Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Defective cars are making their way onto our streets. And it’s these cars that are putting your life in danger. Unfortunately, many consumers are not aware of these recalls until it’s too late.

Now, officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are working to close that knowledge gap. Recently, they announced plans to make sure that all motorcycle manufacturers and automakers are offering consumers a free tool that will allow them to search all recall information according to the vehicle’s identification number (VIN). This plan is set to take effect next year.

“Safety is our highest priority, and an informed consumer is one of our strongest allies in that effort,” said Anthony Foxx U.S. Transportation Secretary.

Our Quincy car accident lawyers understand that there are millions of vehicles recalled for defects and various safety concerns each year. In 2011, for example, there were close to 4 million Honda’s (including Acura’s) recalled. The big Honda car recall had to do with a driver’s side airbag that inflated too hard. And when airbags don’t work, lives can be lost in the event of an accident.
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A recent car accident claimed the life of a 9-year-old Cohasset boy.

According to 7NEWS, the child and his family were getting ready to go on their annual vacation to Maine when another vehicle spun out of control and slammed into them on a pier. The cause of the accident has not been determined, but the 61-year-old driver from New York was able to walk away from the accident unharmed. The child’s younger brother and his mother both went to the hospital. There has been no word whether the driver will face any charges.

“She’s hurt pretty badly. She had broken bones in her pelvis area and she was undergoing surgery this morning,” said Chief Deputy Tim Carroll of the Knox County Sheriff’s Department.

Our Boston auto accident lawyers understand these collisions make headlines each and every day. According to ABC40, another accident nearby sent five vehicle occupants to the hospital. In this accident, the vehicle flipped over as it attempted to exit the highway. Officers are also still trying to figure out the cause.

While these two accidents were both single-car accidents, we see much worse out there — like the 5-car pileup on Interstate 391in Holyoke. According to The Republican, fire, police and ambulance personnel responded at the Exit 5 off-ramp.

At least once person was injured in the crash, which was reported shortly after 6:30 a.m. According to accident reports, the cause was not immediately known.

Top Causes of Traffic Collisions in 2013
In the United States, the top three causes of motor vehicle accidents are drunk driving, speeding and distracted driving. And these are all factors that drivers can control. About 10 million people are involved in traffic accidents each year. And it’s these accidents that are the leading cause of death for teenagers across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But there are so many other factors that can significantly increase your risks for an accident. Some of these factors include weather conditions, inexperienced drivers, nighttime driving, design defects, road rage, drowsy driving, potholes, animal crossings and train tracks.

When it comes to driving, it’s never been more important to just slow down and pay attention. Too many times, drivers get too confident in their skills behind the wheel and throw safety concerns out the window. Your safety, your life and the lives of others all depend on you to make the right choices behind the wheel.
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There’s no arguing the fact that Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems can help to save lives. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), there have been a number of studies that have shown the correlation between the declining number of 16- and 17-year-old driver accidents and the GDL program. On the other hand, 18- and 19- year old drivers are producing conflicting results.

Up until recently, a number of researchers have concluded that the GDL restrictions might encourage teenage driver to wait to get their license until they’re 18-years-old, which is when the GDL restrictions end in most states — including in the state of Massachusetts.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that drivers who wait until they’re 18 to get their driver’s license can actually hinder their abilities behind the wheel and severely increase their risks for an accident. This is mainly because they’re not provided with the supervised driving time. According to a recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, teens failing to participate in the GDL program may have little to do with the driver’s desire to delay licensing, and more to do with things like the struggling economy.

Receiving a license really isn’t the same rite of passage into adulthood that it used to be.

According to the recent AAA study, researchers suspect that because most states’ GDL systems only apply to new drivers younger than 18, GDL laws might encourage young people to wait until age 18 to obtain a license to avoid the requirements and restrictions associated with GDL, resulting in older teenagers having less driving experience and higher crash risks.

As it stands now, less than 45 percent of teen drivers get their driver’s license within one year of the minimum age for licensing in their state. Only about 55 percent of drivers reported that they got their driver’s license before turning 18.

Among young adults who lived in households with annual incomes of $60,000 or more, 60 percent were licensed within one year of their state’s minimum age for licensure and 72 percent were licensed before age 18.

If you’ve got a teenager in your family, it’s critical that you provide them with plenty of supervised driving time. Even when they’re no longer required to complete the stages of Massachusetts’ GDL Program, you’re urged to keep an eye on their driving habits.

Ride along with them often to make sure they’re developing safe driving habits. When they’re out on their own, make sure they’ve got a curfew as accidents are more likely to happen when the sun sets. Also, you want to make sure they’re keeping the number of passengers in their vehicle to a minimum. The more passengers they have in their vehicle, the higher their risks for a collision.
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According to preliminary numbers from the National Safety Council (NSC), we’ve seen a decrease in the number of motor-vehicle accidents during the first 6 months of this year. Research shows that the number of accidents is actually down about 5 percent in comparison to last year. Throughout 2013, there were about 16,600 traffic accident fatalities from January through June, compared to more than 17,400 during the same time in 2012.

