Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Both the National Safety Council (NSC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) release data on the estimated number of motor vehicle collisions that occur each year. While the NHTSA data for 2013 won’t be tabulated and published for months, the NSC has already released some estimates of the number of collisions and traffic deaths last year.

At first glance, data from NSC seems positive. The preliminary information shows a three percent decline in traffic deaths in 2013 as compared to 2012. However, a closer look at the numbers and the factors that led to the reduction in fatalities show that the roads may not really be getting all that much safer. Thousands still died in accidents last year, and the reduction in deaths likely has nothing to do with the fact that people drove any more carefully.

Those who lost loved ones in collisions or individuals who are victims of accidents should understand their legal rights and take action after the crash. A Boston injury attorney can help those who have been harmed by a traffic accident.
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Prom season is one of the most dangerous times on the road. As many as three accidents out of every five during prom weekends involve a driver who is impaired by alcohol, and the death toll rises for teens during the prom period from March through June. Drunk drivers out on prom night aren’t the only ones who can be devastated by accidents. Boston.com recently told the stories of multiple families affected by fatal collisions and accidents causing serious injuries during prom season. One woman, for example, lost her mother and sustained injuries that cost her more than $400,000 to treat.

These stories are designed to discourage teens from drinking, as are efforts by school officials to discourage drunk driving and instead participate in safe activities after the big dance. Unfortunately, despite the awareness of drunk driving dangers, studies have demonstrated that around 70 percent of high school students think their peers are probably going to drive drunk on prom night. Parents need to do their part to try to prevent this unsafe behavior before a bad decision on prom night destroys countless lives. Victims of collisions also need to understand their rights and should contact a Boston car accident lawyer.
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The U.S. insurance industry has average profits exceeding $30 billion annually. This money comes from people who pay premiums to transfer the risk of loss and to buy protection from financial harm.

When you buy car insurance, you don’t do it to boost the insurer’s bottom line- you do it because you expect the insurer is going to treat you fairly and take care of your losses if you get into a collision. Unfortunately, the American Association for Justice has recently published an in-depth report revealing some of the underhanded and dishonest tactics that insurers use to try to get out of paying you the money you deserve when you make a claim.

The report confirms yet again that you cannot trust an insurer to look out for your interests. When you are hurt in an accident, you need to talk to an experienced Boston injury lawyer who can help you to make a motor vehicle collision claim and get full and fair compensation you deserve.
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As we age, it’s normal for our driving abilities to change. By reducing risk factors and incorporating safe driving practices, many of us can continue driving safely long into our senior years. It even more important to focus on these risks factors and bettering our driving during the dangerous winter driving season. With snowy and icy roadways, our risks for accidents increase, especially for elderly drivers.

As a group, seniors age 80 and older have the highest rate of fatal crashes per mile driven — even higher than for teens — according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IHS). About 5,500 adult drivers age 65 and older die each year in vehicle crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s double the number of teens killed annually in vehicle crashes.

Our Cambridge accident lawyers note it’s important for seniors to take honest stock of their own driving abilities. As we age, we see significant changes in our bodies. Over time your joints may get stiff and your muscles weaken. It can be harder to move your head to look back, quickly turn the steering wheel, or safely hit the brakes. When involved in an accident, elderly bodies react much differently than younger ones. And elderly people are more susceptible than younger people to medical complications following motor vehicle crash injuries.
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A snowmobile driver was killed in a recent accident after slamming into a parked vehicle, according to the Boston Globe. The Everett man was pronounced dead at Central Maine Medical Center.

The accident is still being investigated, but officials believe that alcohol and speed may have been factors.

Our personal injury lawyers in Quincy note in 2013 there were more than 144,000 snowmobiles sold worldwide; close to 50,000 were sold in the U.S. and more than 44,000 were sold in Canada. There are close to 1.5 million snowmobiles registered in the U.S., according to the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association.
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Car accidents in Quincy are becoming increasingly common, according to the Quincy Herald-Whig. At the same time, law enforcement officials in the area say that they aren’t too concerned with the more than 4 percent increase. In 2012, a decade low of about 1,150 accidents happened, which rose to more than 1,170 last year.

