Recently, drivers in the City of Boston were introduced to the “Don’t Block the Box” campaign. This is an education and enforcement effort that’s being used to help to stop gridlock and to improve traffic safety for both motorists and pedestrians.
The campaign focuses on our city’s busy intersections. This effort is a product of officials of the City of Boston in collaboration with those at MASCO.
Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that this campaign will be focused on about 20 intersections in the area. The campaign is being used to enforce the traffic law that says that a driver can’t enter an intersection if they’re not able to safely pass all the way through to the other side. If you’re busted lingering in an intersection because you don’t have enough space to pass through, then officers can slap you with a fine of $150. But more importantly than the citation and the fine is the risk that you’re creating for a potentially fatal car accident.
“A combination of new initiatives and hard work has helped to keep our local streets from being clogged with bumper to bumper traffic every day of the week,” said the city’s Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
There have been a number of programs launched in the area to help to get people out of their vehicles and to choose more effective ways to get around, like bicycles or pedestrian traffic. The City has even pushed the use of scooters. Whichever way you may choose, officials are hoping fewer drivers hit the streets and work to not only make our roadways less congested for everyone, but safer for all as well.
Drivers who keep blocking city intersections pose a serious threat to bicyclists and pedestrians as well as people who are in wheelchairs. This is such a threat because gridlock traffic blocks the crosswalks and interrupts the “walk” cycles at these intersections.
MASCO Senior Transportation Planner, Tom Yardley, says it is important drivers recognize the need for compliance and the need for public safety. Cars and trucks that unsafely enter an intersection create not only a traffic jam, but risks to sidewalk travelers and for emergency response teams should they need to pass. It’s an idea that’s been agreed on by officials of all kinds across the state, we need to work harder to raise awareness and to increase enforcement against this dangerous and irresponsible driving behavior.
This enforcement effort and campaign is all a part of Massachusetts General Laws, which reads that drivers cannot pass through an intersection if they cannot do so safely without stopping. If they can’t do it, then they have to wait for another cycle and for the green light to turn once again.
If you or a loved one has been in a accident, contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case. Call 877-617-5333.
More Blog Entries:
Electronics Causing Pedestrian Accidents in Massachusetts?, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, August 31, 2012
Millions Offered to States with Primary Distracted Driving Laws, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, August 26, 2012