Last Wednesday in Hyannis, a 21-year-old driver’s texting caused him to crash into another vehicle and has left him severely injured. William Hellwig of Marston Mills collided with a pickup truck where Yarmouth Road and Ferndoc Street intersect. First responders had initially requested a helicopter transport for Hellwig, but the weather conditions with the heavy rains would not allow for a flight to occur.
Hellwig’s vehicle crashed into the truck with such force that the truck was pushed into a furniture warehouse, causing damage to part of the building. The condition of the driver of the truck was not immediately available. Part of the street was shut down while police attempted to clear the accident scene.
The ban on texting while driving in Massachusetts went into effect recently on September 30.
Distracted Driving Statistics
Drivers under the age of 20 who are distracted behind the wheel are most likely to be involved in car accidents that result in a fatality. The next group that is most likely to be involved in fatal accidents is made up of distracted drivers who are aged 20 to 29. In addition, drivers who distract themselves with cell phones or other electronic hand-held devices are four times as likely to seriously injure themselves or others in car accidents.
When should you contact a Massachusetts car accident attorney?
Have you or someone you know been seriously injured in a car accident due to another driver texting in Massachusetts? Want to know if you have a case? Want to know what your case is worth? Want justice? Call the Massachusetts car accident lawyers at Kiley Law Group for a free and professional evaluation of your case at 1-800-410-2769.
You can also download or request a copy by mail of attorney Thomas M. Kiley's free Massachusetts auto accidents book "The 7 Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Massachusetts Accident Case" now!
Showing posts with label Texting and Driving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texting and Driving. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
DOT Extends Texting Ban to Truck Drivers
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced at a distracted driving conference yesterday that in-state truck drivers who transport hazardous waste will be banned from sending text messages.
The Washington Post reported that the texting ban which prohibited truckers and commercial bus drivers now includes in-state truckers who who deliver gasoline, propane and other hazardous materials.
The extended texting ban is part of ongoing efforts to ban distracted driving and cell phone-related accidents which claim thousands of lives on US roads every year.
A new goal for LaHood is to get private employers to adopt restrictions on their employees' cellphone use.
President Obama a year ago prohibited federal workers from texting while behind the wheel of government vehicles, and from using government-issued cell phones to text even while driving their own cars.
The Washington Post reported that the texting ban which prohibited truckers and commercial bus drivers now includes in-state truckers who who deliver gasoline, propane and other hazardous materials.
The extended texting ban is part of ongoing efforts to ban distracted driving and cell phone-related accidents which claim thousands of lives on US roads every year.
A new goal for LaHood is to get private employers to adopt restrictions on their employees' cellphone use.
President Obama a year ago prohibited federal workers from texting while behind the wheel of government vehicles, and from using government-issued cell phones to text even while driving their own cars.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Distracted Driving Fatalities Fall by 6%
This summer Massachusetts joined 29 other states that ban texting and driving. The ban, which comes into effect in October, is aimed at reducing accident fatalities and injuries caused by distracted driving.
In an encouraging turn of events, the US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced yesterday that deaths related to distracted driving fell by 6% in 2009. Injuries stemming from distracted driving accidents declined by 4%, he said.
The news which was reported at the second annual Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, DC, can be connected to the 30 states' initiatives to curb dangerous habits like texting while driving in all drivers, but especially teenagers.
According to the Governors' Highway Safety Association (GHSA), last year alone, 12 states: Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming, have have banned the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving.
Thirty states have now introduced texting & driving bans.
Stateline.org reports that while Congress is yet to ban distracted driving on a national level, the GHSA soon may go a step further and aim for a complete ban on mobile phone use while driving.
"Though the GHSA is little known to the general public, endorsement of a total ban could prove pivotal in swaying the debate over the technology America has come to love and the risk it poses on the roadway," The Washington Post reported.
The GHSA is made up of state highway safety officials from across the nation.
The association will decide on endorsement of a complete ban when its annual meeting begins on Sunday, September 26, the Post said.
See the GHSA website for more information.
In an encouraging turn of events, the US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced yesterday that deaths related to distracted driving fell by 6% in 2009. Injuries stemming from distracted driving accidents declined by 4%, he said.
The news which was reported at the second annual Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, DC, can be connected to the 30 states' initiatives to curb dangerous habits like texting while driving in all drivers, but especially teenagers.
