Lane Departures and Fatal Crashes

Fatalities are up this year with 345 persons killed on our roadways this year as compared to 313 at this time last year. That's a 9% increase at this point. That's not good!

What's going on?  We can't blame the departure of Kendell Poole and Jim Camp forever, can we?

140 of the 345 fatal crashes included one particular factor. They included a driver failing to maintain a lane of travel. 

That's 40% of fatal crashes! That's a lot of death and destruction!

Why are so many people leaving their lanes? Perhaps we need to start looking at lane departure as a danger like DUI.

Defense attorneys often ask officers on the stand all the excuses they have ever heard for people leaving their lane. They aren't all under the influence. They are dangerous!

Vehicular homicide in Kingsport

Congratulations Ben Rowe and the prosecution team.

http://www.timesnews.net/Law-Enforcement/2016/05/11/Kingsport-man-pleads-guilty-to-vehicular-homicide-in-2014-fatal-crash

De Moated

Moats has been overturned! Community caretaking is now recognized as an exception to the 4th Amendment warrant requirement.
If an officer stops to check on a driver slumped over the wheel, it is OK to turn on the blue lights to keep everyone safe!
Tennessee joins 48 States and the federal courts in recognizing this practice.

Fatalities on the Rise

295 persons have died on our roadways so far this year. Please be cautious and aware of the dangers on our roads.

Sad news from the numbers

We had 57,395 traffic crashes in the first 3 months in Tennessee.
45, 587 were property damage crashes.
16,539 persons were injured.
214 people were killed.

Unfortunately one of those people used to play with my son as they grew up in Athens. He was 22.
He wore his seat belt. He was sober and drug free. He was on a 55 mph roadway. He was probably going too fast.
He left the road to the left and hit a tree.
A life can end in an instant. The loss lasts forever. Mason had a zest for life.

Goodbye Mason. You will be missed.

I was honored to speak to the West Tennessee M.A.D.D. Round-table Monday. It was impressive to see the number of victim advocates present and the students from Briarcrest H.S. in Memphis honoring their classmates.

It's almost that time again

If you are a prosecutor in Tennessee and want to learn about the who, what, where and why of crashes, plan to attend our Crash Reconstruction for Prosecutors course June 20-24 at Lake Barkley in Kentucky. There we be a car crash. You will be taught what to look for in a reconstruction. Watch our previous crash below.