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In the three years since Massachusetts instituted tougher penalties on teen drivers who speed or commit other traffic violations, the number of fatal car accidents involving junior operators has decreased by 75%. According to statistics from the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the number of speeding tickets and citations for seat-belt violations issued to these young drivers has also dropped.

New laws took effect on March 31, 2007 after a serious of deadly car crashes involving teen drivers. These laws increased driver’s ed requirements and the penalties for teen driving violations. The RMV says these new penalties have been highly effective at discouraging unsafe driving practices among teens.

In fact, last year Massachusetts had only six fatal auto accidents involving teen drivers, compared to 20 a few years ago. Overall, there were 13,214 accidents reported among teen motorists compared to 21,310 in 2006 before the new laws went into effect.

Source: Steep drop in teen driver fatalities, Boston Globe, April 18, 2010 Continue reading

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On Sunday morning, a single-car accident on Route 1 in Peabody killed an Amesbury man. The 21-year-old passenger was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from a 2005 Saturn Ion when the driver, a 22-year-old from Sanford, Maine, lost control of the vehicle. The Saturn rolled over several times before ending up in the median.

The driver was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries, but his passenger was declared dead at the scene of the accident. According to police, the ramp from Route 1 north was closed for about two and a half hours while authorities investigated the car accident.

Troop A of the Massachusetts State Police , the State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the Medical Examiners Office continue to investigate the fatal auto accident.

Source: Amesbury man dead in Route1 ramp crash, ItemLive.com, April 19, 2010 Continue reading

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According to statistics from the first quarter of this year, car accidents in Walpole, Massachusetts have decreased by 20 percent compared to first quarter last year. Last year, officers responded to 127 motor vehicle accidents in the first quarter compared to 101 accidents this year.

In fact, police have noted a three-year downward trend with 393 recorded auto accidents in 2008 and 11 fewer in 2009. This comes despite a decrease in manpower in the city’s police department over the last few years. In 2004, the department had 41 officers compared to its current 33 sworn officers.

Walpole’s police chief attributed this trend to efficient policing, improved sight visibility at dangerous spots, and road improvements at several intersections. He said they are planning to hire two experienced officers soon and the town working to straighten out turns on two streets.

Source: Car accidents in Walpole down 20 percent, WickedLocal.com, April 15, 2010 Continue reading

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It’s a dubious honor, but Massachusetts recently made #10 on Driverside.com’s list of Top 10 Speediest States. The list compares the number of tickets to the state’s population to ensure that even small states received equal consideration.

According to the list, law enforcement officials doled out over 300,000 tickets to Massachusetts drivers last year with Delaware and South Carolina close behind. The District of Columbia snagged the top spot with 434,301 tickets. Interesting, DC only has just over a half million residents, so it works out to roughly 78.5% of the population. Our guess is that some of those tickets went to commuters or tourists from neighboring states.

Since speed is a factor in many car accidents resulting in death or serious injury, we urge you to exercise caution and obey speed limits on the roads.

Source: Top 10 Speediest States, DriverSide.com, April 2, 2010 Continue reading

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A Fairhaven, Massachusetts woman died on Sunday after being hit by a tractor-trailer. The 68-year-old woman reportedly got out of her car, a 1998 Plymouth Voyager, after pulling over to the right shoulder at the Springfield interchange in Virginia.

A tractor-trailer swerved to the right shoulder to avoid hitting a car that was slowing to stop, then sideswiped the Massachusetts woman’s vehicle, hit the woman, and went back into traffic. The tractor-trailer accident victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred just before 2pm on Sunday afternoon.

Following the traffic accident, the exit ramp was closed for roughly an hour. One of the lanes reopened around 3:15pm.

Source: Woman killed in Va. tractor-trailer accident, Washington Post, April 12, 2010 Continue reading

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Last week’s bus accident, which killed a 22-year-old bicyclist from Mission Hill, highlights the dangers of biking around congested city streets. It has also spurred Boston cyclists to fight for better safety measures.

Fatal bike accidents are not common in Massachusetts. In fact, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles reports that out of the more than 700 cycling accidents in 2008, only 10 resulted in fatalities.

However, cyclists say that drivers ignore them the road and that trolley tracks, particularly those on Huntington Avenue, where cyclists must pedal through traffic, pose a safety threat.

Transit authorities are still investigating the recent bus accident but say there is no evidence that the cyclist’s wheels got stuck in the trolley tracks.

Source: Cyclists urging safety measures after fatal crash, Boston Globe, April 9, 2010 Continue reading

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On Wednesday evening, a bus accident near the intersection of South Huntington and Huntington Avenues killed a 23-year-old bicyclist. According to reports, the man’s bicycle had gotten stuck in the Green Line trolley tracks and he was hit by a Route 39 bus while trying to free it. The MBTA bus accident victim was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Witnesses say the accident happened so quickly that neither the bicyclist nor the bus driver had time to react. The driver, who is 29-year-old and has no record of safety or traffic violations, had about 150 feet to react.

As a result of the fatal bus accident, police down shut Huntington Avenue and other streets in the surrounding area so that accident reconstruction teams could investigate. Passengers on the E line rode buses between the Brigham Circle and Heath Street stations, as Green Line service was temporarily suspended.

Source: MBTA Bus Hits, Kills Bicyclist, TheBostonChannel.com, April 7, 2010 Continue reading

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Early Saturday morning, Massachusetts state troopers rushed to the scene of a traffic accident on Route 195 near exit 2 in Rehoboth. According to preliminary reports, a 20-year-old pedestrian was hit by a 2004 Nissan 360Z. The pedestrian accident victim was reportedly outside a disabled vehicle in the middle travel lane when the accident occurred around 2:40am.

The Nissan’s driver, 21-year-old man from Fall River, was not injured.

Emergency responders took the injured pedestrian to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Authorities are still investigating the cause of this fatal pedestrian accident.

Source: Fatal pedestrian crash on Route 195 in Rehoboth, Mass, NECN.com, April 3, 2010 Continue reading

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Earlier this week, a Dracut, Massachusetts driver was pulled over for text messaging while in plain sight of a police officer. When officers discovered that the man was also driving with a suspended license, they arrested the 20-year-old motorist.

Text messaging while driving become illegal in New Hampshire on January 1. While a violation would generally lead to a reckless operation charge and a $100 fine rather than an arrest, police arrested the man because they say he blatantly broke the law by driving without a valid license and texting with the cell phone at steering wheel level.

The state does not track the number of people caught texting on the road, so it’s possible that this driver was the first to get caught. However, police say that while text messaging poses a serious danger to drivers, it can be challenging to enforce the new law.

Source: A first? Texting while driving leads to arrest, UnionLeader.com, April 6, 2010 Continue reading

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A 25-year-old Lynn motorist who was charged in connection with a fatal car accident has pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of an accident causing death. He was ordered held on $5,000 cash bail and prohibited from driving.

The auto accident occurred in Revere on Thursday morning when a 59-year-old was reportedly crossing a road near her home. She was apparently hit by a car and her body was thrown into the opposite lane. Emergency responders declared the women dead at the scene.

According to prosecutors, the driver was traveling above the 40 mph speed limit when his vehicle hit the woman and he kept on driving after the accident. However, he turned himself in to police an hour later.

The motorist has prior driving-related offences on his record and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He will return to court later this month.

Source: Man charged in hit-run accident that killed Revere woman, Boston Globe, April 2, 2010 Continue reading

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