Articles Posted in Car Accidents

It’s been over a year since Gov. Patrick signed the state’s Safe Driving Law, which effectively bans Massachusetts motorists from sending, typing or reading electronic messages from a handheld device while driving.

It’s one of the most sweeping pieces of legislation in the country, and its designed to address the issue of distracted driving and quash the number of car accidents in Boston and throughout the state.

While officials in other states have debated text messages bans, the question that inevitably gets raised is: How will you enforce it? How will a police officer know whether the driver is sending a text or sending an e-mail?

Roadways throughout the state of Massachusetts may be looking a little better in the near future. According to Richard Davey, CEO and Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), funding from Obama’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is being distributed throughout western and central Massachusetts. The federal aid was provided to the state to help repair roadways from the damage caused by the June 1st tornadoes and August 26th Tropical Storm Irene.

The first grant is about $4 million and will help local communities throughout the area to fix roadway damage from the tornadoes. The second grant is about $41 million and will help cover damages along the East Coast resulting from Tropical Storm Irene. The Hawlet, Goshen, Charlemont, Ashfield and Adams communities will be receiving these funds to help reduce the risks of car accidents throughout Massachusetts.

Our Massachusetts car accident attorneys understand that faulty and neglected roadways are a top contributor to a lot of traffic accidents in the area. With the storms we saw in 2011, there are roadways throughout the state that have been damaged and can be dangerous for motorists. These funds from the FHWA will be used to help increase traffic safety along these roadways. Government and Transportation officials have a responsibility to keep roadways throughout the area safe for travel. This can often be difficult with the recent budget problems. This funding will help motorists throughout the state who regularly traverse the roadways damaged by these catastrophic storms.

“The summer’s tornadoes and Hurricane Irene packed a double wallop, and it still shows in the damage to our roads, bridges, and infrastructure. You don’t bounce back from that kind of severe weather on the cheap,” said U.S. Senator John Kerry.

United States Senator Scott Brown says he is thankful local communities will be receiving the federal funds to help make the proper repairs to damaged roadways. He adds that the federal assistance will help to relieve some of the budgetary burdens that many areas around the country are fighting.

Communities that will be using the federal funds:

-Hawley will be using more than $7,000 to help repair the roadways along Route 8A.

-Goshen will be using more than $10,000 to help fix shoulder and road repairs along West Road.

-Clarlemont will be using more than $440,000 to fix roads and slopes along South River Road.

-Ashfield will be using about $15,000 to fix roads and slopes along Williamsburg Road.

-Adams will be using about $15,000 to fix slopes and roads along East Hoosac.

Within these areas, there was significant damage done to a number of bridges and roadways from the storms. In most areas, cleanup and repair efforts are still underway. Government officials have a responsibly to keep roadways safe for traffic.
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As we recently reported on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, icy road conditions are causing a plethora of car accidents in Massachusetts. Slick, snowy and icy roadways are among the top causes of a number of traffic accidents thus far is 2012. These types of accidents are in fact preventable with the proper safe winter driving habits.

According to ABC5, a bridge expansion joint problem on Interstate 290 in Worcester was the scene of recent car accidents and a number of flattened tires. According to Massachusetts State Police, the area’s cold temps caused the expansion joint on the Interstate, near exit 20, to dislodge and to protrude from the ground. Shortly after, a tractor-trailer crashed into another vehicle in addition to a number of flattened tires.

Our Boston car accident attorneys understand that the latest reports concluded that nearly 10 vehicles received flat tires after driving over the expansion joint. Reportedly, officials with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) have been out at the scene and have made the appropriate repairs to that portion of the roadway. All vehicles have been either fixed or removed from the Interstate and traffic is flowing steady. But this brings up an important issue that we’ve been talking about recently: the importance of safe winter driving. Our roadways are dangerous through the winter season and short and simple road trips can turn deadly without the proper driving techniques.

