Articles Posted in Motorcycle Accident

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements this week. The list will go to state governments, which are encouraged to use it in setting priorities. Our Boston injury lawyers note that many of the government’s priorities involve safety topics and risk factors we discuss here frequently.

“State governments are in a unique position to effect the most significant improvement in certain areas of transportation safety,” NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said. “Our Most Wanted List spotlights those states that have made noteworthy progress in better protecting the traveling public – and those that have not.”

Improve Motorcycle Safety
The number of fatal motorcycle accidents more than doubled from 1997 to 2008. Head injuries are the leading cause of death. The NTSB therefore recommends helmet laws. Currently 20 states require helmets for all riders. Twenty-seven states have partial helmet laws and three states — New Hampshire, Iowa and Illinois — have no helmet laws.

Massachusetts motorcycle accidents killed 41 riders in 2008.

Distracted Driving car accidents involving young drivers
Car accidents are the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 20. Graduated Drivers License systems and more involvement from parents during the driver’s education process could help reduce the risks. Additionally, the government backs cell phone bans and text messaging bans for young drivers.

Better Child Occupant Protection
Nearly half of children ages 4 to 8 who are killed in car accidents are not properly restrained. The government recommends booster seats for children ages 4 to 8.

Primary Seat Belt Laws
More than half of the 23.000 occupants killed in car accidents last year were not wearing seat belts. Belts reduce the risk of serious or fatal injury by about half.

Eliminate Hardcore Drunk Driving Twenty-two years ago the nation’s deadliest drunk driving accident occurred when a driver slammed into a bus in Kentucky, killing 27 people. The driver had a history of drunk driving and a blood-alcohol level of .26. In the last decade, 81,000 have been killed by hard-core drunk drivers.
Continue reading

Four people an hour died on the nation’s roads last year, or almost 100 motorists a day. And more than 2 million were injured, according to new statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Still, the nation posted the fewest fatalities than at anytime since 1950. A total of 33,808 motorists were killed last year, a decrease of nearly 10 percent compared to the 37,423 who died in 2008. The number of people who were injured in auto accident declined for the 10th year in a row, dropping to 2.217 million last year from the 2.346 million reported injured in 2008.

“Today’s announcement shows that America’s roads are the safest they’ve ever been,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “But they must be safer. And we will not rest until they are.”

Fatal Massachusetts car accidents declined to 334, from the 364 reported in 2008. The 30 fewer fatalities represent a decline of 8.2 percent, slightly less than the national average. As our Boston car accident attorneys have reported, Massachusetts has been one of a dwindling number of states that have not enacted a texting and driving ban or other laws to combat distracted driving. A new law has since passed and could further reduce the number of serious and fatal accidents in the coming year.

Mass Live reports that Massachusetts did have the fewest fatal accidents per capita, at 5 deaths per 100,000 residents.

Fatalities declined across all categories, including motorcycles; the number of fatal motorcycle accidents declined by 850, the first drop in more than a decade. Still, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for those ages 3 to 34.

“Today’s numbers reflect the tangible benefits of record seat belt use and strong anti-drunk driving enforcement campaigns,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “But we are still losing more than 30,000 lives a year on our highways.”

A total of 41 states reported fewer accidents, led by Florida (422 fewer fatalities) and Texas (405 fewer).
Continue reading

A Lynn, Massachusetts drunk driving accident is being blamed for seriously injuring a man riding a moped early Saturday morning, the Item reported.

The accident happened about 1:30 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of North Street and Liberty Hill Avenue, according to Salem police.

As Labor Day approaches, it is a good time to remind friends and family members about the dangers of drinking and driving. Somewhere in the United States, a motorist is killed in a drunk driving accident every 45 minutes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nationwide, about one-third of all fatal accidents involve alcohol, leading to 11,773 deaths in 2008.

And this was the second serious Massachusetts scooter accident in as many days. We reported on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog that an emergency room doctor was killed in a scooter accident in Boston on Friday.

In this case, the 35-year-old rider was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries. The 25-year-old driver of the Passat allegedly failed several field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest on a second offense of driving under the influence of alcohol. She also faces a felony charge of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol with serious bodily injury.

Police say she tested .17, over twice the legal limit. Her driver’s license was seized and destroyed by police. The moped suffered heavy front end damage and the rider was ejected as a result of the accident.
Continue reading