Car Accidents

February 19, 2012

New AARP Course to Help Reduce Risks of Car Accidents in Massachusetts, Nation

Driving isn’t the same as it used to be. There are more cars on our roadways, our cars are more advanced, the roads have changed and some of the laws are different now, too. Our Boston car accident attorneys understand that driving skills need to be taught and tested periodically to help to ensure roadway safety for all.

For that reason, drivers over the age of 60 are encouraged to brush up on their driving skills to make sure that they’re fully equipped to handle modern-day risks of the road. According to AARP, drivers of this age group should consider enrolling in a driver safety course to brush up on the new rules of the road, how to operate today’s cars effectively, defensive driving techniques and how to accommodate and manage age-related changes. Some of these age-related changes can hinder reaction time, hearing, vision, etc. Don’t be ashamed. We’re all going through it. Let’s just make sure that we’ve conditioned to handle these changes to avoid a potentially fatal car accident in Massachusetts.

What else does a driving course have to offer?:

-How to minimize effects of dangerous blind spots.

-How to travel while maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles.

-The safest and most effective ways to make turns on busy roadways at hectic intersections.

-How new seat belts, anti-lock brakes, air bags and new-model car technologies work.

-How to keep an eye on your own driving skills and the capabilities and skills of the ones you love.

-How medications affect your driving.

-The importance of ditching distractions, including cell phones, smoking, eating and drinking.

Once you’ve completed the course, you’ll have a greater appreciation of techniques to avoid potential accidents. You will be equipped with effective ways to keep you, your passengers and other motorists safe in a variety of driving scenarios.

You can take the AARP Driver Safety Course online by calling 888-AARP-NOW (888-227-7669) to take it in an actual classroom or you can take it online. Upon completion, you could be eligible to get a discount on your auto insurance policy and on roadside assistance plans.

Although the course targets drivers who are 50-years-old and older, drivers of all ages are welcome to join. The course started back in 1979 and has been helping to make drivers safe ever since. You don’t need to be an AARP member to take the course and there aren’t any tests. To take it in a classroom it’s $12 for members and $14 for those who aren’t members. To take it online, it’s $15.95 for members and $19.95 for everyone else.

Once you complete the course, you’ll get a completion certificate that you can hand over to your insurance company to inquire about a safe driver discount. Ultimately, you’re better equipped to avoid a potentially fatal accident on our roadways. What could be more rewarding than that?
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February 17, 2012

Star Athlete Killed in New Bedford Car Accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

As we recently reported on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, teenagers face some of the highest risks for accidents on our roadways.

Teens are behind the wheel with minimal driving experience. That’s why the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is offering parents a guide to help teach their teenagers safe and effective driving habits. The new guide, “The Parent’s Supervised Driving Guide,” will be given to teens once they get their hands on an learner’s license. The guide is aiming to help reduce the risks of car accidents in Massachusetts.

Our Boston car accident lawyers have gone through the same thing that other Massachusetts parents are going through. It’s about teaching your teen beneficial driving habits to help to ensure their safety behind the wheel. With higher accident rates, parents need to focus attention on their young drivers to help give them the skills they need to last a lifetime. Without the proper education, training and practice, fatal teen car accidents result.

Take the recent car accident in New Bedford for example. On Route 140, a popular high school student and athlete was killed. The car accident happened on Route 140 as the 17-year-old student and some of his buddies made their way to school. The star athlete was killed, the teenage driver of the car and a passenger were treated for injuries at the hospital, according to the Boston Globe.

The student who was killed in the accident attended the Greater New Bedford Vocational-Technical High School where he was captain of both the baseball and the football team. He also ran track. He was enrolled in the school’s plumbing program and had plans to pursue a business management degree at American International College. All of those dreams are now lost.

Officers report that the star student was in the back seat of the vehicle when the accident occurred. The cause of the crash is still being investigated.

In the state of Massachusetts, there are passenger restrictions to help keep our younger teenage drivers safe at the wheel. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, drivers are eligible for a learner’s permit once they turn 16. Once they’ve graduated to an intermediate driver’s license, they’re allowed to drive without a licensed passenger over the age of 21. However, these young drivers are not allowed to have any passengers under the age of 18 during their first 6 months of this driving stage.

