the discounts I have enjoyed since qualifying for membership at age 51. Earlier this week, while reading the AARP monthly magazine, I was alerted to the growing trend of…
It is not just U.S. taxi drivers who are upset over Uber. In some European cities yesterday, taxi drivers took to the streets without passengers yesterday to clog traffic in protest over the unregulated Uber. The protests in Europe focus on the same issues raging in the United States: licensure, training, insurance,…
For the reasons outlined in this prior post on the subject, we have been interested in the tort implications associated with Uber and similar ride-sharing services. Recently, we read some troubling comments from Uber’s CEO regarding an alleged assault perpetrated by an Uber driver. Apparently, an Uber driver allegedly choked a woman…