Every car accident in Nashville is unique, each with its own set of circumstances and facts. At the same time, many wrecks that do happen occur for similar reasons.
Identifying these reasons and implementing strategies for avoiding them is key to reducing your risk of accidents and injuries. However, if you find yourself injured in a collision, consider discussing your options with a Nashville car accident lawyer.
Five steps you can take to reduce your risk of being in a crash—based on data from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the Tennessee Highway Safety, and other state and federal agencies—include the following:
1. Slow Down and Take Your Time
One of the most important actions you can take to reduce your chance of being involved in a crash is to slow down and obey the speed limit. Speeding accounted for 909 crashes in 2023 and over 1,000 accidents in 2022. Additionally, 25 people lost their lives in 2023 in crashes that were primarily caused by speeding.
When you decide to exceed the speed limit, you give yourself less time to stop or slow down to avoid a collision. The distance your vehicle travels in a given span of time increases as your speed increases. The difficulty in safely slowing and stopping your vehicle also increases the faster you decide to go.
Additionally, in the event of a crash, the higher your speed at the time of the crash, the more likely it is that severe injuries will result. Instead of speeding to your destination and risking a serious or fatal collision, give yourself plenty of time to get to where you are going.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to account for traffic if your route takes you through congested roads or if you intend to travel during rush hour. This can help you resist the urge to speed following moments when traffic is crawling or stopped entirely.
2. Refrain From Consuming Alcohol or Drugs Before Driving
The dangers of driving while impaired by alcohol, marijuana or some other substances are well-documented. No matter the specific type of drug you have taken, any substance of a similar nature can increase the likelihood that you will sustain an injury or fatal crash.
In 2023 alone, a total of 7,469 traffic accidents occurred, and 469 people died in wrecks that an impaired driver caused.
Alcohol and drugs, including prescription medications and over-the-counter products, can impair your ability to drive safely in various ways. You could find that your vision and perception are negatively impacted, making it difficult to see others and objects. These substances can also affect your judgment and reasoning, causing you to make riskier decisions behind the wheel.
Any level of impairment is dangerous, so you should always plan to have a designated driver or alternative transport arrangements available if you feel you may become too impaired to drive.
3. Pay Attention To the Road While Driving
Taking your eyes off the road or your hands off the steering wheel for any period of time increases the chance that you will collide with someone or something else during that time. Distracted driving accounted for 20,797 accidents in 2023, and 73 individuals were killed in Nashville distracted driving crashes.
Cell phones are not the only objects that can distract a driver and take their attention away from driving. Food and drink, the radio and noisy passengers in the car are all potential distractions that demand the driver devote their hands and focus to them. While occupied with some other concern, a driver may not see other motorists, pedestrians on the road or hazards in their path.
To avoid becoming a distracted driving statistic, motorists should commit to putting away all distractions when driving. If a passenger becomes unruly or something happens while driving that demands your attention, pull over in a safe location to deal with the matter before continuing to drive.
4. Remember Right-of-Way Rules
Intersections can be dangerous locations on the road. Any time when cars approach one another from different angles, there is an elevated risk that those vehicles will collide with one another. According to the Federal Highway Administration, in 2020, over 10,000 people died nationally because of a traffic wreck that took place at an intersection.
Right-of-way laws are the rules of the road that help traffic safely navigate intersections and merges. These laws tell drivers who can proceed through an intersection or merge point ahead of other traffic. If a traffic signal or road signs do not control the intersection, it falls on each individual driver to remember and apply these right-of-way laws.
Tennessee’s right-of-way rules cover a range of situations. For example, traffic turning left must yield the right of way to approaching traffic. Pedestrians and others in a crosswalk will usually have the right of way over other traffic. Finally, whoever arrives at an uncontrolled intersection first usually has the right of way over other vehicles.
5. Stay Prepared For Weather Challenges
Drivers can also avoid traffic crashes and wrecks by remaining alert and prepared for changing Tennessee weather. Snow, ice and heavy rain can all impact your ability to see the road and safely control your vehicle.
You may not have any control over the weather, but you can take actions that prevent problems on the road by:
- Delaying unnecessary trips during inclement weather
- Reducing your speed and putting more distance between yourself and other motorists
- Keeping your car’s wipers, tires and brakes in good repair
- Using your headlights any time there is reduced visibility due to weather
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s data suggests that as many as 5.8 million crashes of all severity types happen throughout the United States every year because of weather-related road conditions.
Your Safety on Nashville Roads Depends on You
While you cannot control other drivers’ behaviors, your own decisions behind the wheel can play a significant part in helping you make it to your destination safely. Slowing down, paying attention to your surroundings and refraining from the use of drugs and alcohol while driving can all contribute to ensuring you stay safe on the road in Nashville.
Harlene Labrum is the founder of Labrum Law Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, a personal injury law firm with an office in Nashville. Her legal team has over a decade of experience representing accident victims throughout Tennessee. Contact them today to schedule a free initial consultation.
