Articles Posted in Driving Hazards

Our Massachusetts car crash lawyers have learned that Governor Deval Patrick signed the state’s text messaging ban into law last week. The law takes effect in October and bans text messaging while driving for all Massachusetts motorists and all cell phone use for drivers under 18. In addition, drivers 75 and older will be required to take vision tests and renew their driver’s licenses in person.

Texting will be a primary offense, so police will be allowed to pull over and ticket drivers solely because of text messaging. Violators will be issued a $100 fine, and those under 18 will have their license suspended for 60 days. However, violations will not impact insurance premiums.

Police say the ban could be challenging to enforce, but they plan to speak at high school assemblies this fall to raise awareness about the ban. Massachusetts is the 29th state to enact a text messaging ban. This legislation comes after several fatal car crashes involving texting.

Source: New state law spells it out: No texting while driving, Boston Globe, July 3, 2010 Continue reading

A 29-year-old Framingham driver of a MAZDA3 was arraigned last week. He faces five counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (his car). According to police, the driver swerved in the direction of a grandfather and his grandson after the grandfather told the driver to turn down his music.

The pedestrians weren’t hit, but the grandfather alerted a nearby Massachusetts trooper, who asked the driver to stop. The suspect fled, setting off a high-speed chase down the Massachusetts Turnpike. A state police spokesperson said speeds exceeded 80 mph in some areas.

The driver barreled through several cruisers, hitting at least three. He also injured one trooper, who was later released from a local hospital after being treated for minor injuries. Police are reviewing the pursuit and arrest to check that all rules were followed.

Source: Trooper hurt, driver arrested after Pike pursuit, WHDH.com, June 28, 2010 Continue reading

Over the past several months, Massachusetts newspapers and other media have been buzzing about the proposed bill that would ban text messaging behind the wheel. A bill targeting distracted drivers was first introduced six years ago. Several car accidents have occurred in Massachusetts as a result of distracted drivers (not to mention the MBTA accident last year that caused an estimated $9 million in damage), yet Massachusetts legislators are still debating the texting ban.

Part of the problem appears to be that the proposed legislation includes some other controversial measures, among them requiring older drivers to get tested more frequently and banning all hand held mobile devices. These measures were originally separate but were lumped together as part of a safe driving initiative.

Still, legislators say they hope to have the bill in the governor’s hands by July. In the meantime, more than 20 other states have already passed similar text messaging bans.

Source: A Look At Why The Texting Bill In MA Has Stalled, WBZTV.com, May 17, 2010 Continue reading

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, have created and tested a computer-based training program that would improve hazard anticipation in younger drivers. Inexperienced motorists are more likely to be involved a car accident compared to other groups, and the researchers determined in previous research that this propensity is due to a failure to scan areas of the road for potential hazards.

The researchers then developed a PC-based training program called Risk Awareness and Perception Training (RAPT), which included nine driving scenarios with the potential for an accident involving another vehicle or a pedestrian. Twelve of the drivers (ages 18-21) who participated in the study underwent RAPT, and the other twelve did not.

All of the drivers then drove a vehicle 16 miles, and the researchers measured the eye movements of each participant. Based on the data they gathered, the researchers determined that trained drivers were more likely to look at areas of the road that contained information relevant to the reduction of risks. Even in situations that were markedly different from those shown in training, the drivers still exhibited training effects.

These findings were published in a paper called “Can Younger Drivers Be Trained to Scan for Information that Will Reduce Their Risk in Roadway Traffic Scenarios That Are Hard to Identify as Hazardous?” which appeared in the June 2009 issue of Ergonomics. They also received the 2010 Liberty Mutual Award.

Source: Younger Drivers May Benefit From Training that Targets Hazard Anticipation, EHSToday.com, May 14, 2010 Continue reading

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts found that a driver is 20 times more likely to be involved in a car crash while texting than at any other time. The study also discovered that young drivers under the age of 25 are more likely to text behind the wheel than more experienced ones. In fact, nearly half of teen drivers admitted to text messaging while driver in a 2007 survey.

Scientists at UMass used a driving simulator to examine the reactions of motorists and their eye movement. They asked volunteers of various ages to perform tasks such as checking a map or turning on the heat while driving the simulator.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 500,000 people were injured in auto accidents that involved driver distraction in 2008. Another 5,870 died in car accidents involving a distracted driver. “Distracted driving” may include talking on a cell phone, eating, drinking, texting, and talking with passengers, but texting is among the most hazardous activities.

Source: Dashboard deathwish: UMass simulator details risks of texting at the wheel, GazetteNet.com, March 18, 2010 Continue reading

The last several weeks have seen a flurry of media coverage about the impact of cell phone usage on drivers. The most recent coverage suggests that cell phone bans will not decrease the number of car crashes. The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) study was released at a conference last Friday.

The HLDI, which is sponsored by the insurance industry, compared roadway accident data from states that have banned driving while texting to states that do not regulate texting. The organization also examined data on monthly collision claims in four states that banned hand-help phones and looked the data before and after the laws went into effect. However, HLDI’s data does not distinguish drivers who were using cell phones at the time of the car accident versus other drivers.

The Transportation Department has already renounced HLDI’s research, calling the study irresponsible.

Source: Cellphone Curbs May Not Decrease Car Crashes, Wall Street Journal, January 30, 2010 Continue reading

Today, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is dedicating its broadcast to people who have lost friends or family members to car crashes that resulted from distracted driving.

The show coincides with the launch of iZUP, a cell phone application created by Illume Software, a Massachusetts-based company. The application automatically launches when it detects that the phone is in a moving vehicle and disables incoming calls or text messages.

During her show this afternoon, Oprah will discuss the dangers of distracted driving and ask drivers to commit to avoid text messaging or talking on cell phones while behind the wheel. Through our auto accident law firm, we have seen the horrific results of distracted driving, and we’re glad to see such a prominent public figure educating viewers about it.

Source: Oprah Challenges Viewers to Stop Texting and Driving, Sys-Con.com, January 18, 2010 Continue reading

Earlier this week, a snowmobile crash killed a Massachusetts man, underscoring the importance of traffic safety with potentially icy conditions. Just after 9:30pm on Monday evening, rescue crews arrived at the scene.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the snowmobile accident just before midnight Monday evening.

A representative for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said that operating the snowmobile at high speeds on a plowed road have contributed to the accident. He adds that in the span of a week, five people have sustained serious bodily injury from snowmobile accidents. Fish and Game officers plan to continue patrolling snowmobile trails, citing riders for reckless operating, and enforcing speed limits.

Source: Mass. man dies in snowmobile crash, UnionLeader.com, January 5, 2010 Continue reading

According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia Health Services center, low blood sugar can pose a hazard to diabetic drivers. The study examined diabetic drivers in Boston, Massachusetts, central Virginia, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their average age was about 42 years old.

While driving with low blood sugar did not actually appear to cause a large number of car accidents, roughly a third of the drivers involved in the study said they checked their blood sugar half an hour before having some kind of driving mishap.

The researchers recommend that diabetic drivers suffering from low blood sugar pull over immediately and wait for their blood sugar to rise before getting back on the road to avoid an auto crash.

Source: Low blood sugar may impair diabetics’ driving, Reuters, December 24, 2009 Continue reading