Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Ambien and other sleeping pills help people throughout the Boston area to get a good night’s rest. Unfortunately, new research has revealed that the active ingredient in Ambien, Zolpimist, Edluar and certain generic sleeping pills doesn’t completely wear off by morning. As a result, there are lots of drivers on their morning commutes who are still groggy due to sleeping pills.

According to Boston.com, the FDA has recently issued an order requiring drug makers to lower the dose of sleep medication in these popular sleeping pills. Our Boston car accident attorneys want to make sure everyone is aware that these sleeping medications can create an auto accident risk. If you have old pills in your cabinet, you should use proper safety precautions to make sure you are not driving when you are impaired.

The New FDA Requirements for Sleeping Pills
The FDA is targeting all sleep aids that contain the active ingredient zolpidem, which includes Ambien and several other brands. Sleep pills with different active ingredients, such as Sonata and Lunesta, are not required by the FDA to make any changes at this time.

For the affected drugs, the FDA is mandating that doses for women be cut in half since women’s bodies are slower to process the drug. This means that doses for women should be reduced from 10 milligrams to 5 milligrams for standard sleeping pills. For extended dose pills, the doses for women should be reduced from 12.5 milligrams to 6.25 milligrams.

The FDA also recommends that the newer lower dosages also be used for men, although this is not required. In fact, in any situation, the FDA urges doctors to prescribe the lowest possible dose of sleep medications to patients.

The new lower FDA limits are necessary because testing has revealed that the drugs can remain in people’s system at levels that interfere with both coordination and alertness. This, of course, increases the risk of an auto accident occurring because the driver is impaired.

Avoiding Accidents With Sleeping Pills
If you currently have sleeping pills that you are taking, it is important to be aware that these pills have the higher doses of medication. Therefore, the pills may impact your ability to drive, especially in the morning when the active drugs have not yet been processed and removed from your body.

Driving when you are impaired by sleeping pills can be dangerous for you and it can also be dangerous for every other driver and pedestrian who has to share the road with you. The drugs carry a warning that they could potentially cause drowsiness, and this warning must be respected.

If you do cause an auto accident as a result of being impaired by a sleeping pill, this can constitute impaired driving even though the pill is legal. Those who cause auto accidents because they drive while under the influence of sleeping pills can also be sued by injured victims of auto accidents or by surviving family members of people killed in a crash.
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The time between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve is among the most dangerous periods to be on the road in Massachusetts and throughout New England. Recently, Boston.com reported that more accidents occur during the year-end holidays than at other times throughout the year, in large part because of more travelers as well as an increased risk of drunk and aggressive driving.

As you enter into the holiday season, our Boston personal injury attorneys urge you to understand the increased risk of auto accidents and to take steps to avoid the most dangerous behaviors that contribute to such wrecks.

The Causes of Holiday Auto Accidents
There are many reasons why the number of accidents increase from Thanksgiving to New Years. One reason is that there are simply more drivers on the road as people go see friends, take trips and travel for the holidays. The bad winter weather may also contribute to the increased car accident risks. However, while these factors are beyond the control of drivers, there are also some driver behaviors that significantly up the chances of a holiday car wreck.

Law enforcement officials have identified three specific behaviors that tend to be factors responsible for causing holiday auto accidents. CBS Boston reports that state police in Massachusetts as well as the five other New England States will be teaming up to help put a stop to these behaviors this holiday season.

The behaviors of concern that lead to crashes over the holidays include:

• Driver aggression
• Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Driving while distracted

Each of these behaviors presents some serious dangers. For example, the National Safety Council (NSC) indicates that speeding, a form of aggressive driving, is a contributing cause of one out of every three deadly car crashes in the U.S. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety statistics also indicate that aggressive driving is a factor in 56 percent of U.S. fatal car crashes. Aggressive driving behaviors of concern include speeding, tailgating, failing to give another driver the right-of-way and engaging aggressively with another driver.

