Tennessee campaign attempts to decrease fatal car accidents
Road safety officials in Tennessee have made it their goal to try to contain the number of fatal car accidents caused by distracted drivers by creating an awareness of the dangers of distractions while driving. In Tennessee, hundreds of car accidents are caused yearly by drivers, who are distracted, particularly by mobile phones. It is estimated that approximately 50 percent of fatal accidents can be ascribed to drivers who are distracted.
The new initiative, called Drive to Zero, is focused on decreasing the number of fatal accidents. The viewpoint taken is that every fatal accident is one too many. During the launch of the campaign, one official provided a disturbing image. In his talk, he indicated that to receive or send a text message requires that the driver look away from the road for 4.3 seconds. In that minute amount of time, a driver can travel the complete length of a standard football field while not paying attention to the road.
As part of the campaign, a distracted driver who miraculously survived a near fatal accident addressed teenagers at St. Cecilia Academy to create awareness of the dangers of using a cell phone while driving. Her story serves to prove how easily a distraction, such as a mobile phone, can lead to devastation. Hopefully this campaign will help create awareness among Tennessee drivers of the dangers of distractions when driving.
A car accident can change lives irrevocably. The driver of a car involved in an accident may not only have to face the effect of his or her own injuries, but should any other persons involved in the accident die or be injured, also the resulting consequences. Victims of car accidents in which a driver was negligent may elect to initiate a personal injury claim to recoup damages from the accident, whereas the families of a deceased victim may elect to file a wrongful death claim. A distracted driver causing an accident through negligence will have to face such claims.
Source: wsmv.com, “TN safety officials launch campaign to end distracted driving”, Jennifer Johnson, April 4, 2014