Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A 19-year-old passenger from Dedham was recently identified by a state medical examiner as the teenager who was killed in a single-car crash on Route 202 on early Sunday morning. According to the Monadnock Leger-Transcript, another 19-year-old was behind the wheel when the loss control of the vehicle while heading northbound on Route 202. His vehicle crossed over into the southbound lane of the road and drove straight into the woods. The teenage passenger died of blunt force trauma. It all happened shortly after 4:30 a.m. A second passenger was treated and released.

Our Dedham car accident lawyers understand that it’s that time of year again — when teens are back in school and twenty-somethings are back on their college campus. With this comes long nights of studying and even longer nights of partying. Unfortunately, this comes with some serious risks for car accidents.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were close to 2,000 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 who were killed in traffic accidents in the U.S. in 2011. Drivers age 20 to 25 follow at a close second.
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With the Labor Day holiday weekend approaching, families across the nation are gearing up for that much-needed vacation. Unfortunately, with the increase in traffic, officials are expecting a serious increase in the risks for accidents, injuries and fatalities.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, this is going to be one of the busiest years on our roadways, at least since the recession. According to recent studies, there are going to be more than 34 million people traveling 50 miles or more for their Labor Day holiday weekend. Close to 90 percent of these travelers will be getting to their holiday destination via motor vehicle.

Our Massachusetts car accident lawyers understand that alcohol-related auto accidents are going to be alarmingly common during this holiday weekend — as they are with most similar time periods. For this reason, the Peabody Police Department and more than 125 other law enforcement agencies across the state will be participating in a serious crackdown on intoxicated drivers through Labor Day.
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If you’ve got autumn road trip on your agenda, you might want to listen up. Make sure you go out with a plan and your plan includes preparation. According to Safecar.gov, planning and prevention are much easier than dealing with the consequences of a breakdown or, worse yet, an accident.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that one of the first things you should consider before heading out is the maintenance on your vehicle. Have you had your car tuned up lately? Consider getting the oil changed, make sure the battery is in good shape and try getting your tires rotated. These preventative measures go a long way in helping to prevent a breakdown or traffic accident.

In fact, you should pay particular attention to your tire pressure. When tires aren’t properly inflated, you’re increasing your risks for a blowout. Don’t forget to check the spare tire, too. The hot pavement combined with low tires serves up some deadly risks.

Are the lights working? You want the emergency flashers, the turn signals, the brake lights, the headlights, your trailer lights and the interior lights to work properly. This is not only going to help you to navigate the road safer, but it’s going to help other motorists to see you better — helping to prevent an accident.
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Defective cars are making their way onto our streets. And it’s these cars that are putting your life in danger. Unfortunately, many consumers are not aware of these recalls until it’s too late.

Now, officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are working to close that knowledge gap. Recently, they announced plans to make sure that all motorcycle manufacturers and automakers are offering consumers a free tool that will allow them to search all recall information according to the vehicle’s identification number (VIN). This plan is set to take effect next year.

“Safety is our highest priority, and an informed consumer is one of our strongest allies in that effort,” said Anthony Foxx U.S. Transportation Secretary.

Our Quincy car accident lawyers understand that there are millions of vehicles recalled for defects and various safety concerns each year. In 2011, for example, there were close to 4 million Honda’s (including Acura’s) recalled. The big Honda car recall had to do with a driver’s side airbag that inflated too hard. And when airbags don’t work, lives can be lost in the event of an accident.
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A recent car accident claimed the life of a 9-year-old Cohasset boy.

According to 7NEWS, the child and his family were getting ready to go on their annual vacation to Maine when another vehicle spun out of control and slammed into them on a pier. The cause of the accident has not been determined, but the 61-year-old driver from New York was able to walk away from the accident unharmed. The child’s younger brother and his mother both went to the hospital. There has been no word whether the driver will face any charges.

“She’s hurt pretty badly. She had broken bones in her pelvis area and she was undergoing surgery this morning,” said Chief Deputy Tim Carroll of the Knox County Sheriff’s Department.

Our Boston auto accident lawyers understand these collisions make headlines each and every day. According to ABC40, another accident nearby sent five vehicle occupants to the hospital. In this accident, the vehicle flipped over as it attempted to exit the highway. Officers are also still trying to figure out the cause.

While these two accidents were both single-car accidents, we see much worse out there — like the 5-car pileup on Interstate 391in Holyoke. According to The Republican, fire, police and ambulance personnel responded at the Exit 5 off-ramp.

At least once person was injured in the crash, which was reported shortly after 6:30 a.m. According to accident reports, the cause was not immediately known.

Top Causes of Traffic Collisions in 2013
In the United States, the top three causes of motor vehicle accidents are drunk driving, speeding and distracted driving. And these are all factors that drivers can control. About 10 million people are involved in traffic accidents each year. And it’s these accidents that are the leading cause of death for teenagers across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But there are so many other factors that can significantly increase your risks for an accident. Some of these factors include weather conditions, inexperienced drivers, nighttime driving, design defects, road rage, drowsy driving, potholes, animal crossings and train tracks.

When it comes to driving, it’s never been more important to just slow down and pay attention. Too many times, drivers get too confident in their skills behind the wheel and throw safety concerns out the window. Your safety, your life and the lives of others all depend on you to make the right choices behind the wheel.
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There’s no arguing the fact that Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems can help to save lives. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), there have been a number of studies that have shown the correlation between the declining number of 16- and 17-year-old driver accidents and the GDL program. On the other hand, 18- and 19- year old drivers are producing conflicting results.

