Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released the “National Survey of Speeding Attitudes and Behavior”. In this new survey, officials report about half of drivers say that speeding is a problem on U.S. roadways. On the other hand, about 20 percent of drivers admit “I try to get where I am going as fast as I can.”

This is a serious problem because speeding accounts for about a third of all traffic accident fatalities in the U.S. each year. From 2002 to 2011, speeding was a factor in about a third of all deadly accidents. These crashed claimed the lives of more than 123,000 people and cost society more than $40 billion each and every year.

Our car accident lawyers understand that we’ve all got places to be, but it’s never a smart decision to put ourselves and innocent travelers in harm’s way just because we’re rushing. Throughout the busy holiday travel season, and particularly with dangerous winter driving conditions, we’re reminding drivers to keep an eye on their speed, obey the posted speed limits, adjust your driving to accommodate the current weather and traffic conditions and to allow plenty of time to get to where you’ve got to be safely.
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Two young men from Swampscott were killed in a Friday night car accident along Route 1A when their vehicle slammed into a home. It happened just before 7:00 a.m. The occupants of the car were extricated using hydraulic tools, according to the Revere Fire Department.

The Boston Globe reported the vehicle was heading northbound and speed may have been a factor in the tragedy. One of the men was taken to Whidden Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The other was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was also later pronounced dead.

Our car accident lawyers in Revere know speed is a deadly risk out on our roadways, especially during this time of the year. With snow in our forecast, the roads are expected to be extra slick. With that, it’s critical that drivers are on their best behavior behind the wheel to help to avoid winter-related car accidents. Officials with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), urge drivers to prepare their vehicles for these conditions, including having winter car supplies. By following some simple safe driving tips and by using common sense when traveling near snowplows, drivers can help to ensure that they make their destination safety.
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Officers with the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) are looking into a single-car accident in Cambridge that killed a male driver. According to the Boston Herald, the accident happened just after 11:00 p.m. along Concord Turnpike when he veered off the road, slammed through a fence and ran into a building.

Firefighters arrived on scene and worked to free the male drive, who was trapped inside the damaged vehicle. Witnesses suspect that it was the snow on the road that contributed to his accident. The accident is currently under investigation by troopers with the State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section and Crime Scene Services.

Our Cambridge car accident lawyers understand that it’s a dangerous time to be on our roadways, not only because of the wintery weather, but also because of the holiday traffic. It’s critical that drivers are on their best behavior behind the wheel to help to prevent what could turn out to be a fatal accident. Based on news media reports, there were at least 475 roadway fatalities as a result of icy roads in the U.S. throughout the 2008-2009 winter season, and at least 458 happened during the 2009-2010 winter season, according to IcyRoadSafety.com.
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To help amp up Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are announcing a new road safety plan aimed at seniors.

“This plan will help enhance safety for everyone by helping states address the mobility needs of their older drivers,” said Anthony Foxx, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

Our Quincy car accident lawyers know, since 2003, the number of elderly licensed drivers has increase by more than 20 percent, to close to 40 million older licensed drivers recorded in the U.S. in 2012. During that year, there were close to 6,000 people over the age of 65 who were killed and another 215,000 who were injured in traffic accidents. That’s a near 5 percent increase in the number of fatalities and a more than 15 percent increase in the number of injuries from the year before. One of the most important factors is that these elderly individuals are more likely to sustain serious injuries or die in a traffic accident than younger individuals — even in low-severity accidents.
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Our Boston car accident lawyers know that many car accident injuries and deaths happen because drivers make bad choices when they are behind the wheel. In some cases, accidents cause harm to innocent victims because another driver has made the choice to drive drunk, speed or engage in other high risk behavior. In other instances, a motorist will increase the chances of becoming injured or killed in a crash by not wearing a seat belt.

Public safety campaigns and laws aim to encourage good behaviors, like wearing a seat belt, and to discourage bad behaviors like driving drunk. Unfortunately, these laws and the efforts to educate the public only go so far. Now, the Huffington Post is reporting that the government is speeding up research on car safety systems that could address some of the most dangerous choices that people make behind the wheel. When the research is complete and reliable technologies developed, hopefully many lives could be saved by the new technological advances.
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If you are a passenger in a car, you are at the mercy of the driver and depend upon him or her to make safe driving choices. Unfortunately, many passengers aren’t happy with the way that their friends or loved ones drive, and many drivers are making choices that put passengers at serious risk of injury.

A recent Insure.com survey involved asking passengers who they found to be the most annoying driver and what behaviors the passengers found to be the most annoying. The results revealed that the things most passengers complain about were not mere annoyances, but instead were actions that significantly increase the risk of a crash. Our Boston car accident lawyers know that passengers have a right to take legal action if they are in a vehicle driven by a friend and that friend causes a crash and resulting injuries. However, it is far better to avoid a crash in the first place, and passengers should never hesitate to speak up if they find themselves in a car with someone who has made a high-risk choice.
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With car accidents a top cause of death among teen drivers, states are continually looking for ways to make young people safer behind the wheel. Massachusetts passed several new requirements that aimed to reduce teen car accident deaths.

The Massachusetts law, which was passed in 2007, more than tripled the number of hours that teens were required to spend driving under supervision before they could obtain their license. Car accident lawyers in Boston know that teens are now required to drive under their parent’s supervision for 40 hours and must drive with an instructor behind the wheel for at least 12 hours (twice as long as the prior requirement). The law also imposed a requirement that parents attend a two-hour seminar in order for a driver under the age of 18 to get his or her license.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is tasked with the important job of passing and enforcing rules and regulations designed to make cars safer. One of the regulations that the NHTSA was specifically told to pass was a new rule requiring rear-view cameras on all vehicles in order to reduce the risk of backover accidents.

Car accident lawyers in Boston know that around 100 kids aged five and under die each year because of backover crashes. Backover accidents frequently occur when people are leaving driveways or pulling out of parking spaces, and backover accidents can be especially devastating to young children or the elderly. These accidents could be prevented if vehicles were equipped with rear cameras that allow drivers to see what is behind them, and in 2008, congress told the NHTSA to write a rule requiring the installation of rearview cameras.
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We’re all connected on social media, whether its Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. But there are some of us who are just a little too connected.

According to CNN, there are drivers who want to see themselves doing just that — driving. And they’re talking steering-wheel selfies — just call it the new epidemic hitting our roads.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that selfies are all the rage, but behind the wheel is no time to add to your collection. You might think it’s a little silly, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s happening. Just take a look at the social media hashtags. By searching #drivingselfie on Instragram, you’re going to get close to 4,000 results. Look at #drivingtowork and you’ll get close to 10,000 results. Some users are even using the optimistic tag, #Ihopeidontcrash.
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With the winter season upon us, so too are the dangerous risks for weather-related car accidents. With snow and ice, we’ve got some serious risks, including unseen black ice.

After snow plowing operations have finished and a roadway is left in the so-called “black and wet” condition, there is sometimes the danger of the water on the road re-freezing. This post-storm treatment of roads is typically needed at night – since temperature drops can be more dramatic than when the sun is shining, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that there were roughly 500 car accident fatalities in the U.S. during 2008 and 2009 as a result of icy roads during the winter season. There were another 500 during the 2009-2010 winter season. Accident, injury and fatality rates are much higher during freezing rain and black ice than any other type of road ice condition (including snow and sleet) due to black ice’s invisibility and element of surprise. Preparation is the best way to work to stay out of one of these dangerous and potentially fatal accidents.
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