Articles Posted in Car Accidents

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is urging parents of children 8 years of age and younger to check their car seats and booster seats during Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs all next week from Sept. 19 to Sept. 25.

Our Massachusetts personal injury attorneys know the risks young children face in a serious or fatal car accident increase exponentially when they are not properly belted. The nationwide push culminates with National Seat Check Saturday on Sept. 25.

Here you will find a list of Massachusetts child seat inspection stations.

Here you can find information on the four ways to protect a child passenger: Rear-facing safety seat; forward-facing safety seat; booster safety seat; and seat belts.

The federal government reports that car accidents are the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14. In 2008, a total of 968 children were killed and 193,000 were seriously injured in car accidents nationwide. Massachusetts car accidents are significantly more dangerous for young children who are not properly fastened into a booster seat or other approved safety seat.

We recently reported on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog that some booster seats fit some vehicles better than others. Having a correct fit for your vehicle can be as important as having a correct fit for your child.

You can visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for a recent list of booster seats and their safety ratings. Of 72 seats tested, the agency gave its top rating to 21 seats for correctly fitting a full range of vehicles. While some seats really are better than others, companies have gotten better about working to ensure their products work safely with the widest possible range of vehicles.

“For the first time top-rated boosters outnumber ones the Institute doesn’t recommend,” says Anne McCartt, Institute senior vice president for research. “Now more than ever manufacturers are paying attention to belt fit, and it’s showing up in our ratings.”
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Riding with a pet in the car is just another distraction that can lead to a serious or fatal Massachusetts car accident, according to a recent report in the Chicago Tribune.

Studies suggest it is an increasing danger as dog ownership — and particularly the popularity of small lap dogs — continues to increase. The Humane Society of the United States reports that dogs are now in about 40 percent of all U.S. homes.

While the government has waged all-out war on text messaging and cell phone use by drivers, the distraction of a dog in the vehicle can be just as dangerous. A recent AAA survey found that two-thirds of dog owners frequently pet their dogs while driving — some even feed or water their pooch while driving down the road.

“As about 40 percent of Americans own dogs, we see this as an increasingly big problem,” said Beth Mosher, spokeswoman for AAA.

An 80-pound dog exerts more than a ton of force (2,400 pounds) in the event of an accident. And an unrestrained dog is frequently killed in a traffic collision. Just this week, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported on the case of a woman who was critically injured in a car accident. Her Pomeranian named Molly did not survive.

Another significant issue is the fact that dogs can become extremely territorial inside a wrecked vehicle, making it difficult or impossible for emergency crews to render aide. Officers on the scene have had to kill dogs so that rescue workers could tend to injured passengers inside a vehicle.

The recent survey conducted by AAA and Kurgo, a pet-restraint systems manufacturer, found that 55 percent of all pet owners ride with their pets in the vehicle. Twenty-one percent admit to riding with their pets in their lap. Seven percent acknowledge providing their dog with food or water while driving and 5 percent let a dog sit in their lap while behind the wheel.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that it takes only two seconds of distraction to cause a serious or fatal car accident.
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At least four people were injured in an Agawam, Massachusetts car accident on Sunday — authorities say speed was a factor in the crash, according to Massachusetts Live.

Massachusetts State Police report that the two-car accident happened on Suffield Street shortly before 4 p.m. on Sunday.

An 86-year-old Agawam man was seriously injured and taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The 20-year-old driver of the second car and two passengers were also transported to the hospital with injuries.

The preliminary investigation shows the 20-year-old driver may have been speeding north on Suffield Street when he collided with the other vehicle, according to Agawan police.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that speeding is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents. Nationwide, about one-third of all traffic fatalities involve a speeding vehicle. In 2008, speed-related crashes claimed 11,674 lives.

The cost of speed-related crashes is astronomical. In 2000, the cost was estimated at more than $76,000 a day, or about $1,300 a second.

Like many poor driving habits, young drivers are especially susceptible. The government reports that more than one-third of male drivers ages 15 to 24 were speeding at the time of their involvement in a fatal accident.

In 2008, speed-related car accidents in Massachusetts were responsible for 97 of the state’s 363 traffic fatalities.
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The factors that could contribute to your being involved in a Boston car accident may also result in an increase in your insurance premiums, making safe driving habits a means of both improving safety and saving money.

And insurance companies are paying more and more attention, according to a report on Yahoo!

“If the driver does get into an accident as a result of his behavior, his next policy renewal would reflect it,” said Robert U’Ren, VP of Quality Planning Corp, a company that assist auto insurers with validating and underwriting policies.

Behaviors likely to cause an injury accident and an increase in insurance premiums include:

Texting while Driving: As our Boston accident attorneys continue to report, a full-court, nationwide press is now aimed at stopping drivers from text messaging while behind the wheel. Thirty states have now outlawed the practice and even Oprah Winfrey has weighed in with the “No Phone Zone” challenge.

Those violating the law could receive a ticket, and their car insurance premiums could increase as a result.

Not wearing a seat belt: Nationwide initiatives aimed at seat belt enforcement continue to have an impact. An increasing number of states are switching from secondary to primary enforcement, allowing law enforcement to ticket violators even if they have not been stopped for some other moving violation.

Adding a teen driver: The mere presence of a teen driver on your policy will increase your rates substantially. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers ages 15 to 20, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Several off-the-road behaviors can also frequently impact your insurance rates including:

Missing credit card payments: While consumer advocates continue to argue against the policy, insurers continue to use the credit ratings of drivers in setting insurance rates. Companies claim those with poor credit or financial problems are a greater risk on the road and are more apt to engage in insurance fraud.

Paying insurance in installments: While motorists often saved a few bucks by paying all at once, rather than in monthly installments, that savings has gotten to be substantial. Frequently, a motorist can save several hundred dollars a year by paying in just one or two installments rather than paying by the month.
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