What Massachusetts Should Do to Prevent Drunk Driving

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recently named Massachusetts as one of the worst states in the country in efforts to stop drunk driving on the Commonwealth’s roadways. Massachusetts has only agreed to follow 4 of the 11 guidelines presented by the NTSB in a federal endeavor to put an end to drunk driving. Along with Massachusetts, 22 states are in the same boat, having agreed to less than five of the NTSB’s recommendations. Six other states have been following eight or more of the suggestions and not one of the 50 states has agreed to follow all of them.

Highlights of the NTSB’s recommendations are to have one court manage all of a state’s drunken driving cases, which would help pave the way for consistency in sentencing, and to ban the practice of erasing charges on an offender’s record once they have complied with alcohol-related treatment. Plea bargains in these types of cases are also discouraged by the NTSB.

Other suggestions are to install equipment in an offender’s car that would lock the ignition if alcohol was present and for repeat offenders to have a blood alcohol content (BAC) register as zero. The NTSB encourages states to impound the cars of drunk drivers and to confiscate license plates, in addition to randomly screening for alcohol among the repeat offender population. Treatment plans for drunk drivers lean towards longer-term rehabilitation programs.

The NTSB’s recommendations will result in significantly fewer repeat drunk driving incidents, which translate to fewer fatalities and severe injuries from these accidents that occur all too often.

When to Contact a Boston Car Accidents Lawyer
If you or someone you know has been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident in Massachusetts because of a drunk driver, BEFORE you sign any forms, talk to the insurance company or hire any lawyer, get this free Massachusetts accidents book to learn how to avoid making the 7 fatal mistakes after an accident.

Contact the Boston personal injury lawyers of Kiley Law Group to find out about your legal options. Our car accident lawyers have 30 years of experience and successful track record of obtaining seven figure wins for our clients in auto accident cases, medical malpractice, child birth injuries, brain injuries, and other personal injury cases. Call 800-410-2769 to receive a free legal consultation.

And while the call is free, the information may be priceless.