Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog
According to a recent study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and groups with the Trust for America’s Health, the state of Massachusetts ranked third in the nation for injury prevention measures. Our state had some of the lowest fatality rates, sitting at about 41 deaths per 100,000 residents resulting from fatal auto accidents in Boston and elsewhere every year. The national fatal injury rate sat at nearly 60 per 100,000 residents.
Included in this report were a number of injury prevention policies that states could enact to help to reduce the number of fatal accidents, according to the Boston Globe. Some of these prevention strategies include strict drunk driving laws, seat belt laws and other regulations to help to prevent domestic violence. Our state was proud to check off 7 out of the 10 recommended policies. Only New York and California ranked higher than us, both being able to check off 9 out of the 10 recommended policies.
Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that our state has a good number of laws in place that help to reduce the risk of injury. It’s up to residents and visitors to abide by these laws for them to actually work. Some of the laws that our state already has include requiring bicyclists under the age of 16 -years-old to wear a helmet, requiring all motorcyclists to wear a helmet on our roadways and requiring all child passengers under the age of 8 to be placed in the proper child seat.
We did lose some points though. We got some marked off for still having our seat belt laws as secondary enforcement. Officers are not allowed to pull over a driver just because they don’t have their seat belt on. They have to be breaking another road law before they can be pulled over and cited for not wearing a seat belt.
Massachusetts was however, praised for our laws and regulations to help to prevent and to manage concussions, to keep an eye on prescription drugs and to help to prevent accident overdoses and to make it relatively simple to file and complete a restraining order against a partner who has been deemed violent. Still though, many officials say that there’s a whole lot more that could be done and we need to continue working our way to the number one spot as the safest state in the country.
During the summer season, students are out on summer break, families and residents are venturing out on summer vacations and millions of tourists are heading to the area. Make sure that, no matter what you do, you keep safety as a number one priority.
If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident in Boston, Quincy or elsewhere in the state, contact Boston Injury Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman. to set up a free and confidential appointments to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333.
Additional Resources:
Massachusetts ranks third for injury prevention, by Deborah Kotz, Boston Globe
More Blog Entries:
Intersection Car Accident in Somerville Sends Seven to Hospital, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, May 18, 2012
Bicycle Accidents in Boston and Elsewhere Targeted by Bay State Bike Week 2012!, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, May 12, 2012