Articles Posted in Driver Safety

According to a recent study, one-fifth of drivers between 16 and 61 who own cell phones send or receive text messages while driving and four-fifths make calls, yet 98 percent of American drivers say they are “safe” drivers. Not so, says Nationwide Insurance, which found that almost half of drivers say they’ve been hit or almost hit by a driver using a cell phone.

In light of the connection between distracted driving and motor vehicle accidents, as well as the recent subway crash involving a driver who was texting his girlfriend, more and more companies are imposing cell phone bans on their employees.

When AMEC banned its employees from using cellphones while driving on company time in 2005, the ban was met with cynicism. Now AMEC is leading the way for many more companies to do the same, according to reports in the Boston Globe. Some companies are even taking it a step further and banning all electronic devices while driving. While AMEC doesn’t have any stats on whether car accident rates have decreased, over three-quarters of employees say they have cut back on using cell phones while driving in their personal life.

‘Can’t Talk Now,’ Boston Globe, May 31, 2009 Continue reading

According to a survey released last week by GMAC Insurance, Massachusetts drivers ranked 44rd out of 50 states and the District of Columbia on a test of basic driving knowledge like the definition of a flashing red light or when to stop for a school bus.

The test required a 70 to pass and Massachusetts motorists earned an average score of 73.8, just squeaking by and passing the test. Massachusetts drivers also scored last on a seat belt use study conducted last year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

However, poor driving test scores don’t necessarily mean a higher rate of fatal car accidents. In fact, data from the NHTSA show that Massachusetts had the lowest fatality-per-person rate of any state in 2007. While Idaho drivers scored highest on the driving test, it had a fatality-per-person rate that was about three times as high as Massachusetts!

The GMAC survey also discovered that drivers over age 35 performed better on the driving test than younger drivers and that men generally scored higher than women.

LOOK OUT! Mass. drivers behind the curve, HeraldNews.com, May 21, 2009 Continue reading

This time of year means high school prom and graduation, which also means that teens experience extra pressure to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, raising their car accident risk. According to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, 21 Massachusetts teens died in motor vehicle-related crashes during May and June alone from 2004 to 2007.

Teen drivers are already three times as likely to be involved in a fatal car crash compared to other age drivers. The Centers for Disease Control rank motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death for teenagers nationwide.

The added temptation of post-prom parties and graduation celebrations underscore the importance of making safe decisions. Just last week, a teen driver killed a pedestrian while driving home from a prom after party in Boston.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security along with AAA Southern New England recommend that parents of teens teach by example (wear a seat belt), ask teens where they are going and how they are getting home, and remind teens of the high cost of getting convicted of impaired driving.

Keeping teen drivers safe, WickedLocal.com, May 19, 2009 Continue reading

The Registry of Motor Vehicles recently announced that Massachusetts drivers can view their driving record online and download or request a certified copy. The new web options are designed to alleviate the burden on RMV employees. Last year, the RMV received more than 57,000 requests for driver records.

Driving records are sometimes required as a condition of employment or if the driver is summoned to court for a motor vehicle violation. Drivers have the option of ordering certified or unattested copies of these documents. An unattested driving record can be viewed online and downloaded, saved, and/or printed for $6. Drivers can also request a certified copy of their record, with the Registrars signature, for $20. The certified copy is mailed to the driver’s address on record.

In addition to accessing driving records, Massachusetts drivers can also view registrations, titles, and driver education certificates, renew Massachusetts ID’s, determine when their license will expire, and register as an organ and tissue donor.

MA drivers can access RMV records online, Milford Daily News, April 14, 2009 Continue reading

Studies show that 45 percent of those who die in a highway accident would have lived in they had been wearing a seat belt. Massachusetts, Maine, and dozens of other states around the country already have laws requiring adults to buckle up. If a new bill headed for the state Senate passes, then New Hampshire will become the 50th state to pass seat belt legislation.

The Transportation Committee changed the original bill from a primary to a secondary offense, meaning that police officers can only issue a ticket if the officer stops for the driver for a separate traffic violation. Roughly half of the states have primary seat-belt laws. Maine is among them, and the state’s commissioner of public safety saws the law resulted in 32 fewer highway deaths.

Massachusetts’ seat-belt law makes not wearing a seat belt a secondary offense. Police officers point out that since it can be difficult to see if drivers are wearing a seat belt, the enforcement often makes it a secondary offense anyway.