Distracted and drunk driving are no less dangerous. Statistics from Distraction.gov indicate that 3,092 car accident deaths in 2010 can be attributed to distracted driving and the Century Council reports that there were 114 drunk driving deaths in the state of Massachusetts in 2010. Distracted driving can include driving while on a cell phone, while texting or when otherwise focusing on anything besides the road. Drunk driving typically refers to driving with your blood alcohol content exceeding .08, but can also include other situations where your driving abilities are impaired by either alcohol or drugs.

Avoiding Auto Accident Dangers This Holiday Season
Law enforcement hopes that tougher enforcement, a larger police presence and driver education will help to curb these dangerous behaviors this holiday season. As a driver, you should be aware of the increased risk, however, and you should also be aware that you have legal rights if other drivers are careless or break the laws and cause you harm.
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Officials with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently unveiled a new and more effective snow-clearing machine. It’s the Tow Plow and it can clean 2.5 travel lanes in just one pass. A typical snow plow can’t even clear one lane at a time.

“This Mega Plow takes the place of three pieces of equipment. We are reducing emissions, man-power, and still clearing the roads for our customers,” said MassDOT CEO and Secretary Richard A. Davey.

Our Braintree personal injury attorneys understand that the snowplows may serve as a nice convenience for us as they help us to navigate our roadways in the snowiest of conditions, but they also serve up some serious dangers. Snowplow operators are typically safety-conscious, but they need your help. Stay back and allow them to safely do their job of clearing the road for you. Don’t take a chance. Don’t crowd the plow!

This season, there are 12 new Tow Plows on order and already 40 new plows with spreaders and 9 new loaders. There are also 4,000 private vendors who join MassDOT in working to clear our roadways.

This year’s ice and snow budget is $45 million. Already this year, District 2 (consisting of New Braintree to Westhampton and Warwick or Southwick) has spent close to $250,000 because of the storm on the 7th of November. Currently, District 2 has close to 80,000 gallons of liquid de-icers and anti-icers, more than 2,000 tons of sand and close to 40 tons of salt. All we need is safe drivers to help them to lay it down safely — without car accidents.

To help to keep you safe around these snow and ice-removing vehicles, we’re here to offer you some safe driving tips. Please review them and share them with your loved ones. Safe roadways is a group effort from all motorists.

Safety Tips — Snowplows:

-Remember that these vehicles have large blind spots and can’t see behind their vehicles. Sometimes they stop or backup to complete clearing the roadway. Keep your distance from these vehicles.

-Keep an eye out for these vehicles. They can be in one lane or in all of the lanes. Make sure you know where they are.

-Stay out of “authorized vehicle only” areas. These are areas for snowplows and other official vehicles to make turnaround.

-Slow down your speed when passing snowplows.

-Always wear a seat belt to help to prevent injury and death in the event of an accident.

-Make sure your headlights are on to increase your visibility and to help others to see more easily.

-Before heading out, check the weather and the traffic reports. This will help you to steer clear of congested and closed areas. This way you can plan a more effective route.

-Never drive through a snow cloud or in whiteout conditions.

-Keep it calm. Remember that snowplow operators periodically pull over to allow traffic to pass by.
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Our youngest drivers are at the highest risks for drowsy driving car accidents.

According to a recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, drivers between 16- and 24-years-old are more likely to drive while feeling sleepy than any other age group of drivers. Officials with AAA conducted a survey with these young drivers and found that one out of every seven of them reported that they’ve nodded off behind the wheel at least once in the last year. With drivers in other age groups, only one out of every ten admitted to falling sleep at the wheel.

The new findings come with the most recently drowsy driving statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to data, these young drivers were more than 75 percent more likely to get into a drowsy driving car accident than older drivers.

There’s a new telephone number that’s going to help drivers to get the transportation information they need. It’s all a part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation‘s (MassDOT) internal OneVoice transition.

“It’s a voice that is focused on the customer. Maybe you don’t know your highway district, nearest airport, bus route or what time the local RMV opens. Today, we are telling our customers all that information is just one call away, 857-DOT-INFO,” says Richard A. Davey, the MassDOT Secretary.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that the Transportation Reform, launched in 2009, brought together agencies, like MassHighway and the Turnpike Authority. While that was a giant step at the time, we’ve come leaps and bounds since then. Today, there are four divisions within MassDOT. These divisions include the Aeronautics Division, the Rail and Transit Division, the Registry of Motor Vehicles Division and the Highway Division.

