Tennessee Highway Patrol Fighting Distracted Driving

On January 21, WBBJTV.com reported some bad news from the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Tragically, 41 roadway deaths had already occurred in the state by the 21st of January, including a one-car crash the past weekend that was still under investigation.

There are lots of causes of Tennessee auto accidents, but the Tennessee Highway Patrol outlined two of their top concerns to WBBJTV. One was drinking and driving, which a THP lieutenant indicated is a top concern throughout the year but especially over the holidays. The other top concern is distracted driving, which is something that WBBJTV indicated the Tennessee Highway Patrol is committed to fighting this upcoming year.

Our Knoxville, TN personal injury lawyers support the efforts of the highway patrol to educate the public on distracted driving and to take steps to curb the risks. We believe distracted driving is one of the greatest dangers that drivers on the roads face throughout Knoxville and throughout the entire United States.

The Dangers of Distracted Driving

There are many different types of behavior that can create a distraction that takes focus away from the road. Distraction.gov identifies distracted driving to include:

• Using a cell phone to talk or text
• Entering info into a GPS or reading a map
• Grooming activities like fixing your hair or applying makeup.
• Eating and drinking
• Reading
• Using the in-vehicle controls like the CD player, MP3 players or heating systems
• Watching videos

Doing any of these behaviors can significantly up your chances of becoming involved in an auto accident. For instance Distraction.gov reports that:

• 18 percent of the car accidents that occurred nationwide in 2010 involved a distracted driver.
• 11 percent of the fatal traffic accidents that involved drivers 20 years of age or younger involved a driver who was reportedly distracted at the time of the accident.
• A person who is using his or her cell phone to send or receive text messages when driving has a 23 times greater chance of getting into a car wreck.
• 40 percent of teenagers said that at some point, they’d been in a car with a driver who was making use of his cell phone in a manner that created a dangerous risk.
• Drivers that use any kind of hand-held devices when they are driving their cars may be up to four times as likely to become involved in a car wreck than drivers who are not distracted and who are giving their full attention to the road.
• A person who is sending a text message as he drives looks away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds which gives him time to span the length of a full football field if he is driving 55 miles per hour.

Based on these statistics collected by Distraction.gov, it is very clear that distracted driving is a major public health concern. By making a strong effort to fight against distracted driving, the Tennessee Highway Patrol can hopefully have a measurable impact in curbing some of the most dangerous driving behavior that people engage in today.

If you have been injured, contact G. Turner Howard III, Attorney at Law at (844) G3-Help-Me or 865-558-8030.