A routine day turned into a nightmare for a Tennessee teen back in October 2010. He still doesn’t remember what exactly happened, but it’s believed that as he drove down Big Springs Road, he looked down at some point, causing him to swerve, over-correct and then slam into a tree.
The car accident nearly cost the teen his life. He was treated at Tennessee Medical Center and said doctors were forced to remove his spleen and one of his kidneys. He also had fractured ribs and vertebrae, and his urethra to his bladder was severed.
As the teen, who was a junior in high school at the time of the crash, and his family speak out in the hopes of preventing further car accidents involving teens, the state of Tennessee is looking at a recent evaluation of its traffic laws.
According to KnoxNews.com, Tennessee ranks as one of the country’s top 18 safest states when it comes to traffic safety. That’s according to an annual road safety report, “The 2012 Roadmap to State highway Safety Laws.”
Every state was evaluated on 15 different traffic safety laws. The report indicates that Tennessee passed more than 10 of the 15 suggested safety laws, including primary enforcement of seatbelt laws. That means people can be pulled over if police notice they aren’t wearing a seatbelt.
The 15 traffic laws include seven elements of a graduated driver’s licensing program, a text messaging ban and three-occupant protection measures, among others.
The teenager and his mother attended the release of the latest report in Washington to speak out for teen driving safety.
Source: KnoxNews.com, “Greenback teen, mom crusade in D.C. for auto safety,” Elijah Herington Scripps, Jan. 12, 2012