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Spring and summer are the seasons that many schools, churches, businesses, and other organizations hire a coach bus for private trips. While taking a chartered bus can be convenient for a large group, leaders should be aware of the potential safety hazards when hiring a bus company. There are also ways to minimize the chance of an accident and to ensure the company you hire meets federal and industry safety standards.

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A recent investigation by USA Today found that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), isn’t properly tracking all the accidents and deaths caused by buses. These misinformation has given the public a false impression that buses are safer than is the reality. Many accidents, including one in 2003 that killed eight people, aren’t included in fatality statistics. Our Boston bus accidents attorneys are dedicated to raising safety awareness to prevent accidents on the nation’s highways. We also are working to ensure that motorists and travelers understand the risk of riding a bus when companies and their drivers are in violation of safety standards.
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While daylight savings time signals the beginning of spring and longer hours in the evening, reports indicate that setting clocks forward can increase the risk of traffic accidents. Research shows that the sudden reduction in sleep can make humans more prone to health risks and accidents. This spring, be wary of the impact of how lost sleep can impact driving ability and remember that other drivers on the road may be suffering from lack of sleep as well.

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The loss of sleep is widely known to reduce driver response time and abilities when on the road. Driver fatigue has been linked to thousands of catastrophic and deadly accidents. Our Boston car accidents attorneys are dedicated to protecting the rights of victims and in reducing the number of accidents on the road. We are also committed to raising awareness to improve driver safety and prevent car-related injuries and fatalities.
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Motorists who cause fatal collisions because they drive recklessly frequently face criminal charges for their actions. Unfortunately, by the time these drivers are punished for their dangerous choices behind the wheel, a death has already occurred. While police can arrest someone for reckless or drunk driving even in cases where no accident has happened, these types of arrests and prosecutions are far less common. police-cruiser-1066864-m.jpg

Harvard law professor and noted constitutional and criminal attorney Alan Dershowitz recently wrote on Op-Ed for the New York Daily News suggesting that cracking down on all dangerous drivers would be one of the best ways to stop fatalities caused by motor vehicle accidents. Dershowitz argues that police are generally not interested in responding to reports of reckless driving unless a collision has occurred. As a result, most people get away with reckless driving and laws preventing it aren’t really very effective at saving lives or making the roads safer.
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Cyclists are getting more attention from road designers and politicians as bike safety becomes a bigger priority. Unfortunately, not everyone is embracing the increasing bike-friendly culture and not everyone is excited about bicycles increasing in popularity as a means of commuting. Reports of anti-cyclist hate abound, leading to articles titled Why You Hate Cyclists, and 14 Reasons Why We hate Cyclists. no-bicycles-1161065-m.jpg

Unfortunately, drivers venting their rage at bicycle riders is not just a harmless way to let off steam. When drivers become angry at riders or question the right of bicyclists to share the road, these drivers put bicycle riders in danger. Drivers who dislike bicycle riders might fail to yield the right of way, might pass too close to cyclists, might not respect the bike lane and might not look carefully for bicyclists in their path before they open the door.
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Mayor de Blasio has made it his goal to reduce pedestrian accident deaths in New York City — with an ultimate aim of zero fatalities. A big part of the effort being made centers around giving more jaywalking tickets. This is not a new idea, as CBS reported that Mayor Menino’s efforts to reduce pedestrian deaths in Boston in 2010 included an effort to obtain permission for the city to write bigger tickets for jaywalking. pedestrian-crossing-box-1193996-m.jpg

Jaywalking is unquestionably dangerous, as drivers should not cross against the signal or walk out in front of cars when doing so is not safe. Police cracking down on the behavior could also be effective as a deterrent to prevent jaywalkers from breaking the rules of the road. However, with finite police resources, it is also important that law enforcement continue efforts to stop the most dangerous driving behaviors, including driving distracted or impaired.
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Hours-of-service rules set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are designed to limit the amount of time truckers can drive. The goal of these limits (which prohibit driving for more than 11 hours per day and require a 34-hour rest break after 60 hours of driving in a week) is to prevent drowsy driving crashes. Unfortunately, the rules are often difficult to enforce and truckers still too often drive when they are fatigued. fractured-time-1435044-m.jpg

In an effort to try to make the hours-of-service rules easier to enforce, and thus more effective, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a new proposed rule that would require the use of electronic logbooks for the commercial bus and trucking industry. The FMCSA believes that this would cut down on burdensome paperwork requirements and would help to reduce the risk of truck collisions.
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Federal lawmakers have introduced the Safe Streets Act of 2014 into the United States Senate. The goal is to reduce the number of pedestrian accident fatalities occurring across the country. caution-sign-541767-m.jpg

Pedestrian deaths have become a serious problem. From 2009 to 2012, there was an average 4.9 percent increase in pedestrian motor-vehicle deaths each year. The result is that deaths went up around 15 percent even as the overall number of traffic fatalities in other categories declined by three percent. The Safe Streets Act could improve conditions and bring this death toll down, but unfortunately it is unlikely to make any kind of real difference.
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For many people, the most important job of law enforcement is to prevent violent crimes. Some people believe that police should spend their time investigating murders rather than issuing tickets for drivers who go too fast or who run a stop sign. empty-road-1344295-m.jpg

The reality, however, is that police could perhaps save many more lives if the focus was on preventing traffic violence. Some cities are already recognizing the benefits of a focus on traffic crimes and undergoing a paradigm shift. Boston could benefit from doing the same.
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Insurance is big business in the United States, with companies making $30 billion in profits a year. While you might believe that you are investing in your long-term security, it is just as likely that your insurance company is plotting against you. Whether you are filing a car insurance claim, health care insurance claim, or against a homeowners’ insurance policy, remember that insurance carriers have a business designed to avoid payouts, even on legitimate claims. This can be especially frustrating if you have been in an accident with an uninsured motorist — as you may face another uphill battle with your own insurance company.
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To achieve the best results with your car insurance claim, it is important to have a clear understanding of your rights. Our car accidents attorneys in Quincy understand the frustrations faced by our clients. In most cases, compensation is not only expected, but it is necessary. Whether you are looking to cover medical costs or recover compensation for a totaled vehicle, you need to be aware of your rights. The following is a summary of an analysis provided by a consumer rights group dedicated to keeping consumers aware of common tricks used by insurance companies to avoid paying out claims.
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Since 2004, serious injuries to pedestrians wearing headphones have more than tripled. Pedestrians who choose to wear headphones are unable to hear cars, bicycles and even trains approaching them. Without these important auditory signals, pedestrians are in serious danger of being run over and injured or killed. headphones-2-1374423-m.jpg

Massachusetts Law indicates that wearing headphones while driving a car is illegal, but there are no specific rules preventing bicycle riders or walkers from wearing headphones while they travel. As a result, many people fail to recognize just how dangerous this behavior is and they continue to walk or ride around distracted even as the death toll mounts.
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