Automobile Accidents

December 24, 2018

Driving Lessons from Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation

Every Christmas Eve, after church and dinner, you will find our family in our living room with the Christmas tree on, and the lights turned down, ready to watch Christmas Vacation. We have seen the movie so many times we can quote most of it, and it is a treasured tradition. One of the funniest scenes is when the Griswolds drive out to the country to get a Christmas tree the old-fashioned way: cutting it down themselves. Let’s look at all the driving tips that can be derived from this one particular scene: Continue reading

December 19, 2018

Do You See What I See?

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

No, this post is not about the classic Christmas carol. It is about headlights and pedestrians. While it may not be the most Christmas-y and exciting stuff, it is very important stuff because half of all fatal accidents occur at night, and one-quarter of them occur on unlit roads. And Tennessee is unfortunately following a nationwide trend of increasing pedestrian accidents. One significant factor in nighttime car and pedestrian accidents is headlight performance. So do you know how your vehicle’s headlights rate?

December 14, 2018

Distracted Driving with Dogs

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Who doesn’t love seeing a dog with its face hanging out of the window of a moving car? With the wind in their face and a gazillion smells and aromas to inhale, the look of pure joy on their face is contagious. So we hate to be a fun killer, but here is the bad news: unrestrained dogs in moving cars can be extremely hazardous in a number of ways and a new trend could make it illegal.

November 7, 2018

Think You Are a Safe Driver? Take Our Pedestrian Safety Quiz To Find Out

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Last week alone, there were five separate accidents over three days that involved children being killed or seriously injured while waiting at a bus stop or while trying to cross the street to enter or exit a bus. All avoidable tragedies if all drivers would only follow the rules. Of course, that begs the question: do all drivers even know the rules? Hopefully, everyone knows that when on a two-lane road, traffic in both directions stops whenever a bus activates its stop signal. But, do you know your responsibilities as a driver when there are multiple lanes? How about when there are multiple lanes but they are divided? Do you know at what time of day pedestrians are most at risk? Take our short quiz and see how well you do. Continue reading

October 5, 2018

If Readily Available Safety Technology Could Help Reduce the Increasing Number of Deadly Tractor Trailer Accidents, Why Is It Not Being Mandated?

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Semi-trucks accidents and other large truck accidents are killing roughly 4,300 people a year in this country, and the number is increasing. Since 2009, deadly tractor-trailer accidents are up 28%. Crash-avoidance technology is becoming more common place in passenger vehicles with 41% of new cars using collision warning systems with automatic braking. In fact, car manufacturers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have agreed to a regulation that requires this technology be in all passenger cars by 2022 and in trucks by 2025. Yet, there is no such mandate for tractor-trailers and other large trucks. Why? Continue reading

September 27, 2018

Surge of Pedestrian Deaths Sparks Demands for New Safety Methods

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

From 2009 to 2016 (the last full year of analyzed data), the number of pedestrian deaths in the United States spiked 46 percent. During that time, 5,987 people lost their lives in pedestrian accidents and tens of thousands of others were injured. In Tennessee, this same trend can be seen: Continue reading

September 11, 2018

Tennessee Drivers Are the Second Worst in the Nation

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

We have a lot to be proud of in the Volunteer State. We make the best whiskey. We are home to the Smokey Mountains, the Vols, the Predators. Nobody does music like our State from country music in Nashville to the blues in Memphis. I could go on and on. But apparently, one thing we stink at is driving – according to a recent study. We have all seen atrocious driving on our streets, highways and interstates, but read on to learn exactly how we became the first-runner-up in this less than esteemed category and who was the winner (or loser in this particular case) Continue reading

August 29, 2018

Labor Day Driving Safety Tips (because Tennesseans are the 2nd worst drivers in the nation)

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

According to travel forecasts, 25% of Americans plan to travel for the Labor Day weekend, and 86% will travel by car. Unfortunately, traveling by car is becoming more and more dangerous, especially in Tennessee as we were recently rated the second-worst state in the nation (another blog post to follow on that). But even across the country, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car accidents are on the rise, up roughly 14% in two years. The latest reporting shows more than 40,000 people are losing their lives every year in car accidents, and another 4.6 million are being injured. So if you and your family are planning on being on the roads this Labor Day weekend, here are a handful of important safety reminders: Continue reading

August 15, 2018

Back-to-School Safety Tips

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

By the end of this week, most students in public and private schools in Middle Tennessee will be back to school. Whether you are happy or sad about that, here are some tips for keeping children safe this year and to also make sure you do not violate Tennessee law. Continue reading

August 9, 2018

Following a National Trend, Brentwood Sees Huge Rise in Car Accidents Thanks to Distracted Driving.

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

The Brentwood Police Department’s accident data shows that between 2012 and 2016 the number of crashes in Brentwood increased by an incredible 60%. Brentwood is not alone in seeing an increase in the number of car crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported this is a trend nationwide. While Brentwood’s population has grown slightly during the same time period, the biggest growth year was only 2.47%., and last year Brentwood’s growth was only .59%. Of course, non-residents use Brentwood streets too but traffic counts show the number of cars on major Brentwood thoroughfares only increased 8% between 2012 and 2017. So what is the cause of the alarming rise in accidents? Continue reading