Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Our Boston personal injury lawyers frequently report that teen drivers are most at risk of getting into a car accident in Boston.

Sadly, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The Boston Herald reported on the recent death of a 19-year-old driver who lost control of his vehicle on Route 93 and fell onto an entry ramp over 30 feet below. It is still unclear why the teen lost control and the accident is still being investigated. The teen driver was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2009 that there were roughly 3,000 teens ages 15 to 19 fatally injured and over 350,000 were hospitalized for injuries sustained in a car crash.

Drivers 16 to 19 years old are 4 times more likely to crash than any other age group when comparing per miles driven. It is startling to think that an average of 8 teens ages 16 to 19 died every day in 2009 as a result of injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes.

Studies show that states that have a graduated drivers licensing program greatly reduce death and injuries to teen drivers. In fact, an article in The Boston Globe reported that the number of fatal accidents has decreased 75% for young drivers under 18 in Massachusetts in the last three years.

In recent years, the state mandated stricter penalties for teens committing violations, in addition to making it tougher to obtain a driver’s license in the state. Since passing the laws in 2006, speeding tickets for young drivers have plummeted by 60%; similarly, seat-belt violations for drivers and occupants have diminished at a comparable rate. Word of mouth has been a powerful resource in this instance. Teens are driving more responsibly in Massachusetts after hearing horror stories told by their friends following the consequences of a violation.

To obtain everything you need to know about how to acquire your junior operator license in Massachusetts, visit http://www.mass.gov/rmv/jol/index.htm for full list of details including driving tips, statistics, what to expect, and what the law requires.

Young drivers in Massachusetts should always remember to buckle up and drive safely.
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The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) recently announced that the Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) National Tour will be coming to Boston, among other cities nationwide.

Our Boston personal injury lawyers know that young drivers will benefit from Ford’s driving program, which in turn will reduce their risk of Boston car accidents involving young drivers.

An additional $1 million from Ford is being invested to expand the safety program that started in 2003 in partnership with GHSA. It is one of the nation’s most well-rounded teen driver safety programs.

“Inexperience is the leading cause of crashes in young drivers, and this program delivers the key skill sets that will increase their knowledge, confidence and, ultimately, their safety,” said Sue Cischke, of Ford. “Ford is passionate about helping young drivers learn the rules of the road, better manage distractions behind the wheel and help make America’s roads safer for all of us.”

High schools in these areas will benefit from the program this year: Birmingham, Ala.; Little Rock, Ark.; Hartford, Conn.; Orlando and Tallahassee, Fla.; Atlanta; Shreveport, La.; Portland, Maine; Jackson, Miss.; Manchester, N.H.; Albany, N.Y.; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; Providence, R.I.; Charleston, S.C.; Burlington, Vt. and Boston.

“This new commitment will bring Ford DSFL into many more communities. State highway safety offices will be able to use this program to complement ongoing laws and programs,” said GHSA Chairman Vernon F. Betkey Jr. “While teen driving safety is a key priority, too often our communities lack the resources to conduct these types of hands-on, high-tech trainings. We are grateful to Ford for helping fill these critical gaps.”

In 2009 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported over 3,000 teens ages 15 to 19 were killed in car crashes. Additionally more than 350,000 needed medical attention from a hospital for injuries sustained in car crashes.

Ford realizes that speed, space management, driver distraction, hazard recognition and vehicle handling are all factors in more than 60% of teen crashes.

Last year The Boston Globe reported on the drop in teen driver fatalities. It cited new laws that went into effect in March 2007, which increased driver’s education requirements and increase fines for new drivers.

Prior to these laws, a new driver getting a speeding ticket would just pay a fine. Now the driver loses their license for 90 days, has to take the driver’s exam again, attend 2 four-hour classes and pay $500 to get their license back.
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After a couple wonky years where national traffic congestion rates declined due to a poor economy and higher fuel costs, researchers with the Texas Transportation Institute say that as the economy continues to improve so will we see our national traffic congestion index again reflect across-the-board increases.

The 2010 TTI urban mobility report findings suggest that 2008 was the “best” year for commuters in more than a decade. With that said, a review of 2009 data indicates that urban traffic congestion is again on the rise. Traffic got so bad in 2009 that congestion costs soared to $115 billion and the total amount of fuel wasted idling in traffic topped 3.9 billion gallons.

The Washington Post reports that the TTI annual evaluation has become a high-profile transportation industry resource, and that with its popularity have come questions from detractors regarding the survey parameters.

In some respects, our Boston car accidents attorneys agree that attempting to quantify and qualify commuter misery is as complex as glutted roadways are stressful. But, even more important (and treacherous) than establishing contributing factors is making fixes. Increased use of public transportation and more effective and efficient roadway operations (coordinated traffic signal engineering, for example) top the list.

According to the 2010 report, use of public transportation alone saved 640 million gallons of fuel and cut U.S. traffic delays by an additional 785 million hours.

But what does it all mean for Boston commuters, aside from an increased risk of being involved in a Boston car accident?

