Articles Posted in Car Accidents

To help amp up Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are announcing a new road safety plan aimed at seniors.

“This plan will help enhance safety for everyone by helping states address the mobility needs of their older drivers,” said Anthony Foxx, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

Our Quincy car accident lawyers know, since 2003, the number of elderly licensed drivers has increase by more than 20 percent, to close to 40 million older licensed drivers recorded in the U.S. in 2012. During that year, there were close to 6,000 people over the age of 65 who were killed and another 215,000 who were injured in traffic accidents. That’s a near 5 percent increase in the number of fatalities and a more than 15 percent increase in the number of injuries from the year before. One of the most important factors is that these elderly individuals are more likely to sustain serious injuries or die in a traffic accident than younger individuals — even in low-severity accidents.
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Our Boston car accident lawyers know that many car accident injuries and deaths happen because drivers make bad choices when they are behind the wheel. In some cases, accidents cause harm to innocent victims because another driver has made the choice to drive drunk, speed or engage in other high risk behavior. In other instances, a motorist will increase the chances of becoming injured or killed in a crash by not wearing a seat belt.

Public safety campaigns and laws aim to encourage good behaviors, like wearing a seat belt, and to discourage bad behaviors like driving drunk. Unfortunately, these laws and the efforts to educate the public only go so far. Now, the Huffington Post is reporting that the government is speeding up research on car safety systems that could address some of the most dangerous choices that people make behind the wheel. When the research is complete and reliable technologies developed, hopefully many lives could be saved by the new technological advances.
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If you are a passenger in a car, you are at the mercy of the driver and depend upon him or her to make safe driving choices. Unfortunately, many passengers aren’t happy with the way that their friends or loved ones drive, and many drivers are making choices that put passengers at serious risk of injury.

A recent Insure.com survey involved asking passengers who they found to be the most annoying driver and what behaviors the passengers found to be the most annoying. The results revealed that the things most passengers complain about were not mere annoyances, but instead were actions that significantly increase the risk of a crash. Our Boston car accident lawyers know that passengers have a right to take legal action if they are in a vehicle driven by a friend and that friend causes a crash and resulting injuries. However, it is far better to avoid a crash in the first place, and passengers should never hesitate to speak up if they find themselves in a car with someone who has made a high-risk choice.
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With car accidents a top cause of death among teen drivers, states are continually looking for ways to make young people safer behind the wheel. Massachusetts passed several new requirements that aimed to reduce teen car accident deaths.

The Massachusetts law, which was passed in 2007, more than tripled the number of hours that teens were required to spend driving under supervision before they could obtain their license. Car accident lawyers in Boston know that teens are now required to drive under their parent’s supervision for 40 hours and must drive with an instructor behind the wheel for at least 12 hours (twice as long as the prior requirement). The law also imposed a requirement that parents attend a two-hour seminar in order for a driver under the age of 18 to get his or her license.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is tasked with the important job of passing and enforcing rules and regulations designed to make cars safer. One of the regulations that the NHTSA was specifically told to pass was a new rule requiring rear-view cameras on all vehicles in order to reduce the risk of backover accidents.

Car accident lawyers in Boston know that around 100 kids aged five and under die each year because of backover crashes. Backover accidents frequently occur when people are leaving driveways or pulling out of parking spaces, and backover accidents can be especially devastating to young children or the elderly. These accidents could be prevented if vehicles were equipped with rear cameras that allow drivers to see what is behind them, and in 2008, congress told the NHTSA to write a rule requiring the installation of rearview cameras.
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We’re all connected on social media, whether its Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. But there are some of us who are just a little too connected.

According to CNN, there are drivers who want to see themselves doing just that — driving. And they’re talking steering-wheel selfies — just call it the new epidemic hitting our roads.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that selfies are all the rage, but behind the wheel is no time to add to your collection. You might think it’s a little silly, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s happening. Just take a look at the social media hashtags. By searching #drivingselfie on Instragram, you’re going to get close to 4,000 results. Look at #drivingtowork and you’ll get close to 10,000 results. Some users are even using the optimistic tag, #Ihopeidontcrash.
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With the winter season upon us, so too are the dangerous risks for weather-related car accidents. With snow and ice, we’ve got some serious risks, including unseen black ice.

After snow plowing operations have finished and a roadway is left in the so-called “black and wet” condition, there is sometimes the danger of the water on the road re-freezing. This post-storm treatment of roads is typically needed at night – since temperature drops can be more dramatic than when the sun is shining, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that there were roughly 500 car accident fatalities in the U.S. during 2008 and 2009 as a result of icy roads during the winter season. There were another 500 during the 2009-2010 winter season. Accident, injury and fatality rates are much higher during freezing rain and black ice than any other type of road ice condition (including snow and sleet) due to black ice’s invisibility and element of surprise. Preparation is the best way to work to stay out of one of these dangerous and potentially fatal accidents.
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Winter may be one of the most beautiful times of the year, but it can also be one of the most dangerous.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), you not only want to make sure that you vehicle is in good-running condition during this time, but you also want to make sure that you take a moment to refresh our winter-driving skills. With snow and ice, our risks for an accident skyrocket.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that there are close to 250,000 car accidents each and every year because of snow and sleet. In these accidents, close to 71,000 people are injured and close to 900 are killed, according to the Road Weather Management Program. Icy pavement does just about as much damage, accounting for approximately 190,000 accidents annually, with close to 63,000 injuries and 700 fatalities.

One of the biggest mistakes that drivers tend to make when driving during winter in Massachusetts is to try and out-drive weather conditions. The posted speed limits are intended for dry pavement, so adjust your speed according to the snow, freezing rain or wind. Before you leave on a trip, find out about current road conditions by calling 511 from your cell phone.
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Officials with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced the opening of all three toll lanes at the Tobin Bridge, in both directions. Officials warn that there may still be periodic lane closures until all of the lane markings and steel repair projects are complete.

The work that needs permanent lane closures will kick off again in spring of next year. This is the continuance of the three-year steel preservation and paint project that started last year. Since March, there have been a number of lane restrictions that have taken the road from three lanes down to two on both decks of the bridge.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that transportation officials are working to minimize traffic changes throughout this project, but the changes are there and so are the risks. With road construction and lane changes, we typically see an increase in accidents. Although officials are encouraging travelers to participate in the E-ZPass system to alleviate congestion, it still may confuse a lot of travelers. With these tolls, officials hope to move to All-Electronic Tolling on the Tobin Bridge. Beginning early in 2014, motorists will no longer stop at a toll booth and pay cash for their Tobin Bridge toll. Tolls will be collected electronically through the E-ZPass transponder or via a program in which a camera captures the license plate and the vehicle’s registered owner is billed by mail.
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In honor of National Teen Driver Safety Week, officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched their “5 to Drive” campaign. This campaign is working to help to get parents talking with the teen drivers in their lives about the top risks that contribute to teen driver fatalities.

Car accidents continue to be the number one cause of death for teens across the country. And with your help, we can work to prevent these catastrophic, and preventable, tragedies. Read on and find out what you can do to help your teen stay safe on the road through the long holiday driving season.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that the state of Massachusetts currently pushes its Graduated Driver’s Licensing (GDL) program to help to keep teen drivers safe. This program allows young drivers to safely gain driving experience before obtaining full driving privileges. The state of Massachusetts currently deploys a three-stage system with various restrictions on each stage to ensure that teens are getting the proper driving education.
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