Driving in a city that you're not familiar with can be a nerve-racking experience! It can be hard enough just navigating around Nashville, never mind the driving laws and speed limits, without even thinking about the fact that you might be on the wrong side of the road if you're an international visitor.
NashvilleCarRental.net are here to make sure your time spent in Nashville is remembered for all the right reasons. So, to help customers on vacation in our city, we've put together a guide to driving in Nashville and throughout Tennessee using our local knowledge of what to expect from the drivers here and information about state laws.
Here are a few tips for safe driving in Nashville.
Speed Limits
On most of the streets around Nashville the speed limit is set to 30 mph (48 km/h). School areas often mean that you need to reduce the speed down to 20 mph (32km/h). These areas are properly marked with a sign that indicates the speed limit in MPH and the word SCHOOL. On most of the roads outside Nashville the limit is 55 mph (88 km/h), unless otherwise posted. If you're traveling on interstate highways you are allowed to speed up to 70mph (112 km/h). Remember that on several Nashville streets there are remote speed cameras which track your speed.
Safety Belts
Not only in Nashville but in the entire state of Tennessee you need to wear the safety belt both as a passenger (including the passengers in back seats) and as a driver. Babies younger than 1 year need to be transported in a rear-facing child restraint. Kids between 1 and 3 years old can be transported in a front-facing child restraint. It is recommended to transport kids who are under 3 years old in the back seats. Kids between the age of 4 and 8 need to be transported in a specially designed booster seat, secured in place with an appropriate seatbelt. Violating these rules might result in fines starting from $50.
Drinking Law
First of all we'll be talking about drivers between 16 and 21 years old. The blood alcohol concentration limit for these drivers is set to 0.02%. If anyone is caught with a higher concentration than 0.02% while driving, that person will lose his/her license for one year, will receive a fine up to $300 and might be even forced to perform public service work. For drivers older than 21 the limit is 0.08%. According to scientists, our driving skills and reflexes are greatly reduced at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04%. An average man usually reaches 0.04% if he drinks 0.5l of beer.
Driving In Bad Weather
In Nashville there are likely to be rough conditions, especially during autumn and winter. There are 3 major mistakes than people do when driving in icy conditions. The first one is over-steering. Steer too much and you'll lose the control in a blink of the eye. The second thing is over-braking. Over-braking can block the wheels, especially if the car has no ABS. Once the wheels are blocked, there are 90% chances of skidding. The last thing you need to worry about is over-powering. By suddenly stepping on the gas, the wheels will have no traction. If there's packed snow on the road your front tires will submerge in snow. Always remember to drive safer and slower than you normally do.
Mobile Phone Law
At this moment there is no law in Nashville that prohibits the use of cellphones while driving. However you need to realize that mobile phones and other mobile devices are often distracting a driver's attention from the road. Text messaging and e-mail reading is more dangerous than voice calling because you need to take your eyes off the road. Nashville Department of Safety strongly recommends drivers to pull their cars over when they decide to use the mobile phones. If this is not possible, try connecting a hands-free to make things safer.