The Boston Globe reports that the Boston “metro region” spanning Rhode Island to New Hampshire ranked seventh on the TTI urban mobility report for most time commuters spend stuck in traffic during peak travel time.

Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. led the nation as the most congested cities. But Boston wasn’t far behind. Essentially, if you commute to work in or around Boston, in 2009 you spent two days – 48 hours – stuck in traffic.

With that said, use of public transit raked in an annual savings of 32.9 million hours, earning Boston a respectable fifth place in this category. As for coordinated traffic signals, Boston didn’t even make the top ten. Trimming just 5.1 million hours off the Boston commute earned the city 14th place. On a lighter note, while we do spend two days inching about the city, we squeak by the top 20 most stressful commutes at 21st.
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State law enforcement officials are reviewing citation data covering the first 90 days since the enactment of a distracted driving law. The law fines motorists $100 for texting and driving in an effort to reduce the risk of Boston car accidents. Meanwhile, the Insurance Research Council is collecting data for a 30-day review of texting-while-driving habits of U.S. motorists.

According to UPI, as of the 90-day mark Massachusetts police had issued 245 texting citations around the state. Meanwhile, data collected by for the IRC report suggests that across the nation 18 percent of drivers surveyed during that time admitted to texting and driving. That’s one in five. Think about that the next time you’re stuck at a red light and everyone around you is fiddling with their phone.

As our Boston accident attorneys continue to report, distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents in Massachusetts and across the nation.

“These findings confirm that a large number of drivers are engaging in very dangerous behavior,” said IRC Senior V.P. Elizabeth Sprinkle. “The need to find an effective response to this behavior is becoming increasingly clear.”

At least one state lawmaker says that the citation number is admittedly dismally low, but not unexpected. Others say they are surprised it’s so high. It is, after all, a difficult law to enforce. The Boston Globe reports there is some debate regarding the effectiveness of legislation that outlaws a behavior so challenging to spot if practiced with discretion.

And let’s face it, texting can be done covertly. Unfortunately in doing so, the driver only further increases their risk of being involved in a distracted-driving related crash. The Globe reports that texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in a serious or fatal car accident than non-texters.

At 41 percent, the IRC report revealed that drivers aged 25 to 39 were far more likely than any other age group to admit to texting behind the wheel. Behind them, at 31 percent, were drivers aged 16 to 24. Just 12 percent of drivers 40 to 54 text and drive; and, for drivers 55 and older, that number drops to five percent.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 20 percent of all traffic fatalities – roughly 5,500 people – were killed last year in crashes linked to distracted driving. Another 448,000 were injured.

Advocates of distracted driving laws say it isn’t the number of tickets that are issued that matters, but raising awareness that counts. A AAA Foundation spokesperson told the Boston Globe she thinks that from a public-awareness perspective the campaign is off to a great start.
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Distracted driving has been a danger to drivers for many years but it seems to be more of a focus for government officials now that cell phone use has become commonplace behind the wheel.

Boston drivers might ask themselves, is cell phone use (handheld or hands free) the primary distraction relating to Massachusetts automobile accidents?

Our Boston personal injury lawyers know distraction is one of the leading causes of serious and fatal accidents in Massachusetts. But there is a growing debate about whether the crash data supports the focus on cell phone use and text messaging when it comes to distracted driving, according to a recent article in USA Today.

Distracted driving has always been a cause for accidents; it just seems the awareness is now there more than in the past. Over the past five years, studies have shown that fatal accidents associated with driving distracted have gone from 10% in 2005 to 16% in 2009.

Last September the NHTSA did an analysis of 7,000 crashes. They found that 30% of crashes were a result of at least one of 14 sources of distracted driving found in a vehicle.

Texting did not appear to be a factor in any of the 7,000 crashes analyzed. This is ironic, considering the number of monthly text messages sent has increased from 7 billion in 2005 to 173 billion in 2010.

In the 7,000-crash study, 16% of the crashes were reportedly due to talking to another passenger; talking, hanging up, or dialing accounted for 3.4% of the crashes; and looking at other objects in the car accounted for 3.2%.

Perhaps the auto-making industry could be held somewhat accountable for distracted driving. In a period in which vehicles come equipped with so many gadgets, bells, and whistles, it is difficult not to become distracted while driving. Despite the phone-related technology that most vehicles come equipped with, the automakers have taken a stand in support of state legislatures to ban all cell phones and texting devices. And to make it a primary offense in each state. However, restricting hands-free calls is not something they are in support of.

Focus Driven is an advocate group celebrating their one year anniversary on the fight against cell phone use while driving. Though their goal is not to punish drivers, their message is to make a choice. Choose to put the safety and well-being of those around you more important than texting or talking on the cell phone.

Child safety advocates want the focus to be put back on children rather than so much emphasis on distracted driving. The 2009 data showed that child fatalities for those under age 14 were down 3%, however, ages 1-6 deaths were up 18 percent.

Using state funding to put the focus back on safety belts and child restraints is equally as important as using monetary resources to govern distracted driving and cell phone bans. Drivers and families who use common sense, regardless of the law, will be best able to avoid a serious or fatal accident.
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