Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Summer is a great time of year for a lot of reasons, but there are some drawbacks to the summer months that go beyond just coping with heat waves. One of the biggest downsides to summertime is that your car accident risk increases significantly during the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In particular, July Fourth is the deadliest day on the roads in the U.S. and August is the deadliest month.

Our Boston car accident lawyers know that more Americans die in car wrecks during the month of August than at any other time over the course of the year. Weekends are especially risky times over the course of this month, but the odds of a fatal crash are increased throughout August because there are more people driving during this month than at many other times of the year.

Understanding Your August Car Accident Risk

According to MSN Money, the dangers of driving in August are not a newfound problem. In fact, NHTSA crash records dating back as far as 1994 indicate that the fatality rate rises of the course of the month. In 2008 alone, there were 2,864 car accident deaths in August and the reported average fatality rate during August was 1.09 per 100 million miles traveled as compared with .94 in March, the safest month.

Other dangerous months such as September, the second-deadliest month, and July, the third deadliest month, have slightly fewer deaths than occur during August. In September, for example, the death rate was 1.08 per 100 million miles traveled and in July, the fatality rate falls to 1.04 per 10 million miles.

August is especially dangerous because seven of the 25 deadliest days for car accidents occur in August. Safe Motorist has indicated that some of the historically riskiest days for August driving included August 3, August 4 and August 6th. Both the 13th and 14th of August have also been called out as days when the number of crashes significantly increases and MSN Money warns that the weekends are typically worse for driver safety because people tend to be out more, run more errands and potentially drive home while intoxicated more often over the weekend.

With so many accidents occurring in August, this month accounts for around 10 percent of all of the car accident deaths that occur over the course of the year.

Protecting Yourself from Traffic Accidents in August

Knowing of the increased accident risk is important to protect yourself as you drive this August. It is important that you obey all safety rules of the road and that you buckle up when driving both to avoid causing a crash yourself and to ensure that you have the best chance of surviving an accident if one does occur.

You should also be on the lookout for dangerous drivers and avoid traveling at high risk times when possible. Weekend nights may be especially dangerous times, with the NHTSA identifying the deadliest hours for car accidents at between 6:00 and 8:59 p.m. Being aware of the risks and knowing that the chances of an accident are increased can allow you to drive assertively and to be proactive in protecting yourself from the dangers of a deadly wreck.
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Recently, a regional transit bus crashed into the side of a home in central Massachusetts. According to WCVB, the bus accident happened on the very first day that the new bus driver was on the job.

Our Boston bus accident lawyers know that driver experience is very important when operating large vehicles such as trucks and buses. While the cause of this current accident is still under investigation, the accident is an important reminder that bus companies need to carefully screen and train drivers in order to prevent disasters from occurring.

New Bus Driver Crashes Into House

According to WCVB, the driver of the bus that crashed into a central Massachusetts home in late June was just 27-years-old. The driver, who was hospitalized after the crash, reportedly went through an eight-week training program before he started his job driving the regional transit bus. An official for the bus company also indicates that the young driver had extensive experience driving a school bus and that his past driving record was stellar.

While the bus driver’s background has not yet been confirmed other than the mention by the bus company representative, it seems very clear that something went terribly wrong to cause the bus to crash into the home. Police indicate that preliminary evidence shows that the brakes on the bus may not have been applied before the bus crashed into the house.

There are several possible reasons why the brakes may not have been used to prevent the bus from hitting and partially destroying the residence. Police have indicated that the driver of the bus may have had some type of medical problem that prevented him from putting on the brakes and avoiding the accident. It is also possible that the accident was not the fault of the driver doing something wrong but was instead the fault of a maintenance problem with the bus.

It will be important to determine the cause of the accident in order for the homeowner to obtain compensation for all losses and damages caused by the bus crash. The homeowner may be able to take legal action against the bus driver if it turns out that the driver was negligent or careless in a way that caused the bus to hit the house.

