Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

MIT students are being enlisted by the federal government to help solve the problem of distracted driving, according to the Boston Herald.

As we reported last week on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, state and federal authorities have become increasingly vocal about the dangers of distracted driving. Of particular concern is the use of cell phones by drivers and drivers who text message while behind the wheel. Significant numbers of Massachusetts car accidents are being blamed on distracted driving. Nationwide, 6,000 traffic fatalities a year are caused by distracted driving.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was scheduled to appear on the Cambridge campus Monday, to challenge students to develop technology aimed at reducing distracted driving accidents.

LaHood was accompanied by Massachusetts resident Jerry Cibley, whose son was killed in a distracted driving accident. His speech kicks off MIT’s transportation and energy lecture series.

Jordan Cibley was killed on Mother’s Day 2007, one day after his high school prom, while driving two blocks from home and talking an a cell phone with his father. Authorities believe he drove into a tree at 30 mph after dropping the phone and unfastening his seat belt to retrieve it from the floor, according to the Taunton Gazette. He died as a result of a traumatic brain injury.
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The Governors Highway Safety Association and State Highway Safety Agencies are joining forces with Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Studios to fight distracted driving on “No Phone Zone Day,” set for this Friday, April 30.

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of Massachusetts car accidents and Boston University will be participating with a campus rally on Friday, which is being supported by the Massachusetts Highway Safety Division.

The government recognizes three primary types of distracted driving –visual, manual and cognitive — and has become increasingly vocal about the dangers of cell phone use, and particularly text messaging while driving, which involves all three forms of distraction.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s website, www.distraction.gov, cites a number of sobering statistics:

-Using a cell phone while driving reduces the amount of brain activity dedicated to driving by 37 percent.

-An estimated 6,000 motorists died in accidents involving distracted drivers in 2008 and more than 500,000 were injured.

-Drivers using hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash.

-Younger, inexperienced drivers have the highest proportion of fatal accidents caused by distracted driving.

-Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hands-free or hand-held, impairs a motorist’s driving ability as much as a blood-alcohol level of .08, the legal limit for drunk driving in Massachusetts.

On Friday, the Oprah Winfrey Show will be devoted to the dangers of using a cell phone or texting while driving. In addition to Boston, special viewing rallies will be held in Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. A new nationwide public service campaign will debut during the show and participants and viewers will be asked to take a pledge to make their cars “No Phone Zones.”

Examples of distracted driving include:

-Using a cell phone
-Eating or drinking
-Talking to passengers
-Grooming
-Reading, including maps
-Using a navigation system
-Watching a video
-Using other on-board electronics, including the stereo or CD player.

Those wishing to take the “No Phone Zone” pledge can visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone.
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Toyota Chief Apologizes for Car Defects That Led to Injuries, Deaths

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a joint statement with Health Canada this week warning about the use of certain baby slings. The CPSC says it has identified fourteen suffocation deaths that occurred while babies were in the sling-style carriers. The CPSC says most of the children were younger than four months.

Three of the deaths occurred while infants were in slings by the manufacturer, Infantino. The company issued a recall this week of their “SlingRider” and “Wendy Belissimo” products. They have not taken responsibility for any deaths, however, and insist their products go through rigorous testing internally, with governmental agencies, and by third-party testing organizations.

One of the mothers whose child died while in the SlingRider believes the company sold her a defective product. On May 7, 2009, she set out across a store parking lot with her 7-day old infant in the sling. By the time she reached her car, the child was nearly dead. Her fiance started CPR and paramedics were called to the scene, but he could not be saved. The coroner ruled the baby’s death due to compression asphyxia/suffocation. In January, the mother filed a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages and accusing Infantino of negligence.