Articles Posted in Drunk Driving in Massachusetts

According to the latest reports, the number of drunk driving incidents among teenagers has dropped by close to 55 percent since 1991.

My FOX Boston reports officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are saying that while the decrease is something to be proud of, there is still much more that needs to be done to help to put an end to the risky driving behavior displayed by our newly-licensed drivers.

Although the numbers have dropped, drunk driving among teenagers is probably a little more common than they might ever have imagined. According to reports, high school students are estimated to drink and drive close to 2.5 million times each and every month. Of the students polled who admitted to drinking and driving at least once over the last 30 days, close to 90 percent of them report that they binge drank.

Our Quincy drunk driving car accident lawyers understand that teenagers are about three times more likely to get into a deadly car accident than any other age group of drivers. According to the CDC, about 20 percent of teen drivers who were involved in a deadly car accident in 2010 reported alcohol in their system. Among young residents who were surveyed for alcohol consumption, in people over the age of 12, guys were more likely than the gals to drive under the influence.

All too often, parents are naive and think just because they’re young driver isn’t legally allowed to purchase or to consume alcohol that they’re not going to do it. The truth of the matter is that booze is a popular commodity with high school kids nationwide. Be sure to talk with your kid about the dangers that are associated with consuming alcohol, not only the dangers for car accidents, but the risks that are associated with their health and with potentially going to jail. These are all potential life-changing risks, too!

The truth of the matter is than teens don’t just drink, because when they do — they drink a lot!

Who Reported Binge Drinking?

-More than 5 percent of 8th graders.

-More than 15 percent of high school sophomores.

-Close to 25 percent of high school seniors.

The U.S. Surgeon General reports that roughly 5,000 children who are under the age of 21 die every year because of underage drinking. Most of these fatalities are the result of car accidents, homicides and even suicides. Teens who drink are at some serious risks for other injuries, like lifelong alcohol usage and abuse. It’s important that parents and guardians start now in reducing these risks for our teens.

Talk with your teen about the risks, the dangers and the consequences that are associated with drinking and driving. Enact your own household driving rules to make sure that there are strict consequences for anyone who is busted drinking, let alone driving! Stay active in your child’s whereabouts. Know who they’re with, where they’re going, what they’ll be doing and when they’re planning on returning.
Continue reading

Police officers in Hingham recently arrested a man who was allegedly driving under the influence — with two kids in the car. According to the Boston Globe, officers were alerted just before 7:00 p.m. by a 71-year-old man who said he was driving behind a vehicle that was swerving all over the road. When officers arrived on scene, they located the car and pulled it over.

Witnesses report that the car was “all over the road.” When everyone stopped at a red light, the witness who called the cops approached the driver and said he shouldn’t be driving. The driver pulled over and the guy who called the cops stopped right behind him with his hazard lights on. Officers report that they found a 7- and 10-year-old in the vehicle. The car was still running and was in “drive” as well. Officers also report that the man was slurring his words, his eyes were glassy and he smelled of alcohol. He was reportedly swaying in the driver’s seat, too.

Our Hingham car accident lawyers understand that intoxicated individuals don’t always make the best of decisions, like getting behind the wheel — with two kids in the car! Officers say that the man said he wasn’t drinking and he also agreed to sobriety tests. When he got out of the car, officers report that he fell back into the door of the car and started to stumble around. Officers had to grab him to stop him from falling. They attempted to conduct a sobriety test, but discontinued for the safety of the driver.

Eventually, he admitted to drinking, saying he only had two beers. Officers found an open bottle of water which they say smelled like liquor and not water. The man was 44-years-old and was from Connecticut. He was arrested and officials have charged him with driving on a suspended license, driving to endanger, driving with an open container, 2 counts of OUI with child endangerment and OUI Alcohol.

He has also been banned from driving in the state of Massachusetts pending payment of a license reinstatement fee. He was held at the Plymouth County House of Correction on a $250 cash bail.

The two kids in the car were taken to the police station and were eventually picked up by their mom. The Department of Children and Families filed a 51A on their behalf.

So far this year, police officers in Hingham have received about 350 phone calls for erratic operation. Officers are encouraging drivers to keep it up and report anyone displaying irresponsible driving habits.

When reporting a suspected drunk driver to officers, make sure that you report the details while keeping your distance. Get the make, color, model, location, direction and license plate number of the car and a description of the driver if possible. Don’t interact with the driver though and keep yourself safe!
Continue reading

One man will be going to trial in March after being labeled a repeat offender — for drunk driving. In his most recent accident, he is being accused of causing the death of a local woman.

This was a five-car accident that happened back in February. According to that accident report, the driver was observed swerving through traffic erratically in Sheffield on Route 7. The vehicle slammed head-on into another vehicle and then slammed into another car before it finally stopped on top of another vehicle. One driver was pronounced dead on the scene.

