Nashville’s Population Increases Are Leading to More Traffic and Accidents

Nashville’s popularity is due to many factors, starting with its wonderful music scene and its great-tasting foods. The city’s popularity comes with a price. More residents and more visitors from across Tennessee and the rest of the country means more traffic. With that traffic comes more congestion, more anxious drivers, and more accidents. While Nashville is continually working to improve its roadway infrastructure, these improvements are not keeping pace with the growing population of drivers. As a result, the roads in Nashville are more dangerous.

Nashville’s population growth

According to Trip Savvy, the increase in the amount of traffic is alarming – causing “traffic jams, snarls, and slowdowns, particularly during morning and afternoon rush hours.” An October 2023 report by Forbes shows that commuters in Nashville in 2022 lost 41 hours due to traffic congestion. Nashville, according to Forbes, tops the list of cities nationwide for difficult commutes. The average commute is more than 28 minutes each day. As workers shift back to offices instead of telecommuting, traffic congestion is likely to increase. The report attributes the congestion difficulties to the city’s rising population.

According to The Tennessean, the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area is one of the fastest growing regions in the US for 2024 based on the US 2020 census and data from Exploding Topics, a publication that uses data analytics, machine learning, and human analysis to analyze population growth. The Tennessean also reported that the population in 2023 in the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area — which includes Davidson, Franklin, and Murfreesboro — increased by nearly 86 people every day.

What types of accidents does traffic congestion cause

Increased traffic increases the risk of a serious car accident for many reasons. Our Nashville car accident lawyers handle all types of accidents. We have an impressive record of recoveries for drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bicycle riders who suffer injuries in car crashes and the families of loved ones who die due to the negligence of drivers and other defendants.

Some of the reasons traffic increases contribute to car accidents in Nashville include:

• Driver fatigue. The longer it takes for a driver to get to work or drive home, the more likely the driver will be tired. It’s not just the extra time that causes fatigue. It’s the constant need to be more observant about the cars and other vehicles around the driver that wears them down and causes a drop in Tired drivers often fail to see emergencies and fail to respond to them quickly.
• Distracted driving. Drivers who are stuck in a long line of cars at a traffic light or are forced to travel well below the speed limit are likely to engage in activities that take their eyes off the road, minds off of traffic, and hands off their steering wheels. These distractions include texting while driving, holding a smartphone while talking or listening, eating, drinking, watching a video, looking at a GPS, tending to someone in the car, or just daydreaming.
• Rear-end collisions. Traffic congestion means drivers will be closer to cars in front and behind them – increasing the risk of rear-end collisions that can cause whiplash and other injuries.
• Lane changes. Many drivers, when traffic is congested, shift lanes to look for the areas where traffic is moving faster. With each lane change, there is an increase in the odds of an accident if the driver fails to use their turn signals, changes lanes when there isn’t enough room to shift, or fails to leave enough space to return to their original lane.
• When traffic does clear, some drivers can’t resist the temptation to drive above the speed limit to make up for lost time.
• Turning accidents. With more traffic, drivers are more likely to try to rush their turn through yellow and even red lights instead of waiting for the next green light.

Traffic congestion also places a lot of wear and tear on the roadways throughout Nashville. This means roads are more likely to have potholes and uneven surfaces. Increases in traffic ultimately mean that the Tennessee Department of Transportation and other agencies/entities may need to make road repairs – which only increases congestion due to the detours around the road construction repairs.

While Tennessee and Nashville are working to build new infrastructure and to develop better strategies for handling traffic such as HOV (high-occupancy vehicles such as carpools, buses, and vehicles with at least one passenger) lanes, these methods are having difficulty keeping pace with Nashville’s population growth.

How can drivers handle traffic congestion in and around Nashville?

For starters, drivers should exercise patience. They should avoid speeding, tailgating, driver distraction, and driver fatigue. A few suggestions include:

• Adjusting the time of travel. Often, getting to work before rush hour or after rush hour can help create a smoother, friendlier driving experience. Shifting driving times by 30 or 60 minutes may make a difference between an accident and a safe trip.
• Carpooling or vanpools. The more people who are in vehicles, the fewer vehicles there will be on the road, which decreases the risk of an accident. Additionally, multiple people in a car can help alert drivers to emergencies. Shifting who drives each day can decrease the odds of driver fatigue.
• Other traffic congestion suggestions. These include using Nashville’s public transportation system, checking traffic congestion reports before leaving home or leaving an office, studying alternative routes that may have less traffic, and staying alert and ready to respond to changing traffic conditions.

Rocky McElhaney Law Firm was founded for one reason — to help people get their lives back together after suffering serious injuries and accidents. Our record of results in vehicle accident cases includes many recoveries in the millions of dollars. Call us or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation in Nashville, East Nashville, Hendersonville, Clarksville, or Murfreesboro.