When a driver turns 17, their passenger restrictions are lifted. When a driver turns 18, their nighttime driving restrictions are lifted. Parents are urged to stay involved in their child’s driving career long after they’ve received their unrestricted driver’s license. Parent involvement can help to shape our young ones into safe and effective drivers.
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February 13, 2012

MassDot Helps Parents Prevent Fatal Teen Car Accidents in Massachusetts

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Car accidents in Boston and elsewhere are the leading killer of teenagers nationwide. Some of these fatalities can be prevented with just a little supervision and education. Parents have the power to help to mold their children into the best drivers they can be. According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, there’s a new guide available to help parents and guardians to do just that. The new guide is being offered to help parents to optimize the 40-hours of supervised driving that our young drivers are required to complete before receiving an unrestricted driver’s license.

Take the recent car accident that happened in New Bedford. A high school student was killed while making his way to school at around 7:30 a.m. According to WPRI, the teen’s vehicle was full with student passengers when it flipped and rolled several times. The teenage driver was thrown from the vehicle. When emergency responders arrived on scene, he was pronounced dead.

To help to prevent accidents like this, teenage drivers who are in line to get their learner’s permit will be given a copy of the new guide, “The Parent’s Supervised Driving Guide” at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). As parents of teenage drivers, our Boston car accident attorneys will be reviewing this booklet and using it to better train our children to become safer drivers. We urge parents throughout the state to do the same. As we’ve said before, teaching teens safe driving habits early on will help to reduce their risks of being involved in an accident for the rest of their lives.

In Dover, another teen driver was killed while heading down Route 16. He reportedly lost control of his truck, which flipped, ran into a guard rail and was sent tumbling into the Cocheco River. According to WMUR, a crane had to be called to the accident site to help get the truck out of the river.

The guide is offered for free. It’s provided to everyone through a team effort between Safe Roads Alliance and the guides sponsor, Safety Insurance.

According to Registrar of Motor Vehicles’ Rachel Kaprielian, driving is a privilege and a huge responsibility. This guide will help prepare parents to raise safer drivers.

Parents have the ability to make the biggest impact on their teen drivers. This program helps ensure parents have the right tools to teach their teen safe driving habits. The new guide encourages parents to expose their teen driver to a number of driving conditions, including daytime, nighttime, rural, heavy traffic etc., to make sure that they’re equipped with the knowledge and skills to do it on their own when the time comes.

In the U.S., nearly 50 percent of newly-licensed drivers will be involved in an accident within their first year behind the wheel. According to George Murphy, the Vice President of Marketing with Safety Insurance, the Safety Insurance’s top concern is keeping Massachusetts’ roadways safety for drivers of all ages.
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February 12, 2012

Deadly Weekend for Car Accidents in Massachusetts

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

It was a bad weekend for car accidents in Massachusetts. There was a rollover car accident that killed a man in Danvers and another that injured a number of others in Revere. According to state police officers, speed was a contributing factor in the single-car accident in Danvers that killed a 30-year-old man from Peabody. The accident happened just before 7:30 p.m., when he slammed into a guardrail on Route 128. After hitting the guard rail, he swerved across two lanes of traffic, hit a jersey barrier, sped down the ramp in Route 35, striking two more barriers and flipping the car over onto its roof. The man was wearing his seat belt, but was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The passenger of that vehicle was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries. Officers are still investigating to determine whether alcohol played a role in this accident.

Just a few hours later, four motorists were involved in a two-car accident in Revere. The accident resulted in serious injuries to those involved. The accident happened just before 12 a.m. on Revere Street and American Legion.

That’s not all. There were a number of additional accidents that occurred over the weekend, including a collision in Hyde Park that took the life of a 24-year-old. Four others were injured in this accident.

Motorists weren’t the only ones hurt in accidents over the weekend. There are also three pedestrians injured after being hit by a car. A mom and her two children were struck by a passing vehicle in Winthrop as they made their way to a dialysis appointment. The pedestrians and the driver of that vehicle were all taken to Emerson Hospital. The two children were later transported to Children’s Hospital in Boston.

Officers believe that the 76-year-old driver may have mistaken the gas pedal for the brake pedal. The investigation is ongoing.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) hears about thousands of car accidents that occur every year in the state. To help to get drivers on board to safer roadways, they’ve provided drivers with some safety tips to help to prevent traffic accidents.

Safe Driving Tips:

-Always be cautious of the traffic around you, including motor vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, etc.

-Remember that turns are meant to be taken at reduced speeds.

-Always use your turn signals to alert other travelers of your intended maneuvers.