The homeowner may also be able to pursue a claim for compensation against the bus company, which could be a better option since the regional transit authority likely has more available funds than the driver to pay out full compensation for the damage caused.

The transit authority can be held responsible if the company was negligent in its hiring policies and procedures, such as by hiring a driver with insufficient experience or hiring a driver with a medical issue that made him an unsafe driver. The company can also be liable for the negligence of its employee while in the line of duty, or if the company failed to provide adequate driver training or adequate bus maintenance. In any case, the accident is an important reminder to bus and trucking companies everywhere of their responsibility to be cautious in hiring new drivers as a crash can happen at any time.
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This summer as you travel throughout the United States on road trips or vacations, you may notice something different: many of the interstates now have higher speed limits. Governing.com reports that four state legislatures voted this year to increase speed limits, spurred on by a Texas decision to create the highest speed limit in the U.S.

Our Boston car accident lawyers know that the faster a car is going, the greater the chances of an accident happening. Not only that, but high speeds also increase the chances that an accident will be a serious one since cars that are going faster hit with more force. The trend towards increasing speed limits throughout the United States is thus a troubling one and you need to remember as you go on your summer trips that the key is to drive at a safe speed, even if that sometimes means going slower than you are legally allowed to go.

Higher Speed Limits Increase Accident Risks
Governing.com indicates that Texas kicked off a push to increase speed limits when it made the speed limit 85 miles per hour on a 41-mile stretch of road located between Austin and San Antonio last year. Now, other states have been passing their own increases, climbing ever higher than the national speed limit of 55 miles per hour created by the federal government in 1974 in response to an oil crisis.

Some of the states that have recently increased their speed limits include Ohio which went from 65 miles per hour on its freeways to 70 miles per hour. Utah upped their speed limit from 75 miles to 80, and Maine moved the speed limit on Interstate 295 to 75 miles per hour up from 65 miles per hour.

Those in favor of increasing speed limits indicate that the accident rate is not impacted by speed limit hikes and argue that faster speed limits will encourage more efficient travel throughout the United States.

Unfortunately, safety advocates disagree with those in favor of upping speed limits. The Governor Highway Safety Association has indicated that even if higher speeds don’t increase the number of accidents, they do make accidents much more serious when they happen. Obviously, if two cars are going faster, they collide with much more momentum and force. The increase force and bigger impact of the collision means that a motorist is more likely to be seriously injured or even killed in the crash.

The data showing that higher speed limits don’t necessarily need to more crashes has also not been conclusively confirmed yet, and is also not necessarily true in all situations or on all roadways. When cars are going faster, there is a greater chance that the vehicle will lose control. The car also has a longer stopping distance so is more likely to be involved in a rear-end crash or a multi-car pileup.

Despite the clear risks of a rising speed limit, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicates that lawmakers are politically motivated to raise speed limits because increasing speed limits is popular. Just because something is popular, though, does not mean that it is the right or the safe thing to do.
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Each day in the United States, 10,000 adults celebrate their 65th birthdays. The population is undeniably aging, which means that there are more senior drivers on the road than at any time in the past. Senior drivers aren’t necessarily more dangerous than younger drivers since they tend to drive carefully and to drive at low-risk times such as during the day in good weather. Unfortunately, though, a senior who drives past his prime can be a menace to himself and to others on the road.

Seniors often don’t realize on their own when they have gotten too old to drive safely. Family members can and should try to look out for signs of problems, but unfortunately many older adults won’t listen to their kids or to other well-meaning relatives about the fact that it is no longer safe to drive. As a result, our Boston car accident lawyers know that it often falls to a patient’s doctor to have a talk with the patient and let him know that driving is no longer OK.

Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that many clinicians are waiting too long to talk to seniors about the dangers.

Docs are Waiting too Long to Have The Talk About Senior Driving Risks
According to Nurse.com, a small-scale study was recently conducted on clinicians and senior drivers. The study was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine and asked both doctors and seniors when discussions on driving dangers come up and how they feel about those conversations.