MassDOT is here to offer drivers throughout the state some safe winter driving tips:

-Make sure that you clean the snow and the ice from your vehicle’s lights and windows before driving. You should also clear it off of the roof and the hood for maximum safety.

-You never want to tailgate. You should always leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front of you to stop safely.

-Be cautious of the current driving conditions. Remember that the posted speed limits are for driving on dry pavement. Slow down when snow or ice plague the roadway.

-Curb all distractions to maximize your attention and ability to react to a road hazard.

-Know the current road conditions. You can call 511 from your cell phone to retrieve this information. If calling from a land-line phone, call (617) 986-5511 for Metro Boston info, (508) 499-5511 for Central Massachusetts info and (413) 754-5511 for Western Massachusetts info.

-Be easy on your brakes. You should brake early and brake correctly because it takes more time and distance to stop safely on slick roads.

-Remember that bridge decks freeze first. These roadways have a different exposure to the air and are more vulnerable to ice than ground-level roads. Conditions on bridges are much more dangerous in freezing temps.

-Be cautious on exit ramps. These areas oftentimes receive less anti-icing materials than other road area and can oftentimes be extremely slippery.

-Avoid using the cruise control.

-Look farther ahead into traffic than you normally do to help you to see upcoming roadway dangers before it’s too late.

-Allow maintenance vehicles and snow plows with plenty of room. It’s recommended that you stay at least 200 feet behind them and don’t ever pass on the right.

-Wear your seat belt to help reduce the risks of injury or death in the event of an accident.
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is looking to stop drivers in all states from using a cell phone behind the wheel, except for during emergencies, according to the Boston Globe. In Massachusetts, drivers under the age of 18, bus drivers and city workers are already prohibited from texting and using the Internet while driving. Now the NTSB is looking to ban all cell phone use for all drivers, saying that too many car accidents in Massachusetts and elsewhere are caused by distracted drivers, even if they’re using a hands-free device. The proposal doesn’t add up to some people as it comes on the heels of a newly released study from the journal Epidemiology that concluded that talking on a hands-free device while driving may not be as dangerous as some suggest.

“More than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related accidents,” said NTSB chairwoman Deborah Hersman. “It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving.”

Our Boston car accident attorneys understand that the effects of distracted driving have been a hot topic of debate in recent years. Richard Young, an author of the Epidemiology study, says he’s sure that texting and making phone calls at the wheel is dangerous, but hands-free phone calls may not be any riskier than having a conversation with a passenger in the car. And we know the government can’t really ban talking to a passenger. The study suggests that the government needs to take a close look at what’s actually dangerous behind the wheel and go after those habits.

Young’s studies of accident data concluded that drivers who use cell phones are four times more likely to get into an accident, but the equation getting to that conclusion was flawed.

Researchers used cell phone records to look into the usage before an accident and then compared it with cell phone use at the same time on the day before the accident to determine whether or not usage was less when they were driving and lowered their risks for a crash. What other researchers failed to acknowledge is these drivers who were behind the wheel during the same time period on the previous day. Using GPS data, Young determine that about 25 percent of the time, they weren’t.

This, according to Young, completely accounted for that extra risk everyone’s always talking about.

More recent studies used cameras installed into vehicles to look at the effects of distracted driving. These cameras helped to accurately record cell phone use. These studies found that there was no increase in risk from drivers who used hands-free phones though, says Young. Young says his discovery could explain the discrepancy.

He admits though, he’s done some brain-imaging studies and agrees that using a hand-held cell phone can be a little bit distracting and slows a driver’s reactions slightly, but he says that people don’t change lanes as much and they place more focus on the road when they’re talking to accommodate for the extra task.
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As we recently reported on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is proposing that all states prohibit drivers from using a cell phone of any kind while driving. This ban would cover hands-free devices, hand-held devices, text messaging devices, PDAs, laptops and every other type of portable electronic device unless it’s used to aid safe driving or is being used in the event of an emergency.

