Boston Car Accident Attorneys
Reputable Auto Accident Lawyers Represent Clients in Boston
Aggressive and distracted driving add to accident risks in Boston
Recently, auto insurer Allstate named Boston as the city with the worst drivers in the country, noting that a “Boston driver is 167.6 percent more likely to have an accident than the national average, with a new accident every 7.1 years.” And even that represents an improvement, from a new accident every 3.9 years in Allstate’s previous report. Common causes of traffic accidents in our city include:
- Aggressive driving
- Alcohol consumption
- Distracted driving
- Failure to signal
- Failure to yield right of way
- Failure to observe a red light or stop sign
- Speeding
- Tailgating
Driver distraction is a growing problem with drivers in Boston and across the country. Massachusetts law does not ban handheld cellphones but does prohibit cellphone use by school bus drivers and novice drivers (those under 18 years of age). All drivers are forbidden to send or read text messages while behind the wheel.
Vision Zero initiative aims to reduce traffic deaths in Boston
Boston’s streets certainly don’t aid the cause of safety. Like many older American and European cities, downtown Boston grew organically without a preconceived grid. To the extent our early streets were planned, the designers intended to accommodate horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians, not passenger cars and tractor-trailers. Yet, Boston is the eastern terminus of I-90, the Massachusetts Turnpike, which each day brings in more motor vehicle traffic, at higher speeds, than the city can accommodate. Also, Route 93 brings thousands of commuters and tourists to Boston from the north and south.
In response to the traffic problem, Mayor Marty Walsh committed to a Vision Zero action plan in 2016, with a goal of totally eliminating traffic deaths by 2030. Vision Zero is a comprehensive strategy developed in Europe and adopted by several U.S cities. It combines tactics to enhance safety, including the redesign of intersections, new stop light technology, reduced speed limits, and enhanced enforcement of laws linked to traffic safety. By making intersections safe for every type of user, the city also hopes to greatly reduce pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents.
As part of the Vision Zero initiative, the speed limit on all roadways in the City of Boston has been set at 25 miles per hour. The hope is to reduce the number and severity of crashes on residential streets, especially those crashes due to cut-through traffic, which creates undue risk in residential neighborhoods.
While we fervently hope Vision Zero improves safety in Boston, our dedicated personal injury attorneys stand ready to help auto accident victims get the full measure of compensation they deserve.
Learn more about Boston’s traffic safety initiatives:
Contact a Boston auto accident law firm for highly professional representation
For more than 70 years, the reputable personal injury lawyers at Feinberg & Alban, P.C. have helped victims of car crashes throughout Greater Boston get the compensation they deserve. Call us today at (617) 232-5950 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. We are conveniently located on Franklin Street, one block east of Leventhal Park, in the heart of the city’s financial district. If your injuries prevent you from visiting us, we can come to you.