Category: Car Accidents

There might be a reason people get grumpy about losing an hour of sleep as we “spring forward” with Daylight Savings Time. While an hour might not seem like a huge difference, the shift in sunlight can upset a person’s circadian rhythm. And that, believe it or not, can lead to car accidents and other potential mishaps.

The shift can be difficult, especially for people who have a tough time in the morning hours as it is. The time change can actually be more difficult for people than shifting a time zone while traveling, says the director of a sleep and mood disorders laboratory.

According to an interesting ABC News article, the body clock, which is a part of the brain that generates the sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm, can get thrown off with less light in the morning and extra light in the evening. The circadian rhythm needs a “signal” of sorts to reset every day. People can feel exhausted when their light-dark and sleep-wake cycles don’t line up. This is what can lead to accidents and other problems.

There are ways to adjust for people who are prone to problems. The director of the sleep and mood disorders laboratory says that avoiding evening sunlight shortly after the time change can help, as can absorbing the morning sunlight after the change. That means actually getting up at dawn to be in the light and not merely sleeping by a window.

What do you think? Is the Daylight Savings change something you barely notice, or does it always feel exhausting to you?

Source: ABC News, “Daylight Savings Time 2012: How to spring forward,” Katie Moisse, March 9, 2012

Racing on public streets is dangerous for a lot of reasons. Drivers who do it are not only putting their own life in danger, but the lives of nearby motorists as well.

Two young drivers were street racing in Knoxville recently, according to witnesses. That apparently led to a head-on accident that severely injured two people.

The accident happened on State Route 394 in Blountville recently. According to the Tennessee Department of Safety, witnesses say two juveniles in separate vehicles were racing on a recent afternoon. One of the vehicles, a Honda Accord, apparently passed a slower vehicle and veered into oncoming traffic, crashing head-on with a Chevrolet pick-up truck driven by a 62-year-old man from Kingsport. Both he and the young man sustained injuries.

Charges are pending an investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, according to the Times News.

The pickup truck driver’s wife says the man was hospitalized for several days. He suffered a variety of injuries, including a broken bone above his ankle that protruded from his skin. He also suffered several broken ribs, among other injuries. He was being treated at Bristol Regional Medical Center.

The young driver, who is a 17-year-old high school student, was injured as well. He was in a medically induced coma at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. He apparently required at least two days of surgery for treatment of his injuries. His most serious injury was thought to be a tear to his aorta.

Source: Times News, “Juvenile victim of Blountville crash remains in coma, second victim still hospitalized,” Rain Smith, March 1, 2012

If the results of a new study are any indication, parents shouldn’t just brush it off when they notice their teenage children making sharp turns or braking abruptly when they drive. It shouldn’t be surprising, but the study finds that this kind of driving pattern often leads teens to be involved in car accidents.

Researchers with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development used cameras and computers to determine g-force events while teens drove. The study followed 42 new teen drivers across an 18-month period, according to a Reuters Health article.

The study revealed that an increase in g-force events, such as sharp turns and screeching halts, led to an increase in car accidents or near crashes. Of the 68,000 driving trips the teens took, 37 involved crashes. There were also 242 incidents that nearly led to accidents.

What researchers took away from the study is that teens’ driving patterns can be predictors of whether or not they will be involved in accidents. That means parents should follow their instincts if they feel their son or daughter is developing some bad driving habits.

One thing parents can do is give their children feedback about their driving if they notice anything amiss. They can also ask them not to drive in cases of extreme weather until they get a little more experience behind the wheel. A more extreme measure might be purchasing an electronic device that can give feedback about a teen’s driving, although they are expensive and not necessarily practical.

Source: EmpowHer.com, “Risky starts and stops predict teen crashes,” Feb. 20, 2012

Think back to when you were a child. When you rode in the car of a friend’s parent, did they have the same safety standards as your own parents? Did they ever say to you, “Oh, don’t worry, you don’t have to wear a seatbelt?” If so, did you tell your parents?

A new study shows that parents are not always consistent with their children’s safety when it comes to carpooling or road-sharing. They should be, however: Sadly, car accidents are the leading cause of death for those between the age of 3 and 14.

The number of deaths can be reduced significantly if children are wearing proper restraint devices, including seatbelts, and if they are in child safety seats. Using such seats can reduce infant deaths by as much as 71 percent.

