Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

May 11, 2010

Talk to your teen about the dangers of drinking and driving; help prevent Massachusetts car accidents during prom season

A new survey shows drunk driving remains a serious problem among teenagers, despite efforts to educate kids about the dangers during Prom Season, the USA Today reports.

Everyone at the Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers encourages parents to have a frank conversation with teenagers about the dangers of drunk driving and other deadly driving habits as we enter the heart of prom and graduation season.

Massachusetts car accidents involving young drivers killed 68 teenagers in 2008. Nationwide, almost 6,000 were killed and more than a quarter million were injured. In fact, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 20, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

May 9, 2010

Motorcycle Awareness Month aims to reduce number of Massachusetts motorcycle accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month as officials kick off the annual campaign to remind motorists about the summer bike season in an effort to reduce Massachusetts motorcycle accidents and serious and fatal motorcycle crashes nationwide.

As we reported last month on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, spring is a dangerous time for motorcycle accidents as new riders take to the streets and veteran riders hit the road. In Massachusetts, 41 riders were killed in motorcycle accidents in 2008. Nationwide, 5,178 riders died and nearly 100,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Boston Globe reported that orange “Motorcycles are Everywhere” bumper stickers have been spotted throughout the Boston area as the weather clears and riding season begins. Last year, poor weather kept many riders off the roads until mid-summer.

“There are more bikes out on the road early this spring,” Newburyport motorcycle shop owner Tim Smith told The Globe. The stickers, which also proclaim “Check twice — save a life,” were the creation of Bob Doiron, who lived in Somerville when he first started making the stickers in 1982. Doiron was one of the founders of what is now the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association.

The association successfully pushed for a 2002 law that proclaims the last week of March and all of April be dedicated to motorcycle awareness as well as the month of May, which is recognized nationwide. Today the stickers are in the hands of Paul Cote, of Amesbury, who is a spokesperson and advocate for motorcycle rights throughout Massachusetts.

Cote urges cyclists to make sure they are carrying sufficient insurance under Part 3 (bodily injury cased by an uninsured motorist), Part 5 (optional bodily injury to others) and Part 12 (bodily injury cases by an underinsured auto), noting it only costs about $40 to carry an extra $100,000 in coverage.

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles reports that a motorcycle accident is most likely to occur:

– When a motorist is making a left turn in front of a motorcycle rider.

– When a motorcycle is riding in a vehicle’s blind spot.

– When hazardous road conditions are present, including potholes, railroad tracks, wet leaves or other obstructions.

– In vehicles that have an obstructed line of sight, such as cases where an SUV, delivery van, bus, or large truck is blocking sight of a motorcycle.
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May 7, 2010

Massachusetts car accidents reduced by teen driver program; nationwide law proposed

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Federal lawmakers are pushing for a nationwide graduated driver’s license law aimed at reducing serious and fatal accidents involving teenagers, the USAToday reported.

As we reported recently on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, 68 young people were killed in Massachusetts car accidents in 2008. Nationwide, 2,739 were killed and more than 228,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Fatal Massachusetts car accidents involving teenagers declined 75 percent in the three years following the state’s implementation of tough driving standards for young motorists, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Only North Dakota lacks a staged licensing program for teen drivers. But the government contends passing a nationwide law would replace a patchwork of state legislation aimed at young drivers. The strongest teen-driving programs at the state level currently restrict nighttime driving, limit the number of teen passengers and require a minimum age of 16 before getting a learner’s permit.

The Senate proposal, dubbed the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STAND UP) act, would outline the process for new drivers under 21:

-Require a three-stage process, beginning with a learner’s permit and then continuing on to an intermediate stage before granting an unrestricted driver’s license.

-Prohibit unsupervised driving at night until the unrestricted license is obtained.

-Forbid non-emergency use of cell phones and other communication devices while driving.

The government would hold federal funding hostage for states that do not comply within three years.

The Insurance Institute claims that increasing the minimum age for learner’s permits nationwide would reduce crashes involving teen drivers by 13 percent.
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May 5, 2010

Deadly weekend for Massachusetts rollover car accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

At least three people died in weekend Massachusetts car accidents involving rollover crashes that ejected passengers.

On Sunday, a 23-year-old Brockton man was killed and five others seriously injured in a rollover crash on Route 24, the Enterprise News reported.

The Stoughton car accident occurred about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Police report that the driver lost control of the 2002 Jeep, which crossed onto the northbound side of the road and rolled over, ejecting three of the six passengers.

May 3, 2010

MIT enlisted in fight to reduce distracted driving, Massachusetts car accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

MIT students are being enlisted by the federal government to help solve the problem of distracted driving, according to the Boston Herald.

As we reported last week on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, state and federal authorities have become increasingly vocal about the dangers of distracted driving. Of particular concern is the use of cell phones by drivers and drivers who text message while behind the wheel. Significant numbers of Massachusetts car accidents are being blamed on distracted driving. Nationwide, 6,000 traffic fatalities a year are caused by distracted driving.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was scheduled to appear on the Cambridge campus Monday, to challenge students to develop technology aimed at reducing distracted driving accidents.

LaHood was accompanied by Massachusetts resident Jerry Cibley, whose son was killed in a distracted driving accident. His speech kicks off MIT’s transportation and energy lecture series.