This union has allowed officials with MassDOT to consolidate functions and to save some money. One of the few things that hadn’t been consolidated, until recently, was the phone system. This system, the OneVoice phone transition, will result in $420,000 in maintenance savings each year.

The existing customer service line, 617-222-3200, is still working.

We understand how vital it is to make sure you know where you’re going, how to get there and how the traffic and weather are looking. The OneVoice hotline is going to help you to get all of this information.

While useful, we’re asking drivers not to take advantage of the new technology while they’re behind the wheel. There should never be a time when you have to use the phone while driving. If there is something you need to know and you can get it from OneVoice, we are asking you to hand the phone off to a passenger and let them handle it. Keep your attention on the task at hand. If you’re driving alone, we’re asking you to pull over to a safe area, stop the vehicle and then continue to make the call.

Every year, there are thousands who are killed in distracted driving car accidents. The main cause of these kinds of accidents is cell phone use. As a matter of fact, about 20 percent of all of the people who are killed in traffic accidents are killed in a car crash that involved a distracted driver. In 2010, there were more than 3,090 people killed in these crashes. Another 420,000 were injured in these same types of accidents.

As a matter of fact, you’re 4 times more likely to get into a car accident while using a hand-held cell phone. According to a recent Distraction.gov survey, roughly 40 percent of American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger.
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Would your airbags protect you and your family if you were involved in a car accident?

Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are saying that they might not if you’ve had them replaced within the last 3 years.

Recently, safety officials announced a safety advisory alert for counterfeit airbags. There have been some problems with organized criminals selling fake airbags to various mechanics in the state. These airbags were most commonly purchased online.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that the untrained eye may never be able to identify one of these airbags. They have the same insignia and the markings of major automakers. They’ve been created to mimic original, certified airbags. The NHTSA has already completed a test that has determined that these airbags run the chance of not deploying at all when needed, and some even caused explosions and shrapnel deployment.

Officials have also not been able to pinpoint which cars they can be found on. This is not a risk you should consider taking. If you’ve had your airbags replaced in the last 3 years by a shop not affiliated with a new-car dealership, you should consider getting them checked out by a professional. That’s the only way that you’re going to be able to tell if you have one of these counterfeit airbags.

If this pertains to you, then you should get in touch with the call center that has been created by each auto manufacturer to schedule an inspection of your vehicle. You can get more information about these call centers and more information on the counterfeit airbags on the SafeCar website.

“Anytime equipment that is critical to protecting drivers and passengers fails to operate properly, it is a serious safety concern,” said Ray LaHood, Transportation Secretary.

It’s important that all vehicle owners are alerted about this situation. Share this information with your friends, your family and your loved ones. It could help to save lives. It’s also important that you keep up with the latest vehicle safety recalls. Many times, vehicle owners are never informed about their vehicles and the dangers that accompany them, including problems with the tires, the internal and external devices and even the airbags.

Airbags are one of the most important lines of defense in the event of a car accident. It’s critical to make sure that these devices are working correctly — at all times.

To help to stop these airbags from being installed in our vehicles, the NHTSA is working alongside the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to make sure that none of these airbags are making their way into the country. Organized criminals are developing and selling these kinds of dangerous products. It’s clear that they have little to no regard for U.S. safety. Have your airbags checked today!
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Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently announced that they would be offering close to $600,000 to both Massachusetts and Connecticut to help them to create, plan and conduct campaigns and high-visibility enforcement efforts to get drivers to stop text messaging behind the wheel.

Each state is going to receive about $300,000 to train its officers on more effective ways to hunt down and spot drivers who are text messaging behind the wheel. The money will also help to fund more campaign messages and media spots to help to spread the word about the dangers of texting and driving.

“We have come a long way in our fight against distracted driving, but there is still much work to be done,” said Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary.