According to The Berkshire Eagle, the 35-year-old driver has entered a not guilty plea to nine different charges, including operating to endanger, driving under the influence of alcohol, motor vehicle homicide and his fifth drunk driving offense. If found guilty on the motor vehicular homicide he could face 15 years behind bars.

Our drunk driving accident attorneys understand that drivers who are convicted of one drunk driving offense are likely to be convicted of another. As a matter of fact, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reports that about a third of all drivers who are arrested for driving under the influence are actually repeat offenders. In 2010 alone, there were more than 1.4 million people who were arrested for drunk driving in the United States.

Drunk Driving Statistics:

-About half of all of the drivers who were killed in car accidents who returned positive test results for having drugs in their system also had alcohol in their system.

-For people over the age of 12, men were more likely than women to drive under the influence of alcohol.

-Drivers between the ages of 21 and 25 were most likely to drive while under the influence of alcohol. The second most common age group to engage in this dangerous behavior was those between the ages of 25 and 34.

-The average person is able to metabolize a drink an hour.

-Nothing can sober you up aside from time. Showers and coffee don’t help.

-There were close to 110 people killed in drunk driving car accidents in Massachusetts in 2010.

-In 2010, there were more than 210 kids who were killed in drunk driving car accidents in the U.S. Of these fatalities, more than 60 percent of them were riding in the car with the drunk driver.

-Drunk driving car accidents are much more common on weekend days rather than week days.

-Drunk driving car accidents are four times more common during the evening hours rather than during the daytime.

-Reports conclude that adult driver drank alcohol and got behind the wheel more than 110 million times in 2010. This means that it happened nearly 350,000 times each day.

-In 2011, there were close to 65,000 victims of drunk driving car accidents.

-There are close to 30 people who are killed in drunk driving car accidents in the country each day.

-Drunk driving car accidents cost the country more than $130 billion every year.

-Car accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers. About a third of these accidents are alcohol related.

-Teen alcohol consumption kills about 6,000 people each year. That’s more than all illegal drugs combined.
Continue reading

“We lost a soldier not to war, but to a drunk driver,” read the sign of a great-aunt who lost her niece in a drunk driving car accident. According to The Sun Chronicle, her great-niece was 24-years-old when the accident occurred. She was a mother and a member of the Massachusetts National Guard.

She was killed in an accident with an irresponsible and drunk driver. Members of the young girl’s family and even her younger brother stood along Route 152 last week, right down the road from where the accident happened, and displayed signs with a message — drunk driving kills!

“Too many people have lost a loved one to drunk driving. Get a designated driver and make sure this doesn’t happen to you,” said the victim’s great-aunt.

Our Attleboro drunk driving car accident lawyers understand the risks will remain high through the remainder of the year and the year-end holiday season. It’s an irresponsible move that can take your own life and can take the lives of innocent travelers around you. According to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about a third of all fatal car accidents in the United States involve one of these irresponsible and careless drivers. In 2010 alone, there were close to 10,300 people who died in these accidents.

The Attleboro family is also asking for donations from members of the community to help to cover the costs of the funeral. They say that it’s not something that they had planned on and so it’s putting a hardship on them. They just want to help to spread the word about the dangers of drunk driving. One day, the family would like to start a foundation to try to help other families who have fallen victim to the consequences of drunk driving.

If you would like to make a donation, you can drop it off at any branch of the Bristol County Savings Bank. For monetary donations, please make out your donations to the Kaisha Lynn Guerrini Memorial Fund. This is going to help to benefit her son’s future educational needs.

Each and every year, there are thousands of people across the country who we lose because of drunk driviers. According to the NHTSA, there were more than 140 people who were killed in alcohol-related car accidents in 2010 in the state of Massachusetts. Of those who died, there were close to 100 who were killed in accidents involving a driver who was really drunk and had a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or higher. Close to 100 were killed in an accident involving a driver who was legally drunk, or .08 or higher.
Continue reading

Recent news reveals that the number of drunk driving car accidents in Boston and elsewhere is up close to 10 percent for the first half of 2012.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is responding to this news and saying that now is as good of a time as ever to start cracking down on these irresponsible and careless drivers! Advocates urged the country to fully implement and double-down on the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. According to Jan Withers, the National President for MADD it’s time for all states to join the fight and to pass laws to make sure that all drunk driving offenders get an ignition interlock device.

Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers understand that MADD has been pushing for the all-offender ignition interlock law since 2006.

Since that time, more than 15 states have enacted this law. According to accident and arrest reports, these systems are effective in preventing drunk driving car accidents. States like Oregon and Arizona have been able to enjoy a 50 percent reduction in these incidents since the passing of their laws. Another dose of good news is that the number of ignition interlock devices using by drunk driving offenders has more than doubled in the last few years, going from only about 100,000 to close to 280,000.