According to EmaxHealth, a study conducted by a pediatrician took a close look at 681 parents. Many of the questions concerned child restraints. 76 percent of parents with children between the ages of 4 and 8 used child safety seats. However, only 79 percent of those that use the seats said they consistently asked another driver to use a seat for their child when carpooling or ride-sharing.

Another interesting statistic is that only 55 percent of respondents would have their child in a safety seat if the child’s friend was not using one. Clearly, carpooling creates inconsistency for parents, and that’s a real problem. Every child needs to be buckled up in a child safety seat, no matter the circumstance, in order to prevent serious injuries.

Source: EmaxHealth, “Parents not consistent about safety when carpooling,” Denise Reynolds, Jan. 30, 2012

Patience is a virtue. That’s true in many aspects of life, and driving is no exception. A Knoxville woman was arrested earlier this week after she apparently tried to drive around a group of children crossing a street. She ended up striking a 6-year-old boy and leaving the scene of the accident.

The car accident occurred on the 300 block of McConnell Street outside a local Boys and Girls Club, according to KnoxNews. A spokesperson for the Knoxville Police Department says the 18-year-old woman attempted to drive around the group of children instead of waiting for all of them to cross.

As she maneuvered her Chevy Impala through the area, she apparently struck a young boy and then fled the scene. The boy sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment.

Police were able to identify the driver and later located her at her apartment on Riverside Drive in Knoxville. She’s facing various charges, including reckless driving, driving without insurance, driving without a license, and leaving the scene of an accident.

In this case, it’s lucky the boy was okay and there were other people around to help him. If he had been alone or in a secluded area, the outcome might have been different. Leaving the scene of a crash that could potentially leave people injured is not only irresponsible and dangerous, but can have serious consequences for all involved. Please drive safely.

Source: KnoxNews.com, “Knoxville driver charged in hit-and-run after striking 6-year-old boy,” Jan. 30, 2012

What’s that old saying? “If you talk the talk, you should walk the walk.” It seems not every driver in Tennessee does that. According to a new survey, 88 percent of Tennessee drivers believe that texting, or looking at a phone, while driving is dangerous behavior. But at the same time, 27 percent of them admit to doing just that in the last month.

Clearly, distracted or drowsy driving is a leading cause of car accidents, right up there with driving while intoxicated. Only 4 percent of drivers in the survey admitted to driving after drinking. But a whopping 25 percent of them admitted to driving while they were drowsy at some point in the prior 30 days.

The survey, conducted by the University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research, seems to indicate a false sense of security among drivers. It’s possible that some of the drivers polled don’t believe a bad accident could happen to them. Maybe others are trying to kick the habit of texting while driving, which could result in a fine if they are caught by police.

Whatever the case, drivers need to be aware that dangerous behavior, such as driving too fast, getting behind the wheel while sleepy or fiddling with an electronic device while driving, can negatively impact all motorists around them.

According to KnoxNews.com, it’s likely that the results of the University of Tennessee study will be used to determine where to implement education campaigns.

Source: KnoxNews.com, “Editorial: Drivers need to drive, not send text messages,” Jan. 30, 2012

A routine day turned into a nightmare for a Tennessee teen back in October 2010. He still doesn’t remember what exactly happened, but it’s believed that as he drove down Big Springs Road, he looked down at some point, causing him to swerve, over-correct and then slam into a tree.

The car accident nearly cost the teen his life. He was treated at Tennessee Medical Center and said doctors were forced to remove his spleen and one of his kidneys. He also had fractured ribs and vertebrae, and his urethra to his bladder was severed.

As the teen, who was a junior in high school at the time of the crash, and his family speak out in the hopes of preventing further car accidents involving teens, the state of Tennessee is looking at a recent evaluation of its traffic laws.

According to KnoxNews.com, Tennessee ranks as one of the country’s top 18 safest states when it comes to traffic safety. That’s according to an annual road safety report, “The 2012 Roadmap to State highway Safety Laws.”

Every state was evaluated on 15 different traffic safety laws. The report indicates that Tennessee passed more than 10 of the 15 suggested safety laws, including primary enforcement of seatbelt laws. That means people can be pulled over if police notice they aren’t wearing a seatbelt.

The 15 traffic laws include seven elements of a graduated driver’s licensing program, a text messaging ban and three-occupant protection measures, among others.

