Tennessee Injury Law Center

At the Law Offices of John Day, our award-winning lawyers work on car and truck accident cases every day.  We also try to stay abreast of hot topics and new information related to car and truck accidents.   Here are a few of the ones that have hit our radar lately: Continue reading

As parents, we try to warn our kids about the dangers associated with driving.  We want to keep them safe so we talk to them about texting and driving, drinking and driving, wearing their seatbelt, etc., but one danger we often fail to discuss is drowsy driving.   And drowsy driving kills almost as many people as drunk driving.  In fact, drivers who have not had enough sleep are at the same risk of being in an accident as a driver who is at or a little above the drunk driving limit of 0.08 BAC.   Here is what you need to know and steps you can take to protect yourself and your driving family members:

When you are sleep deprived, clusters of brain neurons actually take a break.  This is dangerous because those neurons are the transmitters of messages from your brain to your body.  When a large enough group of brain neurons fall asleep or take a break, a driver’s attention can decline.  Not to mention the obvious: if you nod off at the wheel, you are not focused on driving at all.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates drowsy drivers are involved in 16.5% of all fatal crashes and 7 percent of all non-fatal crashes.  To understand just how dangerous drowsy driving is, consider this:  the NHTSA estimates 8,000 people a year are killed due to drowsy driving and drunk driving kills about 10,500 people each year.

Unfortunately, there is no easy test like a breathalyzer that can determine when you are too sleepy to drive.  But there are some things you should consider in order to keep your family safe: Continue reading

According to a new report, Tennessee is worst in the nation for distracted driving accidents.  Distracted driving car accident deaths in Tennessee are almost five times the national average.  In just two years, Tennessee had more than 1,400 fatalities that were directly attributable to distracted driving accidents.  When we hear distracted driving, most of us automatically think about texting and driving but it is more than that.  It can be anything that keeps you from giving your full time and attention to driving such as putting on make-up while driving.

Unbelievably, from 2015 to 2017, Tennessee drivers and drivers in four other states were responsible for roughly 31% of all distracted driving deaths.  That number is almost certainly higher because many drivers do not self-report and sometimes it is not obvious to investigators that distracted driving was the culprit in an accident.   Actually, that is not exactly right.  When we say, “distracted driving was the culprit”, it sounds like it was some outside force like the flu.  The reality is those deaths were caused by a driver, a human being, using their phone or doing something else while operating their vehicle.  This is not some outside force.  This is us as drivers making the wrong decision.  We have to stop it.   Here are some tips on how you can avoid making this wrong decision. Continue reading

Ochophobia is the fear of vehicles.  For a specific fear of semi-trucks, one writer has coined the term: semiochophobia.  If you have semiochophobia, you are not alone. A lot of passenger car and truck drivers, as well as motorcyclists,  are scared of 18-wheelers, and for good reason according to a recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Report.  Below are some insights into semi-truck accidents offered by the IIHS report:   Continue reading