Jordan Cibley was killed on Mother’s Day 2007, one day after his high school prom, while driving two blocks from home and talking an a cell phone with his father. Authorities believe he drove into a tree at 30 mph after dropping the phone and unfastening his seat belt to retrieve it from the floor, according to the Taunton Gazette. He died as a result of a traumatic brain injury.
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April 30, 2010

Boston University to participate in “No Phone Zone Day” this Friday; effort aimed at reducing Massachusetts car accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The Governors Highway Safety Association and State Highway Safety Agencies are joining forces with Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Studios to fight distracted driving on “No Phone Zone Day,” set for this Friday, April 30.

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of Massachusetts car accidents and Boston University will be participating with a campus rally on Friday, which is being supported by the Massachusetts Highway Safety Division.

The government recognizes three primary types of distracted driving –visual, manual and cognitive — and has become increasingly vocal about the dangers of cell phone use, and particularly text messaging while driving, which involves all three forms of distraction.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s website, www.distraction.gov, cites a number of sobering statistics:

-Using a cell phone while driving reduces the amount of brain activity dedicated to driving by 37 percent.

-An estimated 6,000 motorists died in accidents involving distracted drivers in 2008 and more than 500,000 were injured.

-Drivers using hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash.

-Younger, inexperienced drivers have the highest proportion of fatal accidents caused by distracted driving.

-Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hands-free or hand-held, impairs a motorist’s driving ability as much as a blood-alcohol level of .08, the legal limit for drunk driving in Massachusetts.

On Friday, the Oprah Winfrey Show will be devoted to the dangers of using a cell phone or texting while driving. In addition to Boston, special viewing rallies will be held in Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. A new nationwide public service campaign will debut during the show and participants and viewers will be asked to take a pledge to make their cars “No Phone Zones.”

Examples of distracted driving include:

-Using a cell phone
-Eating or drinking
-Talking to passengers
-Grooming
-Reading, including maps
-Using a navigation system
-Watching a video
-Using other on-board electronics, including the stereo or CD player.

Those wishing to take the “No Phone Zone” pledge can visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone.
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April 28, 2010

Three motorists killed in separate Massachusetts traffic accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A trio of single-vehicle traffic accidents in the Boston area have claimed three lives in as many days as authorities continue to investigate.

Two men were killed in separate single-vehicle crashes on Saturday afternoon, according to Channel 5 News.

A Wareham traffic accident killed the driver of a 2003 Toyota Tundra, who veered off the shoulder of I-195 and was trapped after the rollover accident, Massachusetts State Police reported.

April 24, 2010

High-tech simulator battles distracted driving in effort to reduce Massachusetts car accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Distracted driving has become a nationwide epidemic and is a leading cause of Boston car accidents.

An estimated 6,000 people a year are killed by drivers attempting to multitask while behind the wheel of an automobile. One local company is pushing a three-year initiative to teach teens about the dangers through high-tech driver’s education News Center 5 reported.

As we reported earlier this week on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer blog, 5,864 young people were involved in fatal car accidents in 2008, including 68 who were killed in Massachusetts. Nationwide, car accidents are the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 20.

Authorities are trying to spread the word among teenagers, using a 36-foot bus, outfitted with a high-tech mobile classroom simulator created by Dr. Donald Fisher, head of the college of engineering at UMass-Amherst.

“Who really listens to their parents?” Fisher asked. “You need to experience something before you learn something.”

Fisher noted that drivers who are text messaging are 23 times more likely to be in a crash or near crash than a driver who is focused on the road. The computer-based classroom tests driver awareness using simulated road hazards. The $1.4 million mobile classroom is being sponsored by the charitable foundation of Arbella Insurance.

Newly licensed drivers who complete the simulator test and a short online course are given a $15 gas card. The course, called Distractology 101, is hitting the roads to police stations and high school parking lots across Massachusetts.
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April 23, 2010

Boston Massachusetts collision: Car hits MBTA van, injures 3 people

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

April 23, 2010 (NewYorkInjuryNews.com – Injury News, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury Accidents)

A crash between a car and MBTA bus resulted in 3 people injured.

Boston MA – A car traveling down Commonwealth Avenue hit a pole and subsequently crashed into the rear of a MBTA van, Wednesday April 21, 2010, injuring three people, as reported by WHDH-TV.

April 22, 2010

Insurers to sue Toyota for claims; Massachusetts car accident victims may be entitled to refund

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Insurance companies are gearing up to recover losses from Toyota on claims insurers paid for accidents caused by defective vehicles, the Associated Press reported.

Toyota owners may also be eligible for reimbursement of deductibles and out-of-pocket medical expenses. However, consulting with a Boston car accident lawyer experienced in handling defective vehicle claims is the best course of action for anyone dealing with a traffic accident involving a defective vehicle.

The move by some of the nation’s largest insurers, including Geico, State Farm and Allstate, is the latest setback for the embattled automaker, which has recalled more than 6 million vehicles this year amid reports of sticking gas pedals, faulty brakes and other safety issues.

Earlier this month, Toyota agreed to pay a $16.375 fine levied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The largest fine ever imposed on an automaker by the U.S. government accused Toyota of “failing to report known safety problems as it is required to do under the law.”

And the problems continued last week after Consumer Reports issued a rare “Don’t Buy” warning against the Lexus GX 460 SUV, part of Toyota’s flagship luxury line, amid concerns about possible rollover accidents. Toyota issued a recall after the report.

The NHTSA has linked 52 deaths to claims of sudden acceleration in Toyotas. More than 100 personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits have been field across the country. Those suits are currently being consolidated by a federal judge in California, along with more than 100 suits from Toyota owners claiming they have been financially harmed by the falling resale values of their vehicles.
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