Our Quincy accident lawyers understand that the State of Massachusetts already bans all drivers from text messaging behind the wheel, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The problem is that drivers aren’t listening. One of the most effective ways to get drivers to follow road laws and to help to increase safety on our state’s streets is to up the ante. This is done by more campaigns, more awareness programs and more police enforcement. And that’s where the NHTSA is coming in.

Currently, there are only 39 states that have laws that place bans on drivers text messaging. Only 10 states have laws that are designed to stop all drivers from using a hand-held cell phone at the wheel. Even though these laws are spread out across the nation, there are still far too many drivers who are getting into distracted driving car accidents because of these devices. In many states, like in Massachusetts, drivers are banned from text messaging behind the wheel but not from using a cell phone. With the mixture of these laws, it’s tough for officers to be able to tell if a driver was text messaging or was dialing a number to call — one illegal and one not, but both looking similar.

When all of these activities are banned, it’s much easier for an officer to bust a driver.

To help to stop drivers from text messaging behind the wheel, officials in both Connecticut and in Massachusetts will be using spotters and stationary patrols on elevated roadways. They will also be able to perform more roving patrols. The funds are to help these states to judge the effectiveness of each wave of high-visibility enforcement. The study period will be two years. The results are going to be used to help to determine which efforts should be used in other states to help to get drivers to hang up the phone.

In just 2010, there were more than 3,000 people who were killed in car accidents that involved a distracted driver. Another 415,000 people were injured in these same incidents. It’s such a problem, that these accidents account for close to 20 percent of all of the injury accidents reported that year.
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According to the Boston Transportation Department, the city is now done with its Scooter and Motorcycle Parking Program in a number of areas in the Financial District.

Officials say there are going to be close to 20 parking spots that will soon be established to help to provide those who ride motorcycles and scooters in the area with a place to park with a meter. These spots will mimic the close to 40 slots that were installed on Boylston and Newbury Streets in the Back Bay back in 2010.

“The Back Bay parking slots are popular, there is demand to create more of them, and the Financial District is another busy area of the City where we expect that parking slots will be utilized regularly,” said Thomas J. Tinlin, the Transportation Commissioner.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that scooters and motorcycles are a popular form of transportation in the area, especially during the warmer months. These vehicles offer drivers a quick, convenient and inexpensive way to get around the city.

New Parking Slots Will be Located:

-Four spaces between Wendell and Franklin Streets on Batterymarch Street.

-Four spaces at India Street on Milk Street.

-Four spaces at Oliver Street on High Street.

-Three spaces between High Street and Purchase Street on Pearl Street.

These spaces are all a part of the Complete Streets program. This is an approach to transportation creation, planning and projects that the city started a few years ago to help to make sure that our streets are not only environmentally friendly, but that they’re accommodating to everyone.

To make room for the new spots, officials will be taking out three metered spots in each area, in addition to curb space that is unregulated. Typically, normal parking spots are about 20-feet long. Since the new spots are only 5-feet long, we can park four motorcycles and/or scooters in the same space.

To park in these new spots, it’s only a quarter an hour. Regular sports are $1.25 an hour. There’s also no time limit at these spots. Most normal spots for passenger vehicles have a 2-hour time limit.

With this program growing each passing day, the government is starting to grab on to the benefits of these kinds of alternative transportation methods in the big-city environment. These smaller vehicles produce less pollution, they help to alleviate congestion, they help to sustain the environment and they take up less space when parking.

Regardless of where they park, travelers need to be cautious when traveling with these smaller vehicles. Scooter riders and motorcyclists are more vulnerable to injury and death in the event of a traffic accident. Remember that they have rights to our roadways too, and they need to be treated with the same respect as any other driver. Help to keep them safe out there and travel courteously.
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Massachusetts State Police were forced to close down Route 3 in Plymouth between Exits 5 and 6 because of a rollover car accident.

According to Wicked Local, drivers were backed up way past Exit 5 and were forced to sit in near stand-still traffic on Route 3A as the detour was also backed up.

The car crash happened at a portion of the road identified as part of a repaving project in the area. According to Capt. John Rogers with Plymouth Police, only one vehicle was involved in this accident. The female driver was taken to Jordan Hospital and then was taken via Medflighted to Boston.

