Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog

To help to stop teen car accidents in Quincy and elsewhere, AT&T recently launched its “It Can Wait” campaign.

The campaign started in the state of Massachusetts back in 2011 and since then organizations and law enforcement agencies across the country have joined in to help to raise awareness about the risks of distracted driving among teen drivers nationwide, according to The New York Times. This campaign usually takes place during the summer months because it’s during this time that teen drivers face the most dangerous risks for car accidents.

“Memorial Day is the beginning of the 100 deadliest days of the year for teen drivers,” said president of AT&T in the New England area, Patricia Jacobs.

Our Quincy car accident lawyers understand that teens know that texting while driving is dangerous. Studies prove it! Unfortunately, studies also show that these young drivers are still sending and receiving text messages behind the wheel. According to a recent AT&T study, more than 95 percent of teens know that it’s dangerous to text and drive at the same time. The same study also revealed that nearly 45 percent of these young drivers are still texting behind the wheel and another 75 percent say that their friends are doing it on a regular basis.

The study revealed that teens feel peer pressure from their buddies to respond to these messages quickly and that’s why they’re not waiting. The study also illustrated that parents and other adults are setting a poor example behind the wheel, leading these young drivers to believe that it’s okay to text and drive.

It’s going to be tough to get these young drivers to put the phones away while they’re on our roadways. Text messages rank as the number one mode of communication among this young age group. Recent studies conclude that teens text about five times more than most adults in a day. When this is going on behind the wheel, teens are nearly 25 times more likely to be in a near-accident or an actual accident on our roadways.

Highlights of the AT&T study:

-Nearly 90 percent of teens say that they expect to get a reply to a text message or an email within 5 minutes of sending the message.

-Three quarters of teens know that texting while driving is dangerous, yet nearly 45 percent still do it!

-About 70 percent of teens say that it’s still dangerous to text while stopped at a stop light.

-About 60 percent of teen say that they will text at a red light and another 75 percent say that they’ll at least peek at their phone at a red light.

-More than 60 percent of teens admit to glancing at their phone while driving. The same number of teens say that they’ll read or send an email or text while driving.

-Nearly 80 percent of teens say that adults tell them not to text and drive but these same adults text while driving.

-More than 40 percent of teens say they see their own parents send or read texts and emails while driving.
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After a recent rollover car accident in Somerville seven people were sent to the hospital, according to the Medford Patch. Four of the seven were taken away on body boards.

The accident happened shortly before 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of Mystic Valley Parkway and Boston Avenue. Officials with the Medford and the Somerville fire departments and police departments were called to the scene as well as the Massachusetts State Police. Officers were forced to close off nearby sections of Boston Avenue and Route 16 so that emergency response teams could attend to the victims and could clear the mess of the accident. Unfortunately, the accident happened right in the middle of rush hour. Emergency response teams were delayed a short while trying to get through the gridlock traffic, according to District Chief Frank Lee. He adds that this intersection has had a history of these kinds of accidents.

“Something like this happens four or five times a year,” said Lee.

Our Boston car accident attorneys understand that intersections are in fact some of the most dangerous places on our roadways. They’re the backdrop to many accidents each and every day. As a matter of fact, nearly half of the near 6,000,000 car accidents that happened in the U.S. in 2008 were intersection-related. Motorists are urged to be cautious in these areas to try to avoid a potentially fatal accident.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), there are a couple of factors that contribute to a large majority of these intersection-related accidents. Some of the most common factors include inadequate surveillance, false assumptions of other’s actions, turning with obstructed views, illegal maneuvers, distracted driving, misjudgment of gap and other’s speed and failure to obey traffic control devices.

Luckily, there are a few safe driving tips that can help to keep you safe when driving through intersections and through other high-risk areas.

Intersection Safety Tips:

-When coming up to a traffic light, assume that it’s going to change. Slow it down a little bit. That way if it does change then you will be able to slow down in time for drivers who aren’t as cautious.

-Always check the crosswalks for pedestrians.

-If the light at the intersection changes to green as you approach, be sure to keep it slow and look in all directions. You never know when there’s a car coming from another direction that’s going to run the red light.

