Driving today across TN from Virginia as far as Nashville, I must have passed 10 or 12 accidents in one direction or the other, each resulting in an extensive backup. Granted, this was on the traditionally busiest travel day of the year (the day before Thanksgiving), but does this highway have a worse-than-average safety record? The day before, going through VA on I-81, I noticed no major incidents, despite apparently heavier traffic as well as a very heavy presence of state troopers.
They should install modern roundabouts.
I don't know about I-40 being accident prone East of Nashville, but I did notice it was surprisingly out of date leaving Nashville heading West, considering the amount of traffic using it. Especially with the terrain in that area.
Well, I have had only one bad accident in all my years of driving and, you guessed it, it was on I-40 just east of Nashville.
Quote from: empirestate on November 23, 2016, 09:56:00 PM
Driving today across TN from Virginia as far as Nashville, I must have passed 10 or 12 accidents in one direction or the other, each resulting in an extensive backup. Granted, this was on the traditionally busiest travel day of the year (the day before Thanksgiving), but does this highway have a worse-than-average safety record? The day before, going through VA on I-81, I noticed no major incidents, despite apparently heavier traffic as well as a very heavy presence of state troopers.
I have noticed that in the past few years, it seems like aggressive drivers make up a higher proportion of the traffic on I-40 in TN than on I-81 in VA.
Whether that's cultural, differences in enforcement levels, etc. I cannot say.
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on November 23, 2016, 11:17:28 PM
Quote from: empirestate on November 23, 2016, 09:56:00 PM
Driving today across TN from Virginia as far as Nashville, I must have passed 10 or 12 accidents in one direction or the other, each resulting in an extensive backup. Granted, this was on the traditionally busiest travel day of the year (the day before Thanksgiving), but does this highway have a worse-than-average safety record? The day before, going through VA on I-81, I noticed no major incidents, despite apparently heavier traffic as well as a very heavy presence of state troopers.
I have noticed that in the past few years, it seems like aggressive drivers make up a higher proportion of the traffic on I-40 in TN than on I-81 in VA.
Whether that's cultural, differences in enforcement levels, etc. I cannot say.
I noticed that as well, lots of people really riding ass wanting to pass in the left lane (and a lot of people not getting out of the left lane once they had passed).
Indeed, the last accident I saw resulted in a car fire that had us at a dead stop for 10-15 minutes. As I finally passed, it was clear that a pickup had rear-ended another car and was now in flames. (The backup I was in had been showing on the map for a good half hour or so previously, so I'm guessing the rear-ending was a result of the congestion from a prior accident at the same location.)
I don't know the statistics on the road but people seem to think 15-20 MPH over the limit is okay between Nashville and Memphis given the relatively quiet countryside between the two. It's not like we're talking a flat section of I-40 either.....
Quote from: empirestate on November 23, 2016, 09:56:00 PMThe day before, going through VA on I-81, I noticed no major incidents, despite apparently heavier traffic as well as a very heavy presence of state troopers.
Welcome to VA. :spin:
Quote from: empirestate on November 24, 2016, 12:31:41 PM
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on November 23, 2016, 11:17:28 PM
Quote from: empirestate on November 23, 2016, 09:56:00 PM
Driving today across TN from Virginia as far as Nashville, I must have passed 10 or 12 accidents in one direction or the other, each resulting in an extensive backup. Granted, this was on the traditionally busiest travel day of the year (the day before Thanksgiving), but does this highway have a worse-than-average safety record? The day before, going through VA on I-81, I noticed no major incidents, despite apparently heavier traffic as well as a very heavy presence of state troopers.
I have noticed that in the past few years, it seems like aggressive drivers make up a higher proportion of the traffic on I-40 in TN than on I-81 in VA.
Whether that's cultural, differences in enforcement levels, etc. I cannot say.
I noticed that as well, lots of people really riding ass wanting to pass in the left lane (and a lot of people not getting out of the left lane once they had passed).
Indeed, the last accident I saw resulted in a car fire that had us at a dead stop for 10-15 minutes. As I finally passed, it was clear that a pickup had rear-ended another car and was now in flames. (The backup I was in had been showing on the map for a good half hour or so previously, so I'm guessing the rear-ending was a result of the congestion from a prior accident at the same location.)
As a native of Nashville, I think I can offer a few reasons for the aggressive driving commonly seen throughout many portions of TN...
* Driver's Education courses are not mandatory for obtaining a first driver's license as a teenager.
* Lots of transplants from Chicagoland and California, areas known for poor driving habits (though this could be a stereotype), have migrated into Greater Nashville, which has recently become one of the country's biggest hot spots for economic growth. Not to mention immigrants from countries with more lax traffic laws/driving habits.
* The Tennessee Highway Patrol is a seriously underfunded agency that has no jurisdiction outside of state highways, and generally does not patrol many of the urban highways, leaving these to be patrolled by city or county authorities.
* Young rednecks really do like to drive their big trucks fast, while the older rednecks drive theirs slowly
A couple of other indirect points, but indicative of Tennessee's general lax enforcement of traffic laws as a whole:
* No requirement for yearly vehicle safety inspections, though certain urban counties require emissions testing for plate renewal.