Drunk driving car accidents continue to take the lives of about a third of all people who are killed in car accidents every year. These kinds of accidents are actually 100 percent preventable. As a matter of fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and close to 20 other organizations that have conducted studies into the matter prove that these devices can cut down on the number of drunk driving offenses by close to 70 percent.

“If all states enacted and enforced effective interlock laws, the nation would reverse this alarming trend in highway deaths,” Withers said.

Back in July, Congress backed one of MADD’s anti-drunk driving campaigns and handed out over $20 million for an ignition interlock incentive grant program. This was all a part of the most recent advancement of the most recent transportation legislation — MAP-21. Under this program, states that pass this ignition interlock law for all offenders are able to get some of this funding to help to fund their programs.

In the state of Massachusetts, there were more than 100 people who were killed in car accidents that involved a driver who was legally drunk. These accidents and these fatalities accounted for 32 percent of the total traffic fatalities for the year. In addition, there were another 150 people killed in car accidents that involved a driver who was under the influence of alcohol, but who was not considered to be legally drunk. None of these deaths had to happen!
Continue reading

The guy has had his driver’s license taken away more than 20 times, but he continues to find himself in jail over and over and owing the state thousands of dollars — for repeated charges of driving under the influence of alcohol in Massachusetts.

According to Enterprise News, the 27-year-old driver has been busted for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs a number of times and for driving without a valid driver’s license. Safe driving advocates are saying that this is a perfect example as to why the state’s laws against drunk drivers aren’t effective in keeping these drivers from recommitting the crime.

“There always is some element who are incorrigible, who no matter what you do short of put them in prison are going to drink and drive,” said David Deiuliis with the Massachusetts Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Boston drunk driving accident lawyers understand that Melanie’s Law here in Massachusetts is used to try to keep repeat drunk drivers off of the road. It was enacted back in 2005 after a 13-year-old girl from Marshfield was killed by a repeat offender. Unfortunately, this law only goes so far. The 27-year-old driver was indicted back in September on charges for his third-offense drunken driving. If he’s found guilty, then he could be sentenced to five years behind bars. Jail time doesn’t always stop these repeat offenders though.

The driver’s bad record started back in 2002 when he was only 16-years-old. He was busted for stealing/concealing a car in Brockton. His first drunk driving charge came just a year later in 2003. He was again slapped with a drunk-driving charge just 3 months later when he was 18. In 2004, he was charged with driving while under the influence of marijuana and again for drunk driving in 2005.

His most recent drunk driving charges come from a Brockton accident back in December of 2010. His driver’s license was revoked long before that, but that didn’t stop him from driving. He hopped in another person’s vehicle to go pick up a 7-year-old child. The accident happened when he allegedly drove the borrowed vehicle into a parked car, with the child passenger unbelted in the front seat. According to local officers, the man was so intoxicated that he wasn’t even able to tell authorities his birthday. He also couldn’t spell the kid’s name.

Since then, he’s been issued three different arrest warrants for violating the terms of his bail. He’s been sentenced to two months in jail without bail twice since 2010. One of these sentences stemmed from a bust for driving without a driver’s license and for driving with an open container.

Judges ordered him to wear a GPS monitoring device after that. The grand jury from Plymouth County handed up indictments against the driver back in September.

In addition to drunk driving (felony), he is also facing a charge of reckless endangerment of a child.
Continue reading

Our Boston drunk driving accident attorneys have recently been discussing the impact of football season on drunk driving. We’ve talked about the details regarding our local college teams and their tailgate parties, but we’ve got a whole ‘nother game go worry about — the NFL!

Officials with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have recently joined forces with the National Football League (NFL) to urge fans to join in on the designated driver game. This is one of the most important positions to play during the season. To help to get more fans to use designated drivers, and to get people to volunteer to be a designated driver, officials with MADD will be at many NFL games during the fall season to promote driver safety. This is the third year in a row in which officials have reached out to help to make sure everyone makes it home from these games safely!

Typically, tailgate parties are not legal, but they are overlooked because everyone does it anyway. However, there are a few places that enforce the “No Tailgating Policy”. According to the books, you can tailgate in only two areas here in Massachusetts. They are the Foxboro Stadium and The Tweeter Center (Great Woods). If you try having a tailgate party anywhere else, like the Fleet Center or Worcester Centrum, you run the risk of being arrested for public drinking.

Officials with MADD and with the NFL are also working to prevent the near 6,000 alcohol-related fatalities that happen every year to teenagers. Teenagers can take a stand against underage drinking by taking the pledge through MADD’s Power of You(th) Facebook page. The pledge helps teens to stay away from the booze until they’re 21-years-old. It also asks them to take the pledge to stay out of the vehicle of any driver who has been consuming alcohol. When a teen takes this pledge, they’re automatically entered into a drawing to win official NFL gear from their favorite team!