According to the Governors' Highway Safety Association (GHSA), last year alone, 12 states: Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming, have have banned the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving.
Thirty states have now introduced texting & driving bans.
Stateline.org reports that while Congress is yet to ban distracted driving on a national level, the GHSA soon may go a step further and aim for a complete ban on mobile phone use while driving.
"Though the GHSA is little known to the general public, endorsement of a total ban could prove pivotal in swaying the debate over the technology America has come to love and the risk it poses on the roadway," The Washington Post reported.
The GHSA is made up of state highway safety officials from across the nation.
The association will decide on endorsement of a complete ban when its annual meeting begins on Sunday, September 26, the Post said.
See the GHSA website for more information.
Monday, August 23, 2010
C U L8R: Massachusetts Drivers Banned from Texting Next Month
Next month, Massachusetts will become the next state to ban text messaging while driving.
Once September 30 rolls around, Massachusetts is set to be the 29th state to have approved such a ban, which also bars a driver from using the Internet, email, or other applications on a cell phone, laptop, or any other “handheld electronic device.” Teenagers under the age of 18 will be prohibited from talking on their phones at all while driving. The ban extends to when drivers are stopped at red lights or stop signs.
There will be an exception: texting will only be allowed in the event of an emergency or if the car is pulled over and in park. Talking on the cell phone for drivers under the age of 18 will also be allowed if there is an emergency.
More and more states in the U.S. have added a cell phone or other electronic device distraction category to their motor vehicle crash operator reports. This new category will track how taking our eyes off the road (for just a second to hit “Send”) can lead to an accident. One second of distracted driving is one second too long.
If you want to learn more about cell phone bans and legislation in the works across the country, head to this site for more details.
Once September 30 rolls around, Massachusetts is set to be the 29th state to have approved such a ban, which also bars a driver from using the Internet, email, or other applications on a cell phone, laptop, or any other “handheld electronic device.” Teenagers under the age of 18 will be prohibited from talking on their phones at all while driving. The ban extends to when drivers are stopped at red lights or stop signs.
There will be an exception: texting will only be allowed in the event of an emergency or if the car is pulled over and in park. Talking on the cell phone for drivers under the age of 18 will also be allowed if there is an emergency.
More and more states in the U.S. have added a cell phone or other electronic device distraction category to their motor vehicle crash operator reports. This new category will track how taking our eyes off the road (for just a second to hit “Send”) can lead to an accident. One second of distracted driving is one second too long.
If you want to learn more about cell phone bans and legislation in the works across the country, head to this site for more details.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
21-Year-Old Killed in Haverhill Crash
A 21-year-old New Hampshire woman was killed in a truck-car collision in Haverhill, Massachusetts over the weekend, only hours after another fatal Mass. motor vehicle accident left 3 people dead.
According to the police, Kelsey A. Richardson, of Atkinson, NH, may have been texting while driving her 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue in the northbound lane of I-495 just before Exit 51, when she struck a high-speed lane guardrail.
The crash sent her back into the right lane hitting a tractor-trailer. Police said Richardson was ejected from her vehicle and was then struck by a second truck, a 1997 International tractor-trailer driven by Fredrick Botting of Houlton, Maine, killing her on the spot.
Emergency services who arrived at the scene pronounced her dead just after 4:15 am.
Police are trying to determine whether she was wearing a seat belt. In addition, witnesses and preliminary investigation show that Richardson may have been using her cellphone at the time of the crash.
Massachusetts passed a law to ban texting and driving earlier this month. The law, which will take effect in October, also bans driver from e-mailing and searching the Internet. New Hampshire also bans texting while driving as of January this year.
We are sincerely sorry about the death of Kelsey A. Richardson.
She was a spring graduate from Northern Essex Community College with a degree in criminal justice, and was planning to continue her studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the fall.
Friends describe her as a responsible person, and some have expressed their surprise that she was allegedly texting and driving.
The fatal crash remains under investigation.
News Sources: The Boston Herald,
The Boston Globe, The Eagle Tribune.
According to the police, Kelsey A. Richardson, of Atkinson, NH, may have been texting while driving her 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue in the northbound lane of I-495 just before Exit 51, when she struck a high-speed lane guardrail.