The outcome of the study revealed that many healthcare professionals wait until they see red flags to talk to their patients about the risks of senior driving. These red flags can include serious health problems. However, another red flag that was mentioned involved the senior actually being involved in a car wreck.

Waiting until an elderly driver has been in a crash or has severe physical or mental impairments means that the senior could be a risk to himself or others long before a doctor gets a chance to have a conversation about the issue. Waiting this long puts lives in danger.

The study revealed one likely reason why healthcare providers tend to wait to talk to seniors about driving risks: because the conversation is very uncomfortable for all parties involved. Many seniors view driving as essential to remaining independent and few want to discuss the possibility of giving that up.

Unfortunately, the need to stop driving becomes a reality for the vast majority of elderly people as studies have indicated that most seniors outlive their ability to drive safely by about six years.

The good news is that while seniors reported finding a conversation about giving up driving to be very uncomfortable, most respondents to the study found questioning and discussions about senior driving risks to be OK. In fact, keeping the lines of communication open was seen as a good thing. Doctors can and should thus explore whether a senior is still OK to drive by having a regular conversation about the subject at visits.

Researchers suggested that clinicians should start talking to seniors about driving risks at office visits once the senior turns 65-years-of age. At this milestone, conversations should become a regular part of office visits so a doctor can gauge exactly how well the senior is driving and so this subject will become one that doctors and patients can talk about freely. This will hopefully allow a doctor to learn earlier when a senior is having problems that could increase his accident risk.
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While winter storms can be a hazard, many drivers do not consider the very real danger of summer storms. A drizzle can make the roads slick and a thunderstorm, tornado, or downpour can severe reduce visibility and create dangerous conditions for drivers. Summer storms can create a number of hazards for drivers, passengers and other motorists, so it is important to use caution during the summer rainy season.

While you may know that tornadoes and hurricanes can cause injury, you may not realize the significant number of injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents. The Federal Highway Administration reports that over 7,000 Americans are killed every year in weather related accidents. “Weather related” crashes are defined as accidents that occur during storms and other dangerous weather conditions, including rain, sleet, snow, tornadoes, or heavy fog. Our Boston car accident attorneys are dedicated to helping victims uncover the true cause of an accident and recover compensation for their injuries.

Summer weather conditions can reduce visibility and create a slick pavement. A car may hydroplane or a driver can lose control causing the car to careen off the side of the road or into oncoming traffic. Reducing the number of weather related accidents requires raising awareness among motorists. Safety officials and lawmakers are taking additional steps this summer to promote highway safety and to reduce the number of weather related car accidents.

In addition to driver awareness, automobile manufacturers and other private enterprises are developing new “storm technology” to help quickly locate storms and inform all drivers on the road. Cars that communicate with one another can identify dangerous driving areas and then communicate that information to other drivers 10, 20, or even trailing by 100 miles. Advanced warnings can ensure that drivers are on the lookout and aware of dangerous conditions ahead. New technologies would be able to warn other drivers about snow, thunderstorms, fog, tornados, and white-outs.

Slick roads and low visibility can be very dangerous to drivers, passengers and other motorists. When extra precaution is not taken during a storm, negligent or reckless drivers can be putting other motorists at risk. Adverse driving conditions require that all drivers pay attention and keep their eyes on the road. Texting and other driver distractions can increase the risk of stormy conditions. When you are distracted you may not have the reaction time necessary to react to slowed traffic or other dangerous conditions. If you have a teen driver hitting the road for the first time this summer, they should be aware of the dangers of adverse weather, especially when combined with distracted driving.

This summer, whether you are heading to work, taking the kids to the beach, or getting on the freeway for an extended summer vacation out of town, remember to take extra precaution under stormy conditions. To prevent an accident under adverse weather conditions you should keep your headlights on. When visibility is impacted by the storm, consider pulling over until the storm is over.
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As a consumer, you know that there are many ways to evaluate products before you decide to make a purchase. One of the largest purchases made by the average consumer is a car, truck or SUV. While you may have considered consumer reports, automobile magazines, and other industry standards, remember that evaluating the safety of a vehicle can be more complicated than simply comparing reports.