Officials have yet to pinpoint an exact reason for this reduction.

“The Council will be keeping a close eye on our monthly traffic fatality estimates to determine if this decrease is just a blip on the radar,” said Janet Froetscher, with the NSC.

Our Boston car accident attorneys understand that motor-vehicle fatalities not only result in human loss, but also account for significant financial costs, including medical expenses, lost productivity and wages, employer costs, administrative expenses and property damage. Property damage, deaths and injuries resulting from motor-vehicle accidents totaled more than $125 billion.

When looking at the breakdown of these accidents in 2013, it’s clear to see that we’ve seen a significant increase since April. This could easily be a factor in the trends were bound to see for the rest of the year.

According to the numbers, there were close to 125 fatalities reported in Massachusetts during the first 6 months of 2013 and there were close to 170 reported during the same time the year before. That’s a drop in traffic accident fatalities of about 25 percent.

If you are involved in a wreck which caused injury, death, or more than $1,000 damage, state law requires that you file a Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report within five days of the accident―even if law enforcement was at the scene.

Since you probably don’t carry this accident form with you, it’s important that you get as much information as you can at the scene of an accident. Make sure you get the involved driver’s name, phone number and address. You’ll also want to get their driver’s license number, their plate number, their insurance information and a description of their vehicle. It’s also a good idea to get this from any accident witnesses. Jot down the weather conditions, too. The more information you get, the better off you will be.

When dealing with an insurance company, it’s important for you to recruit the assistance of an attorney. Remember that these companies don’t have your best interest in mind. Insurance companies will often try to avoid fully disclosing your rights and providing fair compensation. Speak with an attorney today to help to ensure your rights are protected. Having successfully handled thousands of automobile accident cases our attorneys are available to answer all of your questions and help put your mind to rest.
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Ray LaHood with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), is turning to auto manufacturers and smartphone companies to help to fight against the devastation caused by distracted driving.

According to The New York Times, LaHood says that it’s these companies that must wake up to the deadly dangers their products can pose.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand drivers have more sources of potential distraction that ever before. We’ve got in-car phones, text messaging devices and email services. And that’s only listing the bare minimum, because there are GPS devices and infotainment services galore. While these companies say that their new versions (hands-free) are safer than the old handheld ones, the truth of the matter is that distraction still occurs and risks for an accident are still high.

But the same companies that are manufacturing these risks may be the answer to getting rid of them. Safe driving advocates aren’t looking for a ban on all of these devices in each and every car. Rather, they’re looking for more companies to disable their features while the car is in motion.

LaHood points at the drunk driving awareness campaigns as a beginners reference in this battle. He says that alcohol companies have been proactive in spreading the message of safe and sober driving, and he’s asking the same from technology companies — to promote safe, aware and cautious driving habits, asking drivers to use these devices responsibly.

“We need to get that same kind of commitment from the tech industry,” said LaHood.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), only drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a handheld cell phone behind the wheel. Although all drivers are banned from text messaging behind the wheel, there’s still the option to do so with a hands-free device. And as we’ve stated before, that method still comes with some serious risks for a distracted driving car accident.

If you think you can slip through the cracks and text in the driver’s seat without getting busted, you might want to think again. A recent article in Boston Magazine shows just how serious local officers are about cracking down on the current laws.

According to officers, sting operations will be setup along state highways in 12 communities over the next few months. Each sting will be completed in two- to four-week intervals, which already started in June. The pilot project, called “Text With One Hand, Ticket In The Other” will focus on monitoring highways and looking for distracted drivers by using “high visibility enforcement,” police said.

Without enforcement efforts you should still do the safe and responsible thing behind the wheel — pay attention. The fear of an accident should be enough to deter you from the dangerous behavior. You have one task to perform in the driver’s seat and that’s to drive. Please do so responsibly.
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Getting your driver’s license for the very first time is exhilarating. Unfortunately, the many influences on what a teen drives can have a major impact on their safety. According to Mail Online, our newest drivers say that they feel pressured to drive an older, cheaper vehicle because they can’t afford the insurance for a newer, safer car.

More specifically, about half of all newly-licensed drivers say they’re pushed into older vehicles and this is what’s putting them at high risks behind the wheel. As a matter of fact, these young drivers have higher accident risks than any other age group of drivers.

The same could be said for teens who are allowed to drive newer sports cars, or larger four-wheel drive trucks or SUVs.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that drivers between the ages of 17 and 26 account for close to 20 percent of all motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. each and every year. Fatalities reported among these accidents account for more than 20 percent of all roadway deaths, according to the Department of Transport.

Even with this in mind, close to 65 percent of the drivers surveyed by manufacturer Alfa Romeo and insurer Marmalade say that it’s wrong for insurance companies to charge more for insurance because of their age. About 75 percent of these same drivers say that they were basically forced into an old car with fewer safety features. And that’s what they’re blaming their high risks for an accident on — the driving forces behind their increasing car insurance premiums.

