Inexperienced driving can lead to tragic car wrecks

Posted in Car accidents on April 24, 2012

Many of our Nashville injury attorney blog posts focus on the dangers of distracted driving in Tennessee. One cause of distraction is basic inexperience behind the wheel. The Tennessean reported today on the dangers teenage drivers face by highlighting the story of a young lady who was seriously injured in a Brentwood car wreck. Regarding Tennessee car crashes, the paper reports:

Tennessee has a 15 percent fatality rate for drivers ages 16 to 17 who are involved in crashes — the 12th-highest in the nation, according to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s a problem across the South because of its winding rural roads, scarcity of trauma centers and love of vehicles not built for safety. Not all public high schools here offer driver’s education classes, and many teenagers don’t abide by age-specific rules to prevent wrecks.

The article highlights this link from the CDC a webpage focused on injury prevention and motor vehicle safety. In order to combat injuries and deaths from automobile collisions, the CDC recommends a graduated driver’s license program, prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving, requiring teenage passengers to wear seatbelts and stricter enforcement of DUI laws.

In Tennessee, drivers of all ages are required by law to use “due care” when driving. Our “Rules of the Road” law requires, regardless of the speed limit, that every driver exercise due care by operating the vehicle at a safe speed, by maintaining a safe lookout, by keeping the vehicle under proper control and by devoting full time and attention to operating the vehicle, under the existing circumstances. Drivers are required by law to avoid endangering life, limb or property and to see and avoid colliding with any other vehicle or person, or any road sign, guard rail or any fixed object.

If you know someone who has been injured in a car wreck and need an experienced Nashville personal injury attorney, call us at 615-256-8880.