NH may become 50th state with seat belt law, Eagle Tribune, April 27, 2009 Continue reading

According to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, Occidental Fire and Casualty Insurance Company has been charging Boston drivers excessive rates on their car insurance. On Monday, the company was barred from practicing a slew of alleged illegal rating practices.

The AG’s office used its authority under the Consumer Protection Act to stop what it deems to be illegal practices. Coakley says the proposed rates were not justified and violated several Massachusetts statutes.

The company will be able to begin writing policies on April 1 and a hearing is set for April 30.

AG: Urban Drivers Targeted By Insurance Co., The Boston Channel, March 31, 2009 Continue reading

Last week, Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie S. Burnes announced that the state will retain the board that allows drivers to appeal auto insurance surcharges. According to the legislators who sponsored the bills, there was support for retaining the board in both the Senate and the House.

When a driver is involved with a motor vehicle accident, their insurance company assesses a surcharge on the driver’s premiums if the company determines that the driver was at fault in the accident. Surcharges can be as high as half the premium, adding hundreds of dollars to the driver’s auto insurance costs.

Consumer advocates argued that insurance companies were not likely to give motorists a fair hearing, since they have a financial incentive to charging the driver a surcharge and collecting additional revenue by deeming the driver at fault. The appeal’s board charges $50 to apply for a hearing and takes approximately six months to hear a case. Each year, about half the cases are determined in favor of drivers.

“The Board of Appeals is an important safeguard to ensure that consumers are protected against decisions by insurance companies that can result in significantly higher premiums,” said Deirdre Cummings, legislative director of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group.

State to keep car insurance appeal board, Boston Globe, March 19, 2009 Continue reading

In February, a state trooper responding to a motor vehicle accident was seriously injured by a car that spun out of control and hit him. State police have experienced several instances where troopers sustained injuries due to a motor vehicle moving at excessive speeds.

They are hoping that a new law, “Slow Down, Move Over,” which goes into effect on Sunday will reduce the number of fatalities and injuries in among emergency medical personnel, highway workers, police officers, and other responding to an a car accident, traffic violation, or emergency.

State legislature passed the “Slow Down, Move Over” law on December 22, and the new legislation requires drivers to slow down as they pass an emergency situation and to leave the lane closet to the auto accident if possible. There is no specified speed limit, but drivers up to a $100 fine for failing to comply.

Rhode Island already enacted similar legislation last July and 42 other states have a “Move Over Law” in place.

Law makes drivers move over, slow down for roadside emergencies, Boston Globe, March 18, 2009 Continue reading

According to a 2001 study conducted by AAA, drivers over age 65 are 25 percent more likely to get into a car accident than middle-aged drivers. Those over 85 are 50 percent more likely to get into a car crash during a left-hand turn. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that drivers 75 and older are second only to teenagers in terms of fatalities per 100 miles driven.

These statistics are the reason why Senator Brian A. Joyce is pushing for stricter standards for seniors who retain a driver’s license.

An editorial printed in the Milford Daily News points out that a majority of states already have laws that require older drivers to take more vision and road tests. Some states also require mandatory vision tests when drivers go to renew. In Massachusetts, drivers’ vision is tested once every ten years.

Although it may seem arbitrary to single out drivers over a certain age, the bill could potentially reduce the number of car accidents in Massachusetts.

Editorial: Eye tests for older drivers, Milford Daily News, March 16, 2009 Continue reading

Reuters reports that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new statistics on traffic deaths in the United States. The study listed Massachusetts as the safest state in the nation. Mississippi had the highest rate of deaths on the road with four times as many as Massachusetts.

Between 1999 and 2005, the Northeast had 9.8 motor vehicle-related deaths per 100,000 population, while the Midwest had 14.7, the South had 19.5, and the West had 14.2.

Though the report does not speculate on why these statistics vary so widely by region, CDC team points out that drivers in rural areas of the South may drive more miles and increase their risk of serious collision as a result. Another factor may be that inclement weather in the North forces drivers to be more careful on the road or forego driving altogether.

The survey also found that men were twice as likely as women to die from a motor vehicle accident. Over 213,000 men were killed on the road compared with 98,000 women.

South leads U.S. in traffic deaths, CDC finds, Reuters, February 26, 2009 Continue reading