There were close to 120 people who were killed in drunk driving car accidents in the state of Massachusetts in 2010. In addition to these fatalities, there were close to 3,000 injuries. Officials were able to make arrests of nearly 15,000 intoxicated drivers, too.

The saddest part about these kinds of accidents is that they’re completely preventable. There is never anything or anyone forcing an intoxicated person to get behind the wheel. But there can be someone to stop someone from driving. Be a safe and responsible fan this season and make sure your NFL family makes it home safe!
Continue reading

Remember the accident last year in which the driver of a U-Haul truck full of kegs of beer ran right into a 30-year-old woman from Massachusetts, killing her and injuring two others? As we recently reported on our Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog, that occurred at a Harvard-Yale tailgate party.

With the football season here once again, these risks are back, too.

With the football season and with tailgate parties, we see football fans who drink too much and who continue to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Football and booze go hand-in-hand. During the start of this year’s season, we’re asking all fans to behave responsibly and to make sure that there is always a designated driver. There should never be a reason to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.

Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers understand that football season gets pretty intense here in the state of Massachusetts. We’ve got so many team rivalries all fighting for the same thing — the win and the championship. Each university has its own restrictions and regulations for tailgaters but not all of them work universally. At Harvard specifically, there is no tailgating allowed in the HBS parking lots. Commercial vehicles, such as U-Hauls, Winnebagos and RV’s aren’t even allowed to park in the parking facility.

Make sure you check out, review and share all of the rules and the regulations regarding tailgate parties at the schools you’ll be visiting before game day. It’s a small step you can make to help to safely kickoff college game day!

Harvard Tailgating:

-Tailgating is permitted within the Soldier Field Athletic Complex.

-University Police remind fans that rules are strictly enforced.

-You’re allowed to park and tailgate within the athletic complex, but not within the parking lot of the Harvard Business School.

-Parking lots will be open two hours before the game for tailgating.

-No one is allowed to tailgate once the game has begun.

-Each vehicle can use up only one parking spot. The area right behind the vehicle can be used for tailgating.

-Never block more than one parking spot or the parking rows.

-Corporate sampling, promotional and give-a-way vehicles are required to have written permission from the Harvard Athletic Marketing before they’re allowed to enter any parking lot.

-Kegs and other alcoholic items that might promote the rapid over-consumption of alcohol are not allowed on the campus or at any event.

-Tailgaters are allowed to use only charcoal grills. You can only have a propane gas cylinder that is no larger than 20 pounds.

Again, we know that everyone is excited for this year’s festivities to kick off and we recognize that tailgating for these games is one of the area’s most cherished pastimes. We’re asking all fans and athletic supporters to celebrate and tailgate responsibly to make sure that our sporting family stays safe!
Continue reading

In a recent Canton drunk driving accident, a driver was injured and was also issued a summons for driving under the influence of alcohol. It wasn’t just his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) that led officers to bust the driver. It was also because he crashed his pickup truck right into a house on Washington Street. The accident happened early Saturday morning, according to Wicked Local.

Local firefighters had to extract the driver from the building and from the vehicle just after 3:00 a.m. According to the Canton Fire Department, paramedics were on site treating the unconscious man inside of the truck. Once he was freed, he was flown to Mass General Hospital. He is expected to make it. Local and state police are still investigating the accident. A crane was eventually called to the scene of the accident to remove the pickup from the wreckage of the building.

Our Canton drunk driving car accident lawyers understand the risks of being involved in a drunk driving car accident are about four times higher during the evening hours than during the daytime.

In addition to you being at higher risks during the evening, you’re also facing greater risks when traveling on the weekend. In 2010, about 31 percent of all drivers involved in a fatal accident on the weekend were under the influence of alcohol. This is in comparison to the 16 percent involved during the weekdays, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

In the state of Massachusetts, there were more than 140 killed in car accidents that involved a driver who was under the influence of alcohol in 2010.

These kinds of accidents don’t have to happen. They are completely preventable. Still, we continue to lose the lives of thousands every year because of these thoughtless acts. Drivers are asked to be safe and responsible out there and to completely avoid driving if you’ve had anything to drink.

There’s a father in Ludlow who is trying to bring these accident risks down. He’s sending a strong message to drivers. He’s displaying a vehicle that his son was in when he was involved in a drunk driving car accident. According to WWLP, the man’s son was drunk when he slammed head on into a car that was also being driven by another drunk driver.

His son looks like he’s going to be okay, but he says that this was an experience that he wishes upon no parent.

“If I can save some kids life this weekend that’s what this is about,” said the Ludlow father.

During this time of the year, drunk driving car accidents are common. Kids are back in school and they’re using their weekends to get out and party. Make sure your kid’s weekend plans don not involve drinking and driving. And the best way to help ensure that is to set a good example.
Continue reading