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On Sunday, a motor vehicle accident on Route 18 in New Bedford involving three vehicles sent several people to Boston and Providence hospitals with serious injuries. Four of the auto accident victims, including two 2-year-old boys, were taken to hospitals by medical helicopter.

Police reports indicate that the car crash occurred near the Purchase Street ramp. A 1993 Honda Civic and a 1994 Honda Accord were reportedly racing on Route 18 when the Civic hit a 1999 Volkswagen Jetta. The Civic’s driver lost control of the vehicle, hitting the Accord. One of the Civic’s passengers was ejected from the car. She was not wearing a seat belt.

The Civic’s driver was taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital. State police would only identify the victim as a 17-year-old woman. The Accord’s driver was also taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital. He was identified as an 18-year-old New Bedford man. State police said two of the Accord’s passengers were flown to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries. A total of seven injuries were reported.

Those operating the Accord and the Civic have been cited for speeding, marked lanes violations, and racing. The multiple vehicle collision remains under investigation.

Source: Route 18 racing crash injures 7, including 2 children, South Coast Today, May 31, 2010 Continue reading

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Massachusetts drivers have a reputation for being aggressive, but a recent study found that Bay State motorists are not the worst in the country (nor as they the best). The GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test assessed the driving knowledge of thousands of motorists, quizzing them on 20 questions from actual DMV exams.

Massachusetts came in at 38. New York ranked the worst, and Kansas came out on top.

The results of the test show that many drivers could use a refresher course on the basic rules of the road. In general, men scored better and older drivers achieved higher scores.

Source: Mass. ranks 38th in driver’s survey, WWLP.com, May 28, 2010 Continue reading

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Yesterday, two Boston Police officers were injured in separate motorcycle crashes on Warren Street in Roxbury. The accidents occurred within minutes of each other and just six blocks from each other. According to a department spokesperson, the first crash occurred around 10:25am. An off-duty officer riding his own motorcycle was injured in a car accident near the intersection of Warren Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

The second accident occurred after an on-duty officer riding a department motorcycle was involved in a separate motor vehicle accident while en route to the scene of the first accident. The second motorcycle crash happened near 564 Warren Street.

Both officers were transported to Boston Medical Center, and their injuries are thought to be non-life-threatening. The department is investigating both motor vehicle accidents.

Source: Two Boston Police officers injured in separate Roxbury crashes, Boston Globe, May 26, 2010 Continue reading

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Earlier today, several motor vehicle accidents on Interstate 93 in Massachusetts and New Hampshire caused delays for many drivers. The first accident involved a motorcycle and was called in around 4:30am after the cyclist struck a deer.

Another motorcycle accident occurred an hour later when a New Hampshire man crashed his 2000 Harley Davidson. The cyclist was alert but complained of neck and back pain. Andover rescue reportedly took the man to Lawrence General Hospital.

Three more auto accidents occurred between 6:50am and 7:35am, but police were not able to give further details on those incidents. The most recent car accident caused in a car fire that backed up traffic along 93 South. Firefighters were able to control the flames by about 9:30am this morning.

Source: Rash of accidents on I-93 leave at least 2 injured in Mass. and N.H., Eagle-Tribune, May 25, 2010 Continue reading

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On Saturday morning around 9am, a Massachusetts woman was killed in a motorcycle accident after reportedly driving her 2008 Harley Davidson motorcycle off Route 101 and hitting a guardrail. Police say the 60-year-old woman was traveling west when the accident occurred.

She was taken by ambulance to Milford Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.

According to police, speed and alcohol were not believed to be involved. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fatal accident.

Source: Mass. woman dies in Saturday motorcycle crash, Nashua Telegraph, May 24, 2010 Continue reading

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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

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Monday marked the start of Bay State Bike Week, and the annual event kicked off on a somber note after a Colorado man died in a Newton bike accident near city hall. Police said the 21-year-old bicyclist collided with a 2007 Honda SUV after the bicyclist ran a red light. The man was not wearing a helmet.

As part of Bay State Bike Week, bicyclists gathered on Tuesday for a previously schedule “Ride of Silence” to memorialize bicyclists who have been killed or injured in the past year. A spokesperson for MassBike predicted that this year’s “Ride of Silence” would be especially poignant in light of this recent bike fatality and several others. Cyclists rode from Seven Hills Park in Somerville through Cambridge and Boston, stopping at the Charles Street Entrance to Boston Common. The man’s coworkers were also planning a candlelight vigil.

The mayor of Newton said the town’s transportation advisory committee is examining transportation issues, including pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Source: Friends plan candlelight vigil tonight to remember bicyclist killed in Newton accident, Boston.com, May 18, 2010 Continue reading

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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

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Last week, a motor vehicle collision on a Massachusetts military reservation injured two drivers. According to state police, their vehicles collided at the intersection of Generals Boulevard and Richardson Road around 6:30am.

The auto accident involved a Nissan Pathfinder driven by a 25-year-old Braintree man and a Honda Civic driven by a 32-year-old Attleboro woman.

Members of the Massachusetts Military Reservation Fire Department extricated both of the injured motorists from their vehicles. The Honda driver was taken to Falmouth Hospital and later transferred to Brigham & Women’s Hospital. The other motorist was treated and released at Falmouth Hospital, according to a Cape Cod Healthcare spokeswoman.

Source: Drivers injured in collision on military base, Cape Cod Times, May 14, 2010 Continue reading

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Earlier this week, a Hampton Fall Police officer was dragged by a Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck after the officer had stopped the truck for a violation on Route 84. The officer successfully freed himself from the truck, but he later found the same vehicle after it had crashed one mile away on Route 84. The truck’s driver had sustained fatal injuries.

A female passenger in the pick-up truck was taken by ambulance to Exeter Hospital, where she was treated for serious injuries. Because of the severity of her injuries, she was later transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The police officer who had been dragged by the truck was also treated for minor injuries at Exeter Hospital.

The fatal truck accident remains under investigation.

Source: Seabrook man dies in crash after truck drags officer, Fosters.com, May 12, 2010 Continue reading

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