-Be sure to always use your turn signals, both when changing lanes and when making turns.

-Yield to vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.

-Never tailgate. Always allow enough room for you to stop safely.

-Be one step ahead of other drivers and the surrounding traffic.

-Always use your blinker to alert other travelers of your intended maneuvers.
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Carl Beanie, the public address announcer for the Red Sox, recently passed away after a car accident in Boston. According to the Boston Globe, the announcer called out some excellent Sox plays through two World Series championships. He was 59-years-old.

“We are filled with sadness at this tragic news,” Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said. “All of Red Sox Nation will remember his presence, his warmth, and his voice.”

Our Boston injury attorneys understand that the announcer’s vehicle reportedly ran off the road. He was taken to Harrington Hospital in Southbridge where he was later pronounced dead. There’s no denying he will be missed. Beanie was a long-time staple at the baseball park. He’s announced for a number of broadcasts, including the Associated Press, and started his career at Fenway back in 2002. He announced the World Series game when the Red Sox took home the championship to end their 86-year title drought.

Nearly everyone is Boston knows his familiar voice. He also announced wedding ceremonies, popular commercials and a number of ceremonies. A Boston magazine interview back in 2008 revealed that grooms would tell him that they were more excited to meet him than to marry their bride.

“This is where I should be,” said Beanie.

He loved his baseball, he loved the Red Sox and he loved Boston.

Roadways in Boston can be dangerous. As a matter of fact in Boston there were nearly 20 fatal car crashes in 2009. Many of these accidents happened under completely preventable conditions, such as impaired driving, distracted driving, speedy driving and other forms of dangerous driving conditions. With a little bit more awareness behind the wheel, we can all do our party to help to reduce the risks of these accidents on our roadways.

To help keep our roads safe for everyone, it’s important to keep an eye on health conditions. In many cases, drivers’ health conditions and the medications that they’re prescribed to can have a seriously risky effect on their abilities to navigate our roadway safety. Drivers are urged to talk with a doctor about driving after being prescribed to any medication.

The truth of the matter is that driving is tough and is a complex skill. Our ability to drive can be drastically changed if our mental, physical and emotional condition.
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There’s good news. The number of fatal car accidents in Attleboro and elsewhere continues to plunge. The nation is actually sitting at the lowest number we’ve seen since 1949, according to MSNBC.

Not every state is fortunate enough to see a decrease though. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the U.S. saw nearly 32,500 roadway fatalities in 2011, which serves as a near 2 percent decline from the year before. It also serves as the seventh year in a row that we’ve seen a decline.

The numbers of fatalities hasn’t decreased in every category. Some accidents and some areas saw increases in the number of fatal accidents. Our Attleboro car accident attorneys understand that the New England area was fortunate enough to see some of the biggest declines. Our area saw a decrease in the number of roadway fatalities by more than 7 percent in 2011. But don’t let the good news fool you. There were still many areas of the country that saw increases. And we still need to be on our best behavior behind the wheel to help to keep our roadways safe.

Nationwide, the number of traffic accident fatalities has decreased by about 25 percent since 2005. When you measure these accidents in terms of per mile driven, the number is at its lowest since 1921.

Federal officials refuse to say what they believe caused the decline, but safe driving advocates say that there are probably a number of reasons. Included is the ongoing crackdown on impaired driving, which is linked to as many as half of all traffic fatalities, and the increase in the usage of seat belts, improved roadways and the developments of in-car safety systems.

Some are even blaming the downturn of the economy, saying that drivers are driving less and are therefore are facing less risks for accidents. In 2011, drivers traveled nearly 36 billion vehicles miles less than the year before. That’s a more than 1 percent decline. As the economy recovers, experts believe, the number of miles driven and the risks for accidents will increase.

“Still, too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day,” said the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Ray LaHood.

LaHood notes the number of fatalities on our roadways is still far too high. He says that the NHTSA is working on new rules to address the “epidemic” of distracted driving accidents. He says that with advancements in technology, we’re seeing more and more of these accidents on our roadways.

Drivers are asked to join in on the effort, too. Safe driving habits should always be a number one priority. Your safe driving habits can help to reduce the risks of accidents on our roadways.
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