The crash sent her back into the right lane hitting a tractor-trailer. Police said Richardson was ejected from her vehicle and was then struck by a second truck, a 1997 International tractor-trailer driven by Fredrick Botting of Houlton, Maine, killing her on the spot.
Emergency services who arrived at the scene pronounced her dead just after 4:15 am.
Police are trying to determine whether she was wearing a seat belt. In addition, witnesses and preliminary investigation show that Richardson may have been using her cellphone at the time of the crash.
Massachusetts passed a law to ban texting and driving earlier this month. The law, which will take effect in October, also bans driver from e-mailing and searching the Internet. New Hampshire also bans texting while driving as of January this year.
We are sincerely sorry about the death of Kelsey A. Richardson.
She was a spring graduate from Northern Essex Community College with a degree in criminal justice, and was planning to continue her studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the fall.
Friends describe her as a responsible person, and some have expressed their surprise that she was allegedly texting and driving.
The fatal crash remains under investigation.
News Sources: The Boston Herald,
The Boston Globe, The Eagle Tribune.
3 Dead in Worcester Crash
A fatal motor vehicle crash in Worcester, Massachusetts left three people dead over the weekend.
News reports covering the deadly car-truck collision noted that two of the victims, Thomas Serewicz, 23, and Stephen Larson, 25, were heading home in a 1990 GMC Sierra pickup truck after a weekend fishing trip when a driver coming in the opposite direction struck their vehicle head-on.
Police said the car driver, Ashley Hannan, 25 (some reports say she was 23 years old) was driving her SUV, a 2005 Cheverolet Equinox on the wrong side of I-190, causing the fatal crash in which all three died.
The tragedy of this incident is not only that three young lives were lost in one crash, but their families will also suffer in their loss.
Serewicz leaves behind him his wife and his two little boys. His mother, Lynne Serewicz described her son as a loving family man. She said he was a welder who was struggling to find a job
Larson, a Lunenburg man, was an Iraq war veteran who served from 2005 to 2006 with the Army Reserve’s 220th Transportation Company based out of Keene, NH.
Ashley Hannan's father said she was a “real sweetheart." Hannan was working as a personal trainer, and was involved in body training and fitness competitions across the US.
Police are waiting for toxicology lab results to determine the cause of the accident. Speeding may also be a contributing factor.
We offer our sincerest condolences to the families of Thomas Serewicz, Stephen Larson, and Ashley Hannan in their painful hour.
News Sources: Boston Globe, Boston Herald, NECN, Telegram.com.
News reports covering the deadly car-truck collision noted that two of the victims, Thomas Serewicz, 23, and Stephen Larson, 25, were heading home in a 1990 GMC Sierra pickup truck after a weekend fishing trip when a driver coming in the opposite direction struck their vehicle head-on.
Police said the car driver, Ashley Hannan, 25 (some reports say she was 23 years old) was driving her SUV, a 2005 Cheverolet Equinox on the wrong side of I-190, causing the fatal crash in which all three died.
The tragedy of this incident is not only that three young lives were lost in one crash, but their families will also suffer in their loss.
Serewicz leaves behind him his wife and his two little boys. His mother, Lynne Serewicz described her son as a loving family man. She said he was a welder who was struggling to find a job
Larson, a Lunenburg man, was an Iraq war veteran who served from 2005 to 2006 with the Army Reserve’s 220th Transportation Company based out of Keene, NH.
Ashley Hannan's father said she was a “real sweetheart." Hannan was working as a personal trainer, and was involved in body training and fitness competitions across the US.
Police are waiting for toxicology lab results to determine the cause of the accident. Speeding may also be a contributing factor.
We offer our sincerest condolences to the families of Thomas Serewicz, Stephen Larson, and Ashley Hannan in their painful hour.
News Sources: Boston Globe, Boston Herald, NECN, Telegram.com.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Mass. House Passes Texting and Driving Bill
The Massachusetts state House of Representatives voted almost unanimously (150-1) yesterday to approve a bill that will ban texting while driving.
The bill also bans drivers under 18 from using cell phones while driving, as well as imposes new requirements for senior drivers.
The next step would be for state Senate to approve the bill.
If approved, Massachusetts will join 28 other states and the District of Columbia that already have bans on texting and driving.