Officials aren’t sure that such an elaborate ban is going to go over too well, according to CNN. Laws used to regulate distractions for drivers have been hitting the books since back in 2000. Since then, there have been no laws enacted to stop drivers from using hands-free devices, which the National Safety Council (NSC) says are just as dangerous.

Barbara Harsha with the Governors Highway Safety Association states that opponents to these types of laws see them as government intrusions and a stab against residents’ personal freedom. Our Massachusetts car accident attorneys understand that only school bus drivers and drivers under the age of 18 in our state are prohibited from using a hand-held cell phone at the wheel. All drivers are prohibited from text messaging which driving. Still, hands-free device usage is permitted, which the NSC says is equally as dangerous.

“It’s just one of those things that would be the equivalent of the 18th Amendment today. It’s a Prohibition that would not work,” said David Adkins with The Council of State Governments.

Regardless of what is considered as government intrusion or a violation of privacy, safety should be everyone’s number one priority. That’s why the NSC recently released a study to help illustrate just how dangerous even hands-free devices can be to drivers.

Currently, there are nearly 300 million wireless subscribers in the Unites States. Many of these subscribers admit to using these devices at the wheel. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 11 percent of drivers are using a cell phone at the wheel at any given moment. For this reason, about one out of every four car accidents is believed to have been caused by a distracted driver.

In 2010, roughly 3,100 people died and another 2.2 million were injured in car accidents that reported the involvement of a distracted driver. These accidents are completely preventable.

The NSC is hoping that its recent release will reach lawmakers in states across the country and will get them to understand the real dangers of distractions at the wheel, including hands-free devices. Until there is a uniform law enacted to get all drivers to put down the distraction, motorists are asked to voluntarily comply with the recommendation from the NTSB. Responsible driving habits may be our best chance at safer roadways.
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Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray was recently cited for numerous traffic violations and fined for allegedly falling asleep at the wheel and driving more than 100 mph before veering off the road and crashing a state-issued motor vehicle back in November, according to MSNBC.

According to police reports, the vehicle was traveling at roughly 108 miles per hour as Murray’s state-issued vehicle left Interstate 190 and caused a single-vehicle car accident in Sterling. Murray was not injured in the accident but was issued an approximate $600 fine for speeding, seat belt violation and lane violation.

Our Boson car accident attorneys understand that speed kills. According to recent studies, the faster a vehicle is traveling at the time of impact, the higher the risks are for a fatality. Murray is extremely lucky that he was not seriously injured in this accident. In addition to the speed, we would also like to point out how difficult the fight can be when traffic accidents involve government vehicles, like police cars, fire trucks and ambulances. When accidents like this occur, it is the investigators who are investigating themselves. Oftentimes these agencies can overpower citizens’ claims and reports. For this reason, these types of accidents require experienced legal representation to help you to fight for your rights and for any compensation in which you may be entitled.

According to reports, Murray says the accident happened when he lost control of his vehicle because of black ice on the roadways. Although the vehicle skidded on the roadway and eventually flipped over, Murray was fortunate enough to walk away from the accident. Information collected through the black box that was inside the vehicle led officials to rule that he had fallen asleep at the wheel and that black ice was not in fact the cause of the accident.

“As first responders came to the scene, they commented on the black ice and warned each other of the slippery conditions …so I assumed that’s what caused my accident,” said Murray.

Murray says that he also thinks that he was wearing his seat belt during the accident and that’s why he was able to walk away from the accident.

Law enforcement officers administered a breathalyzer and the test results indicated that there was no alcohol involved in the accident.

Murray says that he is going to reimburse the state for the car that he smashed in the accident. It was a 1997 unmarked Crown Victoria. It was first purchased by the state for nearly $40,000 but was valued at less than $10,000 when the accident occurred.

“I recognize that I should have been more careful,” said Murray.

Murray’s driving record reveals two previous traffic citations for speeding; one in 1992 and another in 2006.
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