There is a new public awareness campaign and it could help to save your life! The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has recently teamed up with a number of public safety partners across the state to help to advise motorists in the event of a breakdown or a car accident in Massachusetts inside our state’s dangerous Metropolitan Highway System Tunnels.
“Drivers finding themselves involved in a crash, or stuck in a disabled vehicle, need to know the safest plan is to remain in their car until help arrives,” said the MassDOT Secretary and CEO, Richard A. Davey.
Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that vehicle breakdowns and accidents can leave motorists in some scary predicaments. Being stranded on the side of the road is dangerous for everyone, the broken down motorists and the passing traffic. These roadway dangers are amplified even more when one of these scenarios happen inside one of the state’s busy Metropolitan Highway System Tunnels. That’s why MassDOT has decided to launch the new campaign, asking drivers to stay in their vehicles if they’re stuck on the side of the road or have been into an accident in of one of these tunnels.
In addition to asking motorists to stay in their vehicles when these kinds of incidents happen, the safety campaign is also reminding drivers that there are live video streams inside each of the tunnels. These video streams are watched over by officials with MassDOT’s Highway Operations Center. They are observed 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Massachusetts State Police are also ready to respond to tunnel incidents in a matter of minutes.
To help spread the message and to raise awareness, there is a brochure that’s being handed out at toll plazas in the Airport Tunnels, at the Tobin Bridge and at the Allston/Brighton plaza. Customers who use the Fast Lane at these toll ways will be getting these brochures in their e-mail along with their monthly statements.
To help spread the word to even more people, officials with the Transportation Department will also be setting up billboards that will be displaying tunnel awareness tips. These billboard messages will be located on the digital boards along I-93 in Stoneham and Medford.
The new tunnel safety awareness campaign was created after the fatal accident in the O’Neill Tunnel back in November that took the life of a motorist.
Frank DePaola, the Administrator for MassDOT Highway says that the fatal November accident caused officials to think about how we can all work together to make these tunnels safer for everyone.
Representative William Straus, the Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, says that education and awareness can be the simple fixes that can help to promote and enhance public safety in these areas.
If you or someone who is close to you has been injured or killed in an accident in a Massachusetts tunnel or elsewhere in the state of Massachusetts, contact Boston Injury Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman. Our firm offers free and confidential appointments to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333.
More Blog Entries:
Woman Paralyzed After Newton Accident Determined to Walk Again, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, February 29, 2012
NHTSA Proposed Ban on Dashboard Devices to Reduce Risks of Car Accidents in Massachusetts, Nation, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, February 21, 2012