Whether you are buying your first vehicle, upgrading for a new family member, or you simply want a newer model, there are a number of critical factors to consider when buying a new car. In addition to comfort, style, and advanced technology, your priority is going to be the safety of the vehicle. Government reports, insurance records, crash-test scores and independent research are all ways to gauge vehicle safety; however, recent evidence suggests that these reports will not paint a fully accurate picture.

Every year, motor vehicle accidents cause serious injury and accidental death. Our Boston car accident attorneys are experienced in the investigation of these accidents and are committed to helping victims and their families recover full compensation for their losses. We also know that preventing accidents is the best way to prevent catastrophic injuries and fatalities.

To test vehicle safety, automobile manufacturers may try to recreate various accident scenarios. Unfortunately, statistics are rarely able to encompass the wide range of accidents that may occur on the road. Vehicles could strike a pole, be struck from the side, rear-ended by a semi-truck or be involved in a multi-vehicle collision. As most drivers already know, an accident with a vehicle that is twice the size or weight can significant increase the chance of serious injury.

According to a recent report, the vehicle you choose to buy can largely impact how well you and your passengers fare in a collision. In addition to analyzing safety features, you should also consider the size of a vehicle and the style of vehicle you are looking to buy. The odds of fatality are 7.6 times greater for car drivers than for drivers of SUV’s in an SUV-car collision. While it is common knowledge that larger vehicles do cause greater damage to smaller cause, the study highlights the very significant difference a vehicle size can make when involved in an accident.

Government reports, insurance industry records, and other crash-test data may consider safety features including anti-lock brakes, airbags, or design. Newer safety features may be high-tech, allowing cars to communicate with other vehicles on the road. Some analysis will also consider the demographics of drivers and their passengers, including whether the vehicle is safe for children or older drivers.

Head-on crash collision was analyzed in the FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) which is maintained by the federal government. Analysis of this data proved that the type of car (SUV or car) was more important than the safety features offered by individual vehicles. When purchasing your next vehicle, consider the type of vehicle, not just the crash-test ratings. Vehicle scores can be helpful, but remember that the size of a vehicle may be more important than the safety ratings.
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For decades, parents have been advising their teenagers not to drink and drive. Parents of today’s teenagers may not realize that the greatest risk to teenage drivers is not alcohol, but texting. According to reports, there are more teenage deaths caused by texting and driving than by alcohol. The numbers indicate that there were over 3,000 teen deaths associated with texting while driving where there were only 2,700 deaths caused by drunk driving.

Researchers have suggested that the discrepancy may be because teenagers have access to their cell phones 24/7 while they do not always have access to alcohol. The sheer number of times a teen may get behind the wheel with a cell phone outnumbers the number of times a teen may be exposed to drinking and driving. Our Boston car accident lawyers are experienced in the investigation of teen accidents caused by texting and driving.

While teenagers may not be drinking and partying all week, they are likely using their cell phones on a regular basis. Many teens are so dependent on their cell phones that they have been called addicted. They want to check their phone every minute or 30 seconds to respond to a text or update a Facebook status. Both texting and Internet surfing can pose a significant risk to teen drivers, passengers, and other motorists, pedestrians, or cyclists sharing the road.

Teens admit that when their cell phones are “on” it can be difficult to ignore the notifications. Despite clear evidence of the dangers of texting, over 50% of teenagers admit to texting while driving. If you have a teen driver, you should advise them to turn their phones “off,” put them in the glove compartment, or even the trunk, if they are behind the wheel. Cutting off cell phone use may be the best way to avoid the temptation to text and drive.