The teenager and his mother attended the release of the latest report in Washington to speak out for teen driving safety.

Source: KnoxNews.com, “Greenback teen, mom crusade in D.C. for auto safety,” Elijah Herington Scripps, Jan. 12, 2012

Surely you’ve been in a situation where the driver in front of you is driving erratically. They swerve in and out of their lane, and it’s hard to tell if they’re drunk, not paying attention or falling asleep.

Some new technology is aiming to give sleepy drivers, or perhaps those not paying enough attention, a little help. As Ford calls it, “lane-keeping technology” aims to keep drivers in the center of the lane in order to prevent car accidents.

Other companies, such as Toyota, have introduced similar systems under different names, such as “lane keep assist.” Ford’s new system hasn’t gotten a recommendation from the Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration yet, but Ford is offering it as an option for its Explorer and Fusion 2013 models.

This is how it works: a camera is mounted to a vehicle’s rear-view mirror. The equipment is supposed to track the road’s lane markings. So, if a driver swerves too far to the left or right, the system can give the driver a warning in the form of a vibration in the steering wheel.

If the driver ignores it, the vehicle will automatically correct to the center of the lane. Of course, the technology will only kick in if a vehicle is traveling at a minimum of 40 mph and the system is switched on.

Some have pointed out some possible flaws, including when the camera doesn’t work properly due to low sun angles and heavy precipitation. Still, it is hoped such technology will eventually keep motorists safe from swerving drivers.

Source: New York Times, “Trying to nudge drowsy drivers,” Randall Stross, Jan. 21, 2012

Tennessee is one of the least restrictive states in the nation when it comes to elderly drivers. Some states have strict laws requiring drivers of a certain age to submit to medical testing before they are allowed behind the wheel. While Tennessee may not go that far, officials are looking to impose tougher restrictions on elderly drivers in the future.

As baby boomers age, there will be more elderly drivers on the road. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there were 21.6 million drivers aged 70 and older in 2008, accounting for about 10 percent of all drivers. Some fear there will be increased instances of car accidents as drivers age.

According to the Tennessean, the AAA Foundation for Driver Safety estimates that one of every five drivers will be age 65 or older by the year 2030. State officials are said to be exploring new laws that could subject elderly drivers to additional testing.

The new laws could also make it easier for the state to take away licenses from older drivers upon the request of their family members. The Tennessee attorney general says the laws would not be discriminatory or unconstitutional as long as they “were rationally related to a legitimate state interest,” the Tennessean says.

Still, it may be tough to convince older drivers that their rights are not being violated. Even those who should not be driving because of medical reasons, such as the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease, are often resistant to giving up driving.

Many view giving up driving as giving up independence. A representative of the Meharry Consortium Geriatric Education Center says areas need more senior transport services, which are often offered by nonprofit or religious organizations.

It remains to be seen when such laws may go into effect.

Source: The Tennessean, “Older Tennessee drivers may encounter tougher laws,” Brandon Gee, Jan. 17, 2012

When a driver is arrested for driving drunk, one might think he or she would learn from it. And if they are arrested for fatally hitting someone while driving drunk, they would learn from that. Whether he learned anything or not, a Tennessee man was arrested and charged with his sixth DUI recently.

The 39-year-old man, who is from Shelbyville, was driving on Interstate 65 near Cool Springs over the weekend when police apparently clocked him at 101 mph. He was arrested, but he’s already out of jail, according to WSMV’s website.

When the man was 19 years old back in 1992, he was charged with vehicular homicide after he hit and killed a teenager while he was apparently driving drunk. He’s had several DUIs since then, including some in three states. He doesn’t even have a valid driver’s license.

The man has spent some time in jail for various crimes, including burglary, vandalism, auto theft and escape.

According to the Williamson County district attorney, a fourth DUI becomes an E felony under Tennessee law. That typically leads to one to two years of prison time. But once someone reaches four, the punishment is the same.

Many question how this man could have walked out of jail just days after he was arrested. Police say they didn’t have a choice in letting him out. This time, he didn’t cause a fatal accident, but traveling at over 100 mph on the interstate, he easily could have.

Source: WSMV, “Shelbyville man accused of driving 100 mph gets 6^th DUI,” Dennis Ferrier, Jan. 9, 2012