Distracted Driving Accidents More Common in Middle Tennessee Than They Used to Be

We have recently set forth the dramatic increase in car accidents in Middle Tennessee. There are thousands more accidents a year now than there were even five years ago according to the official statistics at www.tn.gov/safety/stats/crashdata.html.

Distracted Driving Causes Dangerous Crashes

Unfortunately, many of these accidents are caused by distracted driving. Distracted driving takes many forms from cell phone use to eating, to changing the radio station to checking on the kids in the backseat. All of these distractions create inattentiveness on the road. As the roads get more crowded, more people are using the roads and more people are driving distracted.

In Davidson County, the official statistics show the number of distracted driving incidents as a root cause has risen from 1,641 in 2008 to 2,769 such incidents in 2017. The rest of Middle Tennessee is no different. Rutherford County had 598 such accidents in 2008 and 1,460 such incidents in 2017. Many counties in Middle Tennessee show a doubling of the number of distracted driving accidents.

Distracted driving is one area that is in the control of each of us on the road. I am no stranger to the distractions of modern life and the attention it can divert from driving. However, as the population grows and these numbers rise, it is clear we all need to focus on the task at hand and drive. It will lessen accidents, lessen the number of injured people and shorten commutes so we can all get home faster to friends and family.