Articles Posted in Injuries to Children

A Massachusetts car accident is being blamed on street racing after at least seven people were seriously injured on Route 18, South Coast Today reported.

A woman was trapped in her Volkswagen Jetta on Route 18 near the Purchase Street ramp after she was slammed into by one of two racing vehicles. The New Bedford car accident was caused by a race between a Honda Accord and a Honda Civic, according to authorities. Two toddlers were seated in the back of the Honda Accord.

One of the children was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital while the other child was flown to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence.

The racing cars were being driven by two teenagers, ages 17 and 18. An 18-year-old female passenger of one of the speeding cars was ejected from the vehicle and was listed in fair condition at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

The accident was so severe that the engine of one of the vehicles was ejected from the car. The wreckage forced the closure of southbound Route 18 for several hours. Both drivers are being cited with numerous traffic violations, including speeding, marked lane violations and racing.

In addition to the Volkswagen, a fourth car was damaged when it was struck by flying debris.

The Boston Herald reported that at least seven people were injured, six of them seriously.

As we reported earlier this spring on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, teens are at increased risk of being involved in a serious or fatal car accident through the summer months.

Fatal traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers ages 15 to 20, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Please take a moment and talk to your teen about the dangers and help ensure a safe and enjoyable summer for you and your family.
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Federal lawmakers are pushing for a nationwide graduated driver’s license law aimed at reducing serious and fatal accidents involving teenagers, the USAToday reported.

As we reported recently on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, 68 young people were killed in Massachusetts car accidents in 2008. Nationwide, 2,739 were killed and more than 228,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Fatal Massachusetts car accidents involving teenagers declined 75 percent in the three years following the state’s implementation of tough driving standards for young motorists, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Only North Dakota lacks a staged licensing program for teen drivers. But the government contends passing a nationwide law would replace a patchwork of state legislation aimed at young drivers. The strongest teen-driving programs at the state level currently restrict nighttime driving, limit the number of teen passengers and require a minimum age of 16 before getting a learner’s permit.

The Senate proposal, dubbed the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STAND UP) act, would outline the process for new drivers under 21:

-Require a three-stage process, beginning with a learner’s permit and then continuing on to an intermediate stage before granting an unrestricted driver’s license.

-Prohibit unsupervised driving at night until the unrestricted license is obtained.

-Forbid non-emergency use of cell phones and other communication devices while driving.

The government would hold federal funding hostage for states that do not comply within three years.

The Insurance Institute claims that increasing the minimum age for learner’s permits nationwide would reduce crashes involving teen drivers by 13 percent.
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Distracted driving has become a nationwide epidemic and is a leading cause of Boston car accidents.

An estimated 6,000 people a year are killed by drivers attempting to multitask while behind the wheel of an automobile. One local company is pushing a three-year initiative to teach teens about the dangers through high-tech driver’s education News Center 5 reported.

As we reported earlier this week on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer blog, 5,864 young people were involved in fatal car accidents in 2008, including 68 who were killed in Massachusetts. Nationwide, car accidents are the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 20.

Authorities are trying to spread the word among teenagers, using a 36-foot bus, outfitted with a high-tech mobile classroom simulator created by Dr. Donald Fisher, head of the college of engineering at UMass-Amherst.

“Who really listens to their parents?” Fisher asked. “You need to experience something before you learn something.”

Fisher noted that drivers who are text messaging are 23 times more likely to be in a crash or near crash than a driver who is focused on the road. The computer-based classroom tests driver awareness using simulated road hazards. The $1.4 million mobile classroom is being sponsored by the charitable foundation of Arbella Insurance.

Newly licensed drivers who complete the simulator test and a short online course are given a $15 gas card. The course, called Distractology 101, is hitting the roads to police stations and high school parking lots across Massachusetts.
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Four teenagers were injured in a weekend Boston car accident after their SUV struck a tree early Saturday morning, the Boston Globe reported.

The accident occurred about 4 a.m. in a Newton Corner neighborhood, sending all four 15-year-old occupants to the hospital, according to the Massachusetts State Police. Emergency personnel used the Jaws of Life to help free the teens, whom were taken to local hospitals with undisclosed injuries.

With summer break rapidly approaching, having a serious conversation with your teenager about the dangers of unsafe driving can be a good way to help ensure your child is not involved in a serious Massachusetts traffic accident.