Under the bill, motorists caught texting while driving would face a $100 fine for a first offense, $250 for a second offense and a $500 fine for all subsequent offenses, as well as the possibility of suspended driver's license or learner's permit.
You can read more about the texting&driving bill here.
News sources: Boston Herald, MassLive, Eagle Tribune.
The bill also bans drivers under 18 from using cell phones while driving, as well as imposes new requirements for senior drivers.
The next step would be for state Senate to approve the bill.
If approved, Massachusetts will join 28 other states and the District of Columbia that already have bans on texting and driving.
Under the bill, motorists caught texting while driving would face a $100 fine for a first offense, $250 for a second offense and a $500 fine for all subsequent offenses, as well as the possibility of suspended driver's license or learner's permit.
You can read more about the texting&driving bill here.
News sources: Boston Herald, MassLive, Eagle Tribune.
Friday, June 18, 2010
NSC Estimates a Quarter of 1.4M Crashes Involve Cell Phones
The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that a quarter of the 1.4 million crashes in the US involve some kind of cell phone use.
In addition, there are 6,000 fatalities a year caused by distracted driving that link cell phones as the possible reason.
The NSC recently released a white paper focusing on distractions and how the human brain copes with multitasking. The paper, titled, "Understanding the distracted brain: Why driving while using hands-free cell phones is risky behavior" explains the limitations of the brain specifically in terms of driving safely while using a cell phone either to talk, text or email.
Referencing more than 30 scientific studies and reports, the paper describes how using a cell phone, hands-free or handheld not only impairs driving performance, but also weakens the brain's ability to capture driving cues.
For example, drivers who use cell phones have a form of inattention blindness - they have a tendency to "look at" but not "see" up to 50% of their surroundings. Distracted drivers have trouble seeking and identifying potential hazards, and responding to unexpected situations on time. So, it's no wonder that distracted driving is a lethal problem.
Part of the problem is that although most drivers believe using a cell phone while driving is dangerous, still 11% of all drivers are using cell phones, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports.
There are efforts to curbe cell phone use across states, and laws restricting their use while driving are slowly spreading. So far, no state bans all cell phone use by all drivers, but 25 states and the District of Columbia ban all cell phone use by novice drivers.
Also, bus drivers in 18 states (including Massachusetts), and D.C. are banned from using a cell phone when passengers are present.
Further more, 25 states, including New Hampshire, ban texting while driving. However, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only 7 states and D.C. also ban drivers from talking on handheld devices.
The NSC white paper shows that this is not enough and drivers need to be aware of the dangers they face every time they pick up the phone while driving.
Keeping eyes on the road instead of on their cell phone screen is the safest thing drivers can do to protect their lives, their passengers and other drivers.
In addition, there are 6,000 fatalities a year caused by distracted driving that link cell phones as the possible reason.
The NSC recently released a white paper focusing on distractions and how the human brain copes with multitasking. The paper, titled, "Understanding the distracted brain: Why driving while using hands-free cell phones is risky behavior" explains the limitations of the brain specifically in terms of driving safely while using a cell phone either to talk, text or email.
Referencing more than 30 scientific studies and reports, the paper describes how using a cell phone, hands-free or handheld not only impairs driving performance, but also weakens the brain's ability to capture driving cues.
For example, drivers who use cell phones have a form of inattention blindness - they have a tendency to "look at" but not "see" up to 50% of their surroundings. Distracted drivers have trouble seeking and identifying potential hazards, and responding to unexpected situations on time. So, it's no wonder that distracted driving is a lethal problem.
Part of the problem is that although most drivers believe using a cell phone while driving is dangerous, still 11% of all drivers are using cell phones, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports.
There are efforts to curbe cell phone use across states, and laws restricting their use while driving are slowly spreading. So far, no state bans all cell phone use by all drivers, but 25 states and the District of Columbia ban all cell phone use by novice drivers.
Also, bus drivers in 18 states (including Massachusetts), and D.C. are banned from using a cell phone when passengers are present.
Further more, 25 states, including New Hampshire, ban texting while driving. However, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only 7 states and D.C. also ban drivers from talking on handheld devices.
The NSC white paper shows that this is not enough and drivers need to be aware of the dangers they face every time they pick up the phone while driving.
Keeping eyes on the road instead of on their cell phone screen is the safest thing drivers can do to protect their lives, their passengers and other drivers.
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