Teen accidents caused by texting while driving can be devastating. A new promotional series sponsored by the US Department of Transportation and the National Highways Traffic Safety Administration features the stories of families who have lost their sons and daughters to tragic texting while driving accidents. Compared to other age groups and demographis, teens are most vulnerable to the risks of distracted driving and texting while driving.

Any accident that appears to be caused by negligence should be investigated as soon as possible to determine who was at fault. If an accident is the result of texting while driving a driver could be held civilly or criminally responsible for any injuries or deaths. Accident reconstructionists, police reports, and witness statements are all critical to determine how an accident occurred and who was at fault. Individuals and related entities may be targeted in a civil lawsuit to collect full compensation after an accident.

As a driver or parent of a teen, remember that the risks of texting and driving are high. Drivers who use cell phones while behind the wheel are 4 times more likely to be involved in an accident. Remember that it takes an average of 4.6 seconds to send or receive a text. During that time, the average vehicle traveling at 55 mph can travel a full football field. The risks are not worth it: this is enough time and distance to cause a fatal accident.
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When a car is recalled, it may seem like common sense that everyone would stop driving that vehicle. Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t have a choice because they are given a recalled car without being told of the risk. How does this happen? The drivers rent a car and are given a rental vehicle that has been recalled.

Unfortunately, this problem is far more common than anyone would imagine. Rental car companies can and do rent cars that have been recalled and this significantly increases the chances of a deadly accident occurring. Our Boston car accident lawyers know that there is currently a law being debated in the Senate that would prohibit rental car companies from renting out recalled vehicles. However, there is no guarantee that this law will pass and consumers could continue to be in danger from rental vehicles if it doesn’t.

Rental Car Accidents a Real Risk Due to Recalled Vehicles

According to AOL Autos, safety advocates and lawmakers are facing off against auto industry representatives in a heated debate about whether to pass a law banning rental car companies from renting out recalled vehicles.

Safety advocates believe that it is just common sense that a rental car company should not rent out a vehicle that has been recalled. The president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, for example, indicated that she believed many people would be surprised to find out that it is not already the law that a rental car company cannot rent out a recalled car.

Car recalls, of course, occur in cars when there is a serious problem that creates a danger to drivers or other motorists. The fact that rental car companies could rent out vehicles with these problems has very real consequences. In fact, the proposed law to ban rental car companies from renting out recalled vehicles is named after two victims of an accident that occurred in a recalled rental.

The accident victims were young sisters from California who died in a car accident in 2004. The rental car they were driving had a leak that could result in a fire starting in the compartment of the engine. The rental car company was notified of the defect in the car and of the recall a month before the girls rented the vehicle. Unfortunately, the young sisters got into an accident and died as a result of a fire that broke out. The law, named in their memory, is now called the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safety Rental Car Act of 2013.

If the law is passed, rental car companies would be required to park recalled cars as soon as they receive notice of a recall. Most major rental car companies are on board with the law and support its passage. However, it is auto industry representatives who have a problem with this requirement and the reason is that it can take several months from the time when a recall notice is sent out until the vehicle is actually fixed.

Drivers of private vehicles are normally able to continue to drive their cars during this intermittent period until the vehicles are able to be fixed. The law would take this option away from rental car companies and the companies could be forced to ground large portions of their fleets, which would impose a big burden on small rental car companies.

While this may be a concern, the fact is that renting out a recalled car can be very dangerous if the vehicle puts people at risk. Something needs to change in order to provide better protection to consumers and to ensure no further lives are lost in preventable accidents.
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The risks of texting and driving are widely known; however, new evidence suggests that texting while driving laws are not necessarily being enforced. According to reports, only about one citation is issued per day. Some suggest that enforcement of texting while driving laws may be difficult because it is hard to catch drivers in the act.

In every state, motorists, passengers, as well as pedestrians and bikers can be severely injured or lose their lives to distracted drivers. Victims and their families have advocated for harsher penalties for violators, including criminal convictions and sentences. Our Boston car accident lawyers are committed to helping stop distracted drivers to prevent injury and fatality among our nation’s motorists.

