The question of the day is: how safe are the roads in your county? In this post, we’ll explore common types of traffic accidents and determine which Tennessee counties were dubbed the most dangerous in terms of number of crashes in 2018 (given that data from 2019 is still incomplete). By taking a deeper look at your area’s roads, the G3 Help Me Law team hopes to enhance your awareness and help keep you and your loved ones safe from harm.
First, it’s important to understand that there are 3 common types of traffic accidents.
Other types of vehicle crashes are: Possible Injury, Suspected Minor Injury, No Complaint, and Severity Unknown, to name a few. Because these broad categories make up a majority of crashes, Tennessee’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDSHS) focuses on the above 3 types of accidents when reporting traffic crashes by year, type, and county.
According to Tennessee’s injury codes, a ‘no injury’ or PDO accident means, “there is no physical evidence of injury and the person does not report any change in normal function” after the crash. These are typically the most common types of vehicle crashes in any county.
There are two types of vehicle crashes that result in injury in Tennessee: incapacitating and non-incapacitating evident accidents.
An incapacitating injury is any injury that’s not fatal and results in one or more of the following: severe laceration or injury other than bruising, crush injuries, broken or distorted extremity, second or third degree burns over 10% or more of the body, unconsciousness at the scene of the accident, and paralysis.
On the other hand, a non-incapacitating evident injury is any injury that’s noticeable at the scene but does not lead to fatality or severe injuries, such as: bumps that may indicate concussion or other head injuries, significant bruising, and minor skin lacerations or abrasions.
In Tennessee, a fatal injury is described as “any injury that results in death within 30 days after the motor vehicle crash in which the injury occurred.”
Though unpleasant to talk about, it’s important to understand which counties in Tennessee are currently highest in terms of crash-related fatalities and injuries. An enhanced awareness of this information truly can help keep you and your loved ones safe next time you’re on the road.
According to a TDSHS report, the county with the highest number of crashes in 2018 was Shelby County, Tennessee with 39,289 combined PDO, injury, and fatal injury accidents (a 5,869 accident jump from Davidson, the second highest county for crashes last year).
Tennessee’s top 10 counties with the highest number of crashes in 2018 were:
Whether you live in one of the above Tennessee counties or not, it’s extremely important to always be aware of your surroundings when on the road. At G3 Help Me Law, we’ve experienced countless injury and fatality cases in which the accident could have been easily avoided.
If you or someone you know has been in an accident, call (865) 658-4012 to schedule your free, confidential consultation. Because you matter to us!
Note: All information found in this article was sourced from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration and Tennessee’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The above information reported on may exclude parking lot and private property crashes. Fatal crash numbers may not match NHTSA crash numbers.