* Only within the past 10 years has TN required mandatory liability insurance, and I'm not sure they even have a true system in place yet to track whether or not drivers maintain their insurance premiums.
Also, regarding the actual topic of this thread, long stretches of I-40 were completed in Tennessee by the early 60's, especially between Memphis and Nashville. Though there do not appear to be any long term plans to completely widen I-40 to six lanes between these two cities separated by 200 miles, there are plans to add truck hill-climbing lanes in several areas between Nashville and just west of the Tennessee River.
Quote from: empirestate on November 23, 2016, 09:56:00 PM
Driving today across TN from Virginia as far as Nashville, I must have passed 10 or 12 accidents in one direction or the other, each resulting in an extensive backup. Granted, this was on the traditionally busiest travel day of the year (the day before Thanksgiving), but does this highway have a worse-than-average safety record?
Hard to truly answer this question since with the last transportation bill through Congress it seems hard to find the 5%/high accident segments/intersections data. It certainly seems like some of the interstates in the Midwest have at least one crash any time I try to use them anymore.
Quote from: kphoger on November 23, 2016, 09:58:59 PM
They should install modern roundabouts.
If it was in Wisconsin they might just do that.
Quote from: wriddle082 on November 30, 2016, 06:14:22 PM
* Lots of transplants from Chicagoland and California, areas known for poor driving habits (though this could be a stereotype), have migrated into Greater Nashville, which has recently become one of the country's biggest hot spots for economic growth. Not to mention immigrants from countries with more lax traffic laws/driving habits.
That explains the shoulder riding asshole in a minivan I saw while along I-40 back in September 2014. My father and I both supposed she was a transplant from Chicagoland (a place famous for its shoulder riders).
Quote from: wriddle082 on November 30, 2016, 06:14:22 PM
Quote from: empirestate on November 24, 2016, 12:31:41 PM
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on November 23, 2016, 11:17:28 PM
Quote from: empirestate on November 23, 2016, 09:56:00 PM
Driving today across TN from Virginia as far as Nashville, I must have passed 10 or 12 accidents in one direction or the other, each resulting in an extensive backup. Granted, this was on the traditionally busiest travel day of the year (the day before Thanksgiving), but does this highway have a worse-than-average safety record? The day before, going through VA on I-81, I noticed no major incidents, despite apparently heavier traffic as well as a very heavy presence of state troopers.
I have noticed that in the past few years, it seems like aggressive drivers make up a higher proportion of the traffic on I-40 in TN than on I-81 in VA.
Whether that's cultural, differences in enforcement levels, etc. I cannot say.
I noticed that as well, lots of people really riding ass wanting to pass in the left lane (and a lot of people not getting out of the left lane once they had passed).
Indeed, the last accident I saw resulted in a car fire that had us at a dead stop for 10-15 minutes. As I finally passed, it was clear that a pickup had rear-ended another car and was now in flames. (The backup I was in had been showing on the map for a good half hour or so previously, so I'm guessing the rear-ending was a result of the congestion from a prior accident at the same location.)
As a native of Nashville, I think I can offer a few reasons for the aggressive driving commonly seen throughout many portions of TN...
* Driver's Education courses are not mandatory for obtaining a first driver's license as a teenager.
* Lots of transplants from Chicagoland and California, areas known for poor driving habits (though this could be a stereotype), have migrated into Greater Nashville, which has recently become one of the country's biggest hot spots for economic growth. Not to mention immigrants from countries with more lax traffic laws/driving habits.
* The Tennessee Highway Patrol is a seriously underfunded agency that has no jurisdiction outside of state highways, and generally does not patrol many of the urban highways, leaving these to be patrolled by city or county authorities.
* Young rednecks really do like to drive their big trucks fast, while the older rednecks drive theirs slowly
A couple of other indirect points, but indicative of Tennessee's general lax enforcement of traffic laws as a whole:
* No requirement for yearly vehicle safety inspections, though certain urban counties require emissions testing for plate renewal.
* Only within the past 10 years has TN required mandatory liability insurance, and I'm not sure they even have a true system in place yet to track whether or not drivers maintain their insurance premiums.
Also, regarding the actual topic of this thread, long stretches of I-40 were completed in Tennessee by the early 60's, especially between Memphis and Nashville. Though there do not appear to be any long term plans to completely widen I-40 to six lanes between these two cities separated by 200 miles, there are plans to add truck hill-climbing lanes in several areas between Nashville and just west of the Tennessee River.
THP does have authority off state highways. However, their legislative mandate is to be a highway patrol first with full police powers secondarily.
They are understaffed as stated.
They have a MOU with the Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County Police Department wherein Metro PD takes all calls and THP basically abandons Nashville.
I don't know as much about Interstate 40 in Tennessee and its rate of accidents.