Many states have enacted texting while driving bans. While legislators may believe that the laws are an effective way to fight texting while driving, law enforcement officers may not aggressively take action against drivers. According to a recent USA Today survey, drivers are not likely to get ticketed in most states. Some states average fewer than one texting while driving citation per day.

Police officers also agree that texting while driving laws are difficult to enforce. Many people just hold their phones below the window of their vehicle. Despite efforts to become more savvy when pulling drivers over, officers may need to adjust tactics to catch drivers in the act.

Every city, county, and state officer has the ability to give a citation when a driver breaks the law. In some states, local officers write more tickets for violators, while in other states, citations are more often distributed by state police. Currently, the Foundation for Traffic Safety is conducting a study to determine how many citations are actually issued. While it is difficult to assess, it is even more difficult to determine why there is not more enforcement of these laws. Some states don’t track texting while driving violations at all.

Even though most drivers know the dangers of texting while driving, many will still violate the law. According to recent studies, while 81% of drivers found texting while driving to be a serious threat, 35% of those surveyed had opened and read a text while 27% of those surveyed had typed and sent a text from their cell phone while behind the wheel.

Distracted driving has been found to be a greater risk to drivers than drinking and driving. Drivers who continue to text and drive face an accident rate 23 times that of drivers who are not distracted. While distracted driving could be attributed to other factors such as children, pets, or changing the radio station, the majority of these accidents are caused by cellphones and texting. The low numbers of those receiving citations may mean that drivers are not actually deterred by texting and driving laws.

To reduce the number of drivers who text when behind the wheel, safety advocates have also suggested additional penalties–through insurance companies. A recent survey found that 72.9% of drivers polled agreed that drivers who are caught texting should pay higher insurance rates.
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It’s the Memorial Day holiday weekend and it’s time to get out of town.

Officials are estimating that about 35 million people will be traveling at least 50 miles from home over the long-holiday weekend. With that being said, we can expect some congested roadways. That’s why officials with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) are urging travelers to plan ahead before venturing out.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that drivers can expect the worst traffic on either Friday or on Monday afternoon and early evening. According to officials, the Transportation Department will be halting all roadway construction during the weekend to help to keep the traffic flowing. Still, you’re urged to plan ahead for smooth travels.

Before beginning your road trip, we suggest that you check out the MassDOT’s live Traffic Cameras web page. This will help you to plan a trip with fewer delays.

Another way you can help to make your trip as smooth as possible is to sign up for the 511 Traveler Information Service to get travel information sent straight to your phone, text message device or email. (That doesn’t mean you can use your phone while driving!) Your best bet is to call the 511 service before heading out. By avoiding areas with heavy congestion, and heading down the path less traveled, you can help to ensure smooth driving with less aggregation.

You can also save some time and some money be joining the E-ZPass program. This is going to help you get through our state’s toll booths with ease instead of waiting in the toll lines. When you’re approaching a toll booth, make sure you’re in the proper lane as soon as possible. You don’t want to have to make a last-minute maneuver and endanger yourself and those around you.

Officials with the DOT are here to help keep you awake, too. They’re going to be serving up coffee (for free) at 18 of the MassDOT service plazas. You can stop in and get a free cup anytime from Monday at 10:00 p.m. to Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.

If you’re staying local, or heading somewhere where you’ll be using the MBTA, remember that all subways and buses are on a Sunday schedule on the actual Memorial Day holiday.

Be safe and be alert out there, whenever you get into a vehicle. Always wear a seat belt as it’s your best defense against injury or death in the event of an accident. As a matter of fact, officials with the National Safety Council (NSC) are calculating that there are going to be more than 400 roadway fatalities to occur during this long holiday weekend. They’re predicting another 44,000 injuries from these same accidents.

Do you part to eliminate these risks and travel safely and responsibly. Happy Memorial Day!
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