According to stats from the United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than half of the passenger vehicle occupants who died in Massachusetts motor vehicle accidents last year were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. That rate was nine percent higher than the…
Over the weekend, a 34-year-old woman from Groveland, Massachusetts was killed when the golf cart she was riding in was hit by a 1995 Ford Windstar minivan. Both vehicles were traveling on Route 16 when the traffic accident occurred around 12:30am. The driver of the golf cart was identified as…
As previously discussed, the National Transportation Safety Board found that drowsy driving was a probable cause in a Newton train accident last year. According to the board, drowsiness is the most common cause of fatal-to-the-driver truck crashes. In fact, the number of fatal truck accidents associated with fatigue is equal…
While Massachusetts legislators and driver safety advocates weigh the pros and cons of new laws aimed at older drivers, statistics show that teen drivers are also at high risk for car accidents. Here in Massachusetts, more 18-year-olds were involved in fatal auto accidents in the past two years than any…
A study released last week by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) found that over half of United States highway fatalities are related to poor roadway conditions. According to the report, ten roadway-related crashes occur every minute and contribute to 38% of non-fatal injuries. More than 22,000 fatalities…
According to NewsCenter 5, the Masscachusetts Turnpike Authority has given out over 4,000 “non-revenue” transponders, allowing motorists to drive the Turnpike for free, despite the Turnpike Authority’s mounting debt. Roughly three quarters of those transponders go to state troopers, but many of the others are used by turnpike employees, who…
Last Thursday morning at Logan Airport, a construction vehicle almost collided with an airplane when the vehicle strayed into an unauthorized area. The incident occurred at 6:36am and halted all construction at the airport until authorities determine if the near collision occurred because of individual error or a system failure.…
According to the 100-Car Naturalist Driving Study, which tracked the behavior of the drivers of 100 vehicles for a year, driver inattention is an even more dangerous problem than expects previously believed. Almost 80% of car crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention, which includes not…
In Massachusetts, a new initiative called Road Respect Mobilization is currently in effect statewide. State and local police are working to curtail road rage thought grants from the state Executive Office of Public Safety. The grants range up to $2,000 and cover overtime for radar patrols so that officers can…
Last July, a state auditor’s office discovered that in 2005 and 2006 as many as 9,000 drivers had valid driver’s licenses for two to four years after a judge ordered their licenses suspended. The glitch in the Registry of Motor Vehicle’s system meant that some repeat drunk drivers may have…