However, while I also don't know the exact average rate of accidents on this, I know that I-75 in parts of Tennessee, particularly between Chattanooga and Knoxville, can be quite dangerous at times due to some severe fog problems that have been known to occur. Actually, IIRC, this resulted in a very notorious 80-or-so-car wreck, at its worst. Definitely make sure to be as safe as you can if you ever drive on that, and look out for fog and signage and lane markings and such.
Quote from: wriddle082 on November 30, 2016, 06:14:22 PM
Only within the past 10 years has TN required mandatory liability insurance, and I'm not sure they even have a true system in place yet to track whether or not drivers maintain their insurance premiums.
Even states that have relatively tight micromanagement of insurance requirements, such as CA and OR, don't have the wherewithal to continuously monitor premium payment given the prevalence of multi-state insurance companies as well as the fact that such payments can be made monthly or in larger chunks of time (usually semi-annually or annually). The "insurance card" to be secured in the vehicle simply indicates the expiration of the policy at the time of issuance; the normative action taken by LEO's when a car is pulled over for violation or other issue is to simply note that the coverage has not expired as per that card. Although it would be technically possible for insurance companies to "flag" and report delinquent policy premiums, that would require much more comprehensive database coordination -- and time and money -- between DMV's and insurance carriers than either appears to be presently willing or able to implement. So the current practice geared toward policy term rather than premium currency remains the enforceable "standard".
Quote from: sparker on January 14, 2018, 03:32:34 AM
Even states that have relatively tight micromanagement of insurance requirements, such as CA and OR, don't have the wherewithal to continuously monitor premium payment given the prevalence of multi-state insurance companies as well as the fact that such payments can be made monthly or in larger chunks of time (usually semi-annually or annually).
FYI, In every US state, there is a requirement that insurers electronically report on when they begin and stop covering vehicles registered in that state. The standards are fairly consistent across states, the penalties for failing to report are quite severe. While mistakes can happen (particularly for certain kinds of fleets under commercial auto insurance), and information transfer isn't immediate...if you let your coverage lapse, it's a pretty sure bet that the state will be told.
However, states are much less consistent in how they act on this information.
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on January 14, 2018, 08:44:18 AM
Quote from: sparker on January 14, 2018, 03:32:34 AM
Even states that have relatively tight micromanagement of insurance requirements, such as CA and OR, don't have the wherewithal to continuously monitor premium payment given the prevalence of multi-state insurance companies as well as the fact that such payments can be made monthly or in larger chunks of time (usually semi-annually or annually).
FYI, In every US state, there is a requirement that insurers electronically report on when they begin and stop covering vehicles registered in that state. The standards are fairly consistent across states, the penalties for failing to report are quite severe. While mistakes can happen (particularly for certain kinds of fleets under commercial auto insurance), and information transfer isn't immediate...if you let your coverage lapse, it's a pretty sure bet that the state will be told.
However, states are much less consistent in how they act on this information.
And insurers vary significantly in their compliance with this; for some, particularly "discount" insurers rather than the "majors" (AAA, State Farm, Farmers, Allstate etc.) lapses in premium payments -- particularly with regards to drivers making monthly payments -- don't always automatically or immediately translate to cessation of coverage. And even if coverage
does lapse, local agents -- particularly when dealing with out-of-state insurers -- aren't especially prompt about reporting it to the state's DMV. And many states "batch" their notifications on a monthly basis; this can often result in additional delays. And, finally, many LEO's try to keep their traffic stop time down to a minimum; in many CA jurisdictions they run the drivers' license & registration but don't call in the insurance policy number to make sure it's current; only addressing it if it is clearly expired. Even the CHP, normally sticklers for a lot of vehicle-related issues, is inconsistent in this regard.
Part of this is due to rumblings at the state legislative level -- a bit of a "backlash" against insurers has gotten some traction out here, since some drivers have complained that the insurance requirement has precipitated an increased level of arrogance and arbitrariness on the part of many insurers, who purportedly operate as if they have a captive clientele (which, in a strictly legal sense, they
have). And in a nominally liberal state like CA, such things are taken seriously. So the probability of a strict rote interpretation of statute, at least out here, isn't likely to occur. I'm just glad I've got AAA insurance; at least they're straightforward in their policy dealings and don't act like assholes!
In NC, when I run a vehicle's plate the insurance status comes up on the return. It shows the expiration date of the insurance policy. An insurer is required to "immediately" report termination of the policy for any reason to NCDMV. I quote "immediately" because we all know there is some small delay built in there, but its not as long as you may think.
If the insurance is not maintained, it will show the date of the insurance stop. You are required to turn your tag in to the DMV if you do not have insurance on the vehicle. If this is not done within a certain amount of time (I want to say its 30 days, but I am not 100% sure on that) the actual status of the registration will show revoked with a pick up order, meaning that the LEO is required to seize your tag and turn it in to the DMV.
That can get really costly as you would be looking at a citation for no insurance and operating a vehicle with a revoked registration, possibly the cost of the vehicle being towed/stored (can't drive it with no tag and the officer may decide its not a safe place to leave the vehicle), the reinstatement fee and registration fee to register your vehicle when you are able to put insurance back on it. It's a lot cheaper to just be responsible and maintain insurance on the vehicle.