A West Roxbury, Massachusetts car accident involving an 87-year-old woman last week is a reminder of the need to monitor the abilities of our older loved ones and speak with them about safe driving as the winter driving season nears.
Our Boston auto accident attorneys have written before about the issues facing older drivers. As we reported earlier this year on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, the state’s new distracted driving law also requires drivers over the age of 75 to undergo vision testing and to renew their driver’s license in person, rather than online.
In this case, the woman rammed her car through a guardrail in a parking lot and landed in a creek near the Charles River in West Roxbury. She was taken to Faulkner Hospital with back pain. The crash happened at the Toyota dealership on VFW parkway and witnesses say the car was traveling at 45 mph when is truck the guardrail. A spokesman for the dealership said the victim’s car was struck by a black sedan in the moments before the crash.
She raced off, sideswiping several used cars in the lot before crashing through a guardrail, down an embankment and into a creek.
In September, we reported about older drivers and Boston car accidents That blog took a look at a report that found that drivers over the age of 75 were twice as likely to say they would drive after the age of 90 than those drivers who more recently hit retirement age. Meanwhile, government statistics have found that those over the age of 75 were more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than drivers in any other age group.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides tips for speaking with older drivers about driving safety. It also reports that older drivers account for nearly one-sixth of all traffic fatalities and one-fifth of pedestrian fatalities. Most accidents involving older drivers occur during the day (80 percent) and on weekdays (72 percent).
If you have been injured in a Boston car accident or pedestrian accident, contact Massachusetts Injury Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333.