-Never eat or drink while driving.

-Remember to check intersecting streets for oncoming traffic before passing through.

-Maintain a safe following distance. Reducing the space between you and other travelers reduces the time that you have to react to potential dangers.

-Don’t forget about your blind spots. Check over your shoulder to see what’s going on in these areas.

-Yield to the right-of-way when necessary.

-Always wear your seat belt to help protect against injury and death in the event of an accident.
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February 11, 2012

Sleepy Truckers Cause Boston Car Accidents; New Rules Enacted

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

While large trucks only account for 4 percent of all vehicles on the road, they are involved in more than twice that many fatal car accidents in Boston and elsewhere.

While our Boston trucking accident attorneys respect the grueling job these workers have to do, our lives are often in their hands.

The sheer size of their loads means that although the truck operators are professional drivers, when they do wreck, they are more likely than a regular passenger vehicle to cause serious injury or even death.

February 9, 2012

Car Seat Safety a Top Priority in Boston

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The loss of a child is something no parent should have to endure.

According to widely-published statistics, traffic crashes are the number one cause of death for young children in the U.S. – and have been for years.

Our Boston car accident attorneys now some collisions are tragically unavoidable. But there is now a new resource for parents to tap into and educate themselves about child safety seats, which are known to prevent injuries to children involved in Boston car accidents.

February 7, 2012

Thousands of Child Safety Seats Recalled in U.S., Boston

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Parents, take note: More than 14,200 child safety seats have been recalled due to a manufacturing flaw that could lead to injuries to children in Boston and throughout the U.S.

Our Boston car accident attorneys have learned from the register your child’s car seat by visiting the department of transportation’s website.
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February 5, 2012

Safe Vehicles Mean Fewer Boston Car Accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Buying a new car is a big decision, and one you shouldn’t take lightly.

Our Boston car accident attorneys aren’t trying to sell you on any particular vehicle. But we do want to make sure that whichever model you choose will provide maximum safety for you, your family and anyone who shares the road with you.

A recent announcement from the 115 winners of 2012 Top Safety Pick Stronger roofs lead to another record year for award, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

February 3, 2012

Drivers Must Alter Thinking to Prevent Boston Car Accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

It’s a fact: Most people want safer roads and a decreased risk of car accidents in Boston and elsewhere.

What most people don’t consider is they may be part of the problem. Increasingly, the AAA Foundation is finding that drivers have adopted this, “Do as I Say, Not as I Do,” attitude when it comes to roadway safety. They want others to practice responsible driving habits, but don’t feel it applies to them.

Our Boston car accident attorneys have seen the devastation that can be caused when drivers don’t take safety seriously. Distracted driving, impaired driving, drowsy driving – these are all major factors in deadly crashes, and they are each 100 percent preventable.

February 1, 2012

Pedestrian Struck By Unlicensed Driver in Boston Car Accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A 45-year-old man is in critical condition following a Boston car accident in which he was struck by an unlicensed driver late last month.

According to the AAA Foundation on this very issue. The organization first began looking at the problem back in 2000, when they found that nearly 14 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes did not have a valid driver’s license. That means those drivers either never had a license, or their privileges had been suspended, revoked, cancelled or denied.

Now, in 2011, that figure has not changed. We still have the same number of unlicensed drivers wreaking havoc on our roadways. It currently breaks down to about one out of every eight drivers you pass on your daily commute.

Crashes involving unlicensed drivers have accounted for more than 21,000 deaths in the U.S., just between 2007 and 2009.

The statistics may seem somewhat overwhelming, but consider that each and every one of those victims is someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, child or friend.

What’s even more troubling is that of those unlicensed drivers involved in fatal crashes, nearly half had been consuming alcohol at the time of the accident.

And those same unlicensed drivers, when they caused a crash, were more than three times as likely as properly licensed drivers to flee the scene.

In most cases, younger drivers – those between the ages of 21 and 34 – were the most likely to have suspended or revoked licenses. In fact, just like the case mentioned above, more than half of unlicensed drivers involved in fatal crashes were in this younger age group.

In the Framingham car accident case, the victim is being treated at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He’s expected to undergo a CAT scan, and even if he survives – which doctors say he might – he could be facing years of intensive therapy and medical bills – likely with the added frustration of lost wages.

As he and his family look to a long road to recovery, investigators are still determining whether they will file additional charges against the driver.
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