Tennesseans Hack Death on the Highway-DUI Numbers Down
Posted by Chester Butler, CIC, CPIA on Thu, Feb 02, 2012 @ 05:00 AM
If you are a Tennessee driver, pat yourself on the back! Why? Because the data is in and Tennessee had less than one thousand traffic related deaths in 2011. But the news gets better. Alcohol related deaths are down 32% according to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. We have not had such a low number of traffic related deaths since 1963. Sadly, it took us 48 years to get the number of fatal car crashes to fewer than 1,000.
Unfortunately, 947 people lost their lives on Tennessee roads in 2011. But they are not just statistics. They were our neighbors, they were our business colleagues and they were our family members. That is important to keep in mind. They were the victims of the bad judgment of others or their own lack of judgment. That is tragic.
Last year at this time, I served on the Davidson County Grand Jury. It was only then that I realized how many lives are at risk in Tennessee due to driving under the influence. Frankly, it had reached epidemic levels. So it pleases me to learn that law enforcement and private citizens are taking our DUI laws seriously.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security reports seat belt usage is up, too. That’s another reason Tennesseans can congratulate themselves. But we probably should not get too cocky. A feature story in Wired Magazine, Let the Robot Drive by Tom Vanderbilt reveals 93% of car crashes are due to human error. That’s a bit of information that should encourage you to buckle up!
Hmmmm, 93% of all auto accidents are due to human error? Wow, imagine that. Maybe that’s the reason we recommend high auto insurance limits and personal umbrella liability policies?
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