Articles Posted in Car Accidents

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).
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Our Massachusetts car accident lawyers have recently reported on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer blog that parents can reduce the risk of their teen being involved in a traffic crash simply by spending more diverse and instructive time supervising them during the permitting process.

Car accidents kill more teenagers each year than suicide, homicide and cancer. The AAA Foundation reports that in 2008, more than 800,000 drivers aged 15 to 18 were involved in car accidents which claimed the lives of 3,431 vehicle occupants and injured 350,000.

Recently the AAA Foundation undertook a year-long in-depth study of supervised driving and found that student drivers were not getting enough practice driving at night, in bad weather, or in heavy-traffic conditions on city roads, highways or interstates. Nor was there enough dialogue between parent and child regarding defensive driving or navigating safely through unexpected driving situations.

One key element to cultivating good driving skills in your teen is being a good example, AAA Massachusetts reports. To help parents and teens make the most of their shared time behind the wheel, the State of Illinois produced a parent-teen driving guide that provides instructive tips for a few common and more complex driving skills teen need to master. They include:

BACKING UP:

~ Before putting the vehicle in reverse, check all around the vehicle for pedestrians, other cars or objects (like mailboxes). Physically turn your body, don’t just rely upon side- and rear-view mirrors.

~ Backing up is a “walking speed” activity. It’s easy to get disoriented with the mechanics of moving in reverse, so you want to tackle the process at a low rate of speed. Keep your foot lightly hovering over the brake pedal and remember that tiny steering corrections can have a big impact in the direction of your vehicle. Turn the wheel gently, slowly and thoughtfully.

ESTABLISHING RIGHT OF WAY:

~ Working emergency vehicle ALWAYS have the right-of-way in any traffic situation and most states have some form of “move over” law on the books that requires drivers to slow down and change lanes when approaching an emergency vehicle or if one is coming up from behind.

~ If another driver isn’t obeying right-of-way “chain of command” – don’t resist or obstruct them. Let them proceed to avoid and accident or prevent a road-rage incident.

~ When making a left turn, oncoming traffic has the right-of-way. Just because you have a green light, does not mean it is safe to proceed. Before you move, check traffic and road conditions to make sure you have a clear path where you are heading and a safe entry zone.
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Our Massachusetts car accident attorneys know that more than 34,000 people died in fatal car accidents across the U.S. in 2008. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 8,461 were killed – or roughly 25 percent – in fatal car accidents occurring at or near intersections. That same year, there were 338 fatal Massachusetts car accidents, with 72 – or a little more than 20 percent of them – intersection-related.

For one Lowell family, such statistics hit home, the Boston Globe reports. On Sat., Sept. 11 a 31-year-old law enforcement officer and father of two was struck and killed while riding his Harley Davidson through the intersection of Princeton Blvd. and Foster Street. The driver, who witness say had glassy, bloodshot eyes and spoke with slurred speech, was driving with two passengers, both of whom were intoxicated.

MassDOT Highway Division’s Top Ten crash intersection locations:
1. Fall River (Plymouth Ave. & Rodman St.): total crashes – 155, injury crashes – 31
2. Lowell (VFW Hwy. & Varnum Ave.): total crashes – 127, injury crashes – 31 3. Westfield (North Elm St. & Pochassic St.): total crashes – 130, injury crashes – 30 4. Lowell (Middlesex St. & Wood St.): total crashes – 132, injury crashes – 28
5. Boston (Massachusetts Ave. & Melnea Cass Blvd.): total crashes – 107, injury crashes – 31, fatal crashes – 1
6. Lowell (Bridge St. & VFW Hwy.): total crashes – 111, injury crashes – 32 7. Raynham (Rt. 44 & Orchard St.): total crashes – 94, injury crashes – 34
8. Worchester (Highland St./Lincoln Square & Main St.): total crashes – 124, injury crashes – 26
9. Brockton (Pleasant St. & West St.): total crashes – 95, injury crashes – 30 10-1. Quincy (Hon. Thomas E. Burgin Pkwy. & Granite St.): total crashes – 111, injury crashes – 25
10-2. Lowell (Church St. & Appleton St.): total crashes – 99, injury crashes – 28
In some cases, where a state or local government fails to correct issues at a dangerous intersection, a lawsuit may be brought against the government entity responsible for its maintenance and upkeep. Many times, just knowing where the dangers lie can be enough to help a motorist avoid a serious or fatal crash, either by choosing alternative routes to avoid the intersection, or by using extra caution.
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