Articles Posted in Driver Safety

A new study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that Massachusetts is one of the safest states to drive in the nation, second only to Washington, D.C. Among the most dangerous: Montana, Wyoming, Louisiana and Mississippi. The primary reason for the difference: Urban roads are safer than rural roads.

Even in states with low overall road death rates, rural areas often have rates twice as high as urban ones. That’s because urban areas usually have roads with lower speed limits, more safety engineering features such as divided highways and faster access to emergency medical care than rural routes. Many rural deaths occur when vehicles leave the road and crash into trees or other obstructions.

“An urban state in the Northeast is going to have a much lower fatality rate than a rural Western state with a lot of high-speed, two-lane rural roads, where serious crashes are more likely to happen,” says Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Source:
Study: Roads are safer in urban areas, USA TODAY, January 25, 2011 Continue reading

According to federal data released earlier this year, the number of teens applying for driver’s licenses nationwide is on the decline. While 44.7% of 16-year-olds got their driver’s license in 1988, that number had dropped to 30.7% in 2008.

Safety experts say there are several factors involved in this trend. One of them may be the rise of Facebook and other social networking sites that allow teens to stay in touch with friends without hanging out in person. The economy and the high cost of insuring teen drivers is thought to be another factor. A report from the U.S. Department Transportation shows that teens have the highest fatal crash rate of any age group, so safety concerns (both among parents and teens) could be playing a role in delaying applications for driver’s licenses.

Here in Massachusetts, teens are eligible to apply for a learner’s permit at age 16. In order to receive a Junior Operator License, the driver must be at least 16 and a half years old and have held a learner’s permit for at least six months. Junior Operators must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian when driving between the hours of 12:30am and 5am. Massachusetts teen drivers may not use cell phones while driving at any time day or night.

Source: Fewer 16-year-olds applying for driver’s license, South Florida Suntinel, November 30, 2010 Continue reading

The long Thanksgiving weekend is about to begin, and people are starting to hit the road. Major highways are seeing heavy traffic as people begin to travel to their Thanksgiving destinations, but so far there have been no serious car accidents, the Boston Globe reported. The Southeast Expressway, I-93, and tunnels are experiencing slowdowns as low as 20 mph.

The holidays are always challenging as far as travel goes, and 90 percent of Thanksgiving travelling is done by car. As a result, car accidents are usually on rise during this season.
The holidays should be a time to enjoy with family and friends, and suffering a personal injury during this time can be particularly difficult. The following are holiday travel tips to help protect you and your family from a devastating personal injury:

• Drive more slowly than usual and leave room for sudden breaking.
• Check the weather and try to avoid driving during storms and dangerous road conditions.
• Although the holidays are a time for parties and festivities, don’t drink and drive. Have a designated driver when you are planning to drink.
• The holidays can be exhausting, but don’t get behind the wheel when you feel too tired. Of all crashes that result in hospitalization, 12.5% are caused by fatigue.
• Give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination so that you don’t feel the urge to speed.
• Always wear your seatbelt.
Continue reading

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts General Assembly voted to raise the minimum age of All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) riders to 14 years of age. The minimum age had been 10 years with adult supervision on a parent’s land for those between 10 and 12 or 12-14 for those supervised by an adult over 18. Safety advocates and trauma surgeons urged legislators to raise the minimum rider age and prevent ATV accidents.

The state Senate passed similar legislation in January but included a provision for younger riders in a sanctioned with adult supervision. Before the bill becomes a law, Massachusetts lawmakers must find compromise language.

According to ATVSafety.gov, there were 17 reported deaths in Massachusetts from ATV accidents for children under 16 between 1982 and 2005. The total reported ATV deaths in Massachusetts during that same time period was 66. All ATV riders are required to wear a helmet.

Source: Massachusetts’ House Raises Age of ATV Riders, The Safety Record, June, 2010 Continue reading

The new texting ban goes into effect the end of this month, and local police groups say they anticipate it could be difficult to enforce. Lack of training and the difficulty in determining whether a Massachusetts motorist is dialing the phone or sending a text message were cited as the key challenges.

Police also say they will be hard-pressed to testify in these cases about exactly what they saw. However, that doesn’t mean the driver is off the hook, because in an alleged text messaging car accident, police can obtains records from the cell phone carrier to prove whether the person was texting or calling.

Those who violate the texting ban will pay a $100 fine for the first offense, $250 for the second infraction, and $500 for each subsequent offense. Enforcement might be easier if all handheld devices were banned on the road, so that may be the next step for legislators.

According to a study commissioned by Allstate Insurance, Washington, DC is home to the least safe drivers in the country. The study looked at claims data for 2007 and 2008, and did not include Massachusetts drivers, since Allstate did not sell insurance in the Commonwealth during that the period.

The claims data showed that DC drivers are on average involved in an accident every 5.1 years, which means that motorists in our country’s capital are 96% more likely to get into an auto accident than drivers elsewhere. In Baltimore, Maryland, the second most dangerous area, that figure is an accident every 5.6 years.

Fort Collins, Colorado topped the list of safe drivers with an average of 14.5 years between collisions.