Up until recently, a number of researchers have concluded that the GDL restrictions might encourage teenage driver to wait to get their license until they’re 18-years-old, which is when the GDL restrictions end in most states — including in the state of Massachusetts.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that drivers who wait until they’re 18 to get their driver’s license can actually hinder their abilities behind the wheel and severely increase their risks for an accident. This is mainly because they’re not provided with the supervised driving time. According to a recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, teens failing to participate in the GDL program may have little to do with the driver’s desire to delay licensing, and more to do with things like the struggling economy.

Receiving a license really isn’t the same rite of passage into adulthood that it used to be.

According to the recent AAA study, researchers suspect that because most states’ GDL systems only apply to new drivers younger than 18, GDL laws might encourage young people to wait until age 18 to obtain a license to avoid the requirements and restrictions associated with GDL, resulting in older teenagers having less driving experience and higher crash risks.

As it stands now, less than 45 percent of teen drivers get their driver’s license within one year of the minimum age for licensing in their state. Only about 55 percent of drivers reported that they got their driver’s license before turning 18.

Among young adults who lived in households with annual incomes of $60,000 or more, 60 percent were licensed within one year of their state’s minimum age for licensure and 72 percent were licensed before age 18.

If you’ve got a teenager in your family, it’s critical that you provide them with plenty of supervised driving time. Even when they’re no longer required to complete the stages of Massachusetts’ GDL Program, you’re urged to keep an eye on their driving habits.

Ride along with them often to make sure they’re developing safe driving habits. When they’re out on their own, make sure they’ve got a curfew as accidents are more likely to happen when the sun sets. Also, you want to make sure they’re keeping the number of passengers in their vehicle to a minimum. The more passengers they have in their vehicle, the higher their risks for a collision.
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According to preliminary numbers from the National Safety Council (NSC), we’ve seen a decrease in the number of motor-vehicle accidents during the first 6 months of this year. Research shows that the number of accidents is actually down about 5 percent in comparison to last year. Throughout 2013, there were about 16,600 traffic accident fatalities from January through June, compared to more than 17,400 during the same time in 2012.

Officials have yet to pinpoint an exact reason for this reduction.

“The Council will be keeping a close eye on our monthly traffic fatality estimates to determine if this decrease is just a blip on the radar,” said Janet Froetscher, with the NSC.

Our Boston car accident attorneys understand that motor-vehicle fatalities not only result in human loss, but also account for significant financial costs, including medical expenses, lost productivity and wages, employer costs, administrative expenses and property damage. Property damage, deaths and injuries resulting from motor-vehicle accidents totaled more than $125 billion.

When looking at the breakdown of these accidents in 2013, it’s clear to see that we’ve seen a significant increase since April. This could easily be a factor in the trends were bound to see for the rest of the year.

According to the numbers, there were close to 125 fatalities reported in Massachusetts during the first 6 months of 2013 and there were close to 170 reported during the same time the year before. That’s a drop in traffic accident fatalities of about 25 percent.

If you are involved in a wreck which caused injury, death, or more than $1,000 damage, state law requires that you file a Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report within five days of the accident―even if law enforcement was at the scene.

Since you probably don’t carry this accident form with you, it’s important that you get as much information as you can at the scene of an accident. Make sure you get the involved driver’s name, phone number and address. You’ll also want to get their driver’s license number, their plate number, their insurance information and a description of their vehicle. It’s also a good idea to get this from any accident witnesses. Jot down the weather conditions, too. The more information you get, the better off you will be.

When dealing with an insurance company, it’s important for you to recruit the assistance of an attorney. Remember that these companies don’t have your best interest in mind. Insurance companies will often try to avoid fully disclosing your rights and providing fair compensation. Speak with an attorney today to help to ensure your rights are protected. Having successfully handled thousands of automobile accident cases our attorneys are available to answer all of your questions and help put your mind to rest.
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Ray LaHood with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), is turning to auto manufacturers and smartphone companies to help to fight against the devastation caused by distracted driving.

According to The New York Times, LaHood says that it’s these companies that must wake up to the deadly dangers their products can pose.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand drivers have more sources of potential distraction that ever before. We’ve got in-car phones, text messaging devices and email services. And that’s only listing the bare minimum, because there are GPS devices and infotainment services galore. While these companies say that their new versions (hands-free) are safer than the old handheld ones, the truth of the matter is that distraction still occurs and risks for an accident are still high.

But the same companies that are manufacturing these risks may be the answer to getting rid of them. Safe driving advocates aren’t looking for a ban on all of these devices in each and every car. Rather, they’re looking for more companies to disable their features while the car is in motion.

LaHood points at the drunk driving awareness campaigns as a beginners reference in this battle. He says that alcohol companies have been proactive in spreading the message of safe and sober driving, and he’s asking the same from technology companies — to promote safe, aware and cautious driving habits, asking drivers to use these devices responsibly.

“We need to get that same kind of commitment from the tech industry,” said LaHood.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), only drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a handheld cell phone behind the wheel. Although all drivers are banned from text messaging behind the wheel, there’s still the option to do so with a hands-free device. And as we’ve stated before, that method still comes with some serious risks for a distracted driving car accident.

If you think you can slip through the cracks and text in the driver’s seat without getting busted, you might want to think again. A recent article in Boston Magazine shows just how serious local officers are about cracking down on the current laws.

According to officers, sting operations will be setup along state highways in 12 communities over the next few months. Each sting will be completed in two- to four-week intervals, which already started in June. The pilot project, called “Text With One Hand, Ticket In The Other” will focus on monitoring highways and looking for distracted drivers by using “high visibility enforcement,” police said.

Without enforcement efforts you should still do the safe and responsible thing behind the wheel — pay attention. The fear of an accident should be enough to deter you from the dangerous behavior. You have one task to perform in the driver’s seat and that’s to drive. Please do so responsibly.
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