Insurance companies conjure up a number based on the cost of claims. Consider that a whopping four in five teens said that they’re reliant on their parents for financial support to get a first car.

In 2010, about 2,700 teens in the United States aged 16-19 were killed and almost 282,000 were treated and released from emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 2 out of every 3 teenagers killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2010 were males.

One of the best ways to keep you teen safe, in any vehicle, is to make sure that they’re equipped with safe driving habits. These are the years that are most important. The driving habits they learn now are likely to stick with them for their entire career behind the wheel.

And now is more important than ever. A Liberty MutualStudents Against Destructive Driving (SADD) survey results provide supporting evidence of recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics that show that more teens die in car crashes during the summer months (June through September) than any other time of the year.
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Our teen drivers are halfway through summer’s 100 Deadliest Days. This is the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day that marks the deadliest days for our teens to be behind the wheel on Massachusetts roadways.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), there are ways to help to reduce the risks that our young drivers are facing out there. It all starts with a talk from a parent or a guardian. Keeping safe driving habits a frequent topic in your household can wind up saving their life.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that there are currently about 2 million teens in the United States who are under the age of 18 and in their first year of driving. Breaking that down, that’s more than the entire population of Houston. And it’s these drivers who are involved in nearly 1 million car accidents annually. Think of it this way: That’s roughly 2,500 accidents on any given day, with increasing risks during the 100 Deadliest Days.

Traffic accidents continue to be the number one cause of death for teens across the nation. They’re actually more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than any other age group of drivers.

But it’s not only teens who are suffering in these accidents. Many other motorists are injured or killed in collisions with young drivers. According to the NSC, there are nearly 4,000 people killed in teen-driving car accidents every year. That’s enough people to fill up more than 50 school buses.

Common Factors in Fatal Teen Car Accidents:

-Not wearing seat belts is likely to contribute to the risks of death in the event of a teen car accident. Roughly half of all the teens killed in car accidents were not wearing their seat belt. Seat belts continue to be your number one defense against injury and death in the event of an accident.

-Nighttime is a common backdrop for teen car accidents. About 40 percent of accidents occur during the evening hours, most of them happening before midnight.

-Cell phone use and text messaging. Did you know that about 70 percent of teens admit that they text while driving? Did you also know that using a cell phone behind the wheel increases your risks for an accident by 4 times, and text messaging by 8 times?

-Passengers increase your teen’s risk of an accident. The more passengers in the vehicle, the higher the risks are. Consider limiting the number of passengers that your teen is allowed to carry while they’re in the driver’s seat.

-Their inexperience behind the wheel is only hindering their safety. Make sure that you’re providing them with plenty of supervised driving time. You’re presence and input will help to shape their safe driving habits for a lifetime. Let’s make sure we’re steering them in the right direction.
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Back in 1995, officials with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) launched the Stop Red-Light Running Program to help get drivers to stop at red lights and to increase enforcement efforts among officers around the country. A key to this program is the National Stop on Red Week.

This week-long enforcement campaign takes place during the first week of August. During this time, communities across the nation bring national visibility to this serious, and deadly, traffic problem while stepping up enforcement efforts against it.

Later in 1998, officials with the American Trauma Society (ATS) and DaimlerChrysler teamed up with the FHWA to push the program even further. Since then, the program has been piloted in a number of communities. And many of these communities saw a close to 20 percent reduction in red-light running offenses.

Our Boston car accident attorneys understand that red light cameras are used in more than 500 communities across the nation, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Unfortunately, Massachusetts has no state law mandating these cameras. Still, car accidents are the single most significant cause of preventable death and injury in the nation.. In 2007 in the U.S., almost 900 people were killed and close to 200,000 people were injured in accidents that involved red-light running.

These are costly accidents too, running the U.S. a tab of close to $15 billion each and every year.

Did you know that half of the fatalities resulting from red-light running are other motorists and pedestrians, not the guilty party? According to the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, this dangerous behavior is actually the leading cause of all urban automobile crashes.

According to a recent study from the FHWA, close to 100 percent of all surveyed drivers report that they feel that other drivers running red-lights are a major safety threat, and about a third of all people claim that they personally know someone injured or killed in a red-light running accident.

More than 50 Americans lose their lives in red-light running crashes every month. But somehow the people who get tickets because they have broken the law have been cast as the victims.

According to the most recent red-light running statistics, in 2011, there were close to 720 people who were killed and an estimated 120,000 who were injured in accidents that involved red light running.

An average of 3.2 red light violations occur per hour according to a 2003 study conducted by University Transportation Center for Alabama in 4 states at 19 different intersections. Fatalities caused by red-light running are increasing at more than three times the rate of increase for all other fatal accidents.

Violators were most likely to be younger males and were likely to have prior accidents or alcohol-impaired driving convictions. The red light runners also were more likely to be speeding or alcohol-impaired at the time of the crash and less likely to have a valid driver’s license.
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