“At some point it was going to level out, so we might see it fluctuate up and down for a while now,” said Quincy Police Officer Neal Meyer.

Our car accident lawyers in Quincy understand that this isn’t all bad news. Since 2004, the total number of traffic accidents has dropped more than 29 percent. In the last nine years, the number of accidents has dropped from the previous year in seven of them. Still, Meyer continues to keep his eyes on the city’s accident statistics and points out that the inclement weather experienced throughout the year may have been the cause of the increase in traffic collisions. In 2013, there were more than 225 accidents that happened on snowy or icy streets. That’s a more than 97 percent increase from the previous year.
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A 24-year-old from Lawrence man was fighting for his life in Beth Israel Hospital in Boston after being hit by a pickup driven by a 21-year-old from Kensington. According to The Salem News, the young driver was charged with drunk driving.

The pedestrian, at Warren and Haverhill streets, was tossed about 20 feet in the air and sent about 100 feet after being hit by the pickup just after 9:00 p.m. Hospital reports indicate that the pedestrian was in “extremely critical condition”, suffering from serious head injuries and brain swelling.

According to officers, they smelled both urine and alcohol on the driver when they spoke with him after the Lawrence pedestrian accident. The driver explained that he had two beers in Haverhill while at Hans Harden. According to the sobriety tests, it was determined that the young driver had a BAC of .17, more than twice the legal limit.
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Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board recently released the Most Wanted List for 2014. The list includes the top awareness and advocacy priorities for the agency this year. For the first time ever, many of these focus points include improving operational safety in rail mass transit.

There are millions of Americans, many right here in Boston, who rely on light rail, subways and commuter rail on a regular basis. In the last year, officials with the NTSB have opened investigations into accidents involving a number of transit authorities throughout the nation. In many of these investigations, officials have found that there’s a serious need for some safety improvements.

Our accident lawyers in Massachusetts understand that each year, there are more than 35,000 fatalities on various transportation systems throughout the nation. That right there is enough to put public transportation on the NTSB’s Most Wanted List. But that’s not the only addition to the list this year. Officials have also added helicopter operations to the list. From January of 2003 to May of 2013, there were close to 1,500 helicopter accidents recorded in the U.S.
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There were more than 20 vehicles that earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety‘s Top Safety Pick+ for 2014. Seventeen received the Top Safety Pick by meeting the crashworthiness criteria alone. This year, officials with the IIHS used new and tougher criteria in safety ratings. With a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle had to perform well in the front, side and roof strength as well as head-restraint tests.

“We’ve made it more difficult for manufacturers this year,” says Adrian Lund, IIHS President.

Our auto accident lawyers in Boston know crashworthiness should be one of the most important factors in selecting a new (or used) vehicle. In addition, consumers should also look into rollover safety by model, class and manufacturer, and compare safety ratings. You can do this easily, with the click of a button, through the safercar.gov website. With this resource, you can choose vehicles based on a 5-star rating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) created the 5-Star Safety Ratings Program to provide consumers with information about the crash protection and rollover safety of new vehicles beyond what is required by federal law. One star is the lowest rating; five stars is the highest. More stars equal safer cars.
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Most all drivers understand the risks associated with distracted driving. So do teens, at least during the first couple months of having a driver’s license. According to NPR, most teenage drivers will start of very careful and cautious behind the wheel, but after only a few months they’ll start multitasking with the worst of them.

According to a recently study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, an older driver is better able to handle talking to passengers or eating behind the wheel. Teens, with their lack of driving experience, often exacerbate these dangers with inexperience or impulsiveness at the wheel.

Our car accident lawyers in Boston know distracted driving is a leading cause of traffic accidents among drivers of all ages. And traffic collisions continue to be the number one cause of death for teens. Within just the first six months of having a driver’s license, new drivers typically start messing with the radio and texting. These new drivers engage in these activities much more than their older counterparts. This may help to explain the high accident rates among teen drivers.
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