Our Plymouth car accident lawyers understand that some vehicles are more prone to rollover accidents than others. Still, everyone’s at risk. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are close to 300,000 rollover accidents that claim about 10,000 lives each and every year. In 2003 in particular, more than 35 percent of deadly SUV accidents were the rollover accidents. Sport utility vehicles (SUV) have the highest rates for rollover accidents than any other kind of vehicle. Most commonly, the cause of these accidents is the fact that SUVs are more likely to carry heavy leads. This means that they’re more likely to topple over.

Most of these accidents are directly related not only to the load carried on a vehicle, but the vehicle’s stability when it turns. This is related to the vehicle’s center of gravity and the track width, meaning the distance between the wheels from left to right (not front and back). When a vehicle has a high center of gravity and it has a narrow track, taking fast turns greatly increases the risks for a rollover. This problem is most common on vehicles that are 4-wheel-drive. These cars have a higher ground clearance for off-road driving.

There are ways that you can reduce your risks for a rollover accident though. According to the NHTSA, these are 5 tips (listed below) that all drivers should follow.

Rollover Safety Tips:

-Avoid conditions that increase your risks for a rollover accident, including driving under the influence, speeding, driving while drowsy, driving through inclement weather and driving erratically.

-Be cautious when driving along rural roads.

-Avoid erratic steering. If you lose control of your vehicle and slide off of the road, you want to calmly steer back onto the street. Jerking the wheel into one direction only increases your risks for a rollover.

-Make sure that your tires are always in good working condition. Make sure they’re never too worn and that the tire pressure is always accurate. When your tires are worn, they’re more likely to lose traction with the pavement and cause a rollover accident.

-Make sure you’re not overloading your car. Your vehicle’s manual should have a weight limit listed inside. When loading your vehicle with additional weight, make sure that you’re driving slower and more cautiously.
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As we recently discussed on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, road rage and aggressive driving puts drivers at increased risk for traffic accidents.

Roughly 90 percent of drivers say that they’ve either witnessed an act of road rage or they’ve been the victim in one of these incidents. Massachusetts is certainly not immune. After all, Boston drivers are legendary.

According to the Boston Globe, a 27-year-old driver from Weymouth was threatened with a knife by another driver. Police say that the man was heading down Peal Street when he let a motorist get in front of him. That’s when a second driver pulled up next to him and started yelling. Reports indicate that the men exchanged a few choice words before the enraged driver reportedly wielded a knife and pointed it at the other driver. The victim in the incident drove toward the MBTA station for safety. Unfortunately, officers were not able to track down the enraged driver, but they are still investigating.

Our Braintree personal injury attorneys understand how frustrating our state’s roadways can be. They’re awfully congested at times and are only going to get worse with the upcoming travel season. Drivers are asked to remain calm and to take the necessary safety precautions to help to eliminate the risks of any kind of road rage incident.

According to RoadRagers.com, road rage, which is also known as road violence, occurs when drivers partake in deliberately dangerous and/or violent behavior after getting emotional, angry or frustrated behind the wheel. It’s when these emotions get out of hand that bad things happen and drivers make irrational judgments.

Acts of Road Rage:

-Hitting another traveler, object or vehicle with your vehicle.

-Firing a weapon from your car.

-Hitting another person who may not be in their vehicle.

-Physically harming any other traveler.

-Getting out of your car and approaching another traveler in a hostile manner.

-Yelling insults at another person.

Top Contributors to Road Rage:

-Traffic backups.

-Other’s dangerous driving habits.

-Bad weather conditions.

-Loud noises.

-Running late.

There are simple ways that you can avoid road rage. If you run across an enraged driver, you want to steer clear of them. Never antagonize a driver. Avoid making eye contact and don’t return their gestures. You want to drive to a safe place if you feel threatened and contact authorities.

You want to make sure that you have plenty of time to get to your destination. Rushing increases irritability and the risks for rage behind the wheel. Avoid traveling during congested rush hours and stay away from busy roads.

It’s important to remain calm behind the wheel. We’ve all got to get through the same traffic on the same roadways. Let’s all work together to help to keep everyone safe!
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