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Showing posts from June, 2013

Sharing the Road: Bicycle and Motorist Safety in Massachusetts

By Joseph F. De Leo, Esq.      With the warm weather upon us, soaring gasoline prices, increased summer traffic congestion along with many people trying to stay fit it is no surprise that there are more bicycles sharing the road with automobiles than ever before.   Unfortunately this increased interest in cycling has also brought a greater number of motor vehicle accidents involving bicycles, often with tragic results.      According to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the number of Massachusetts residents who mostly rode a bicycle to work increased 80% from 2000 to 2011 from about 12,300 people to 22,000.   This is especially true in cities like Cambridge , Massachusetts where according to some estimates there were three times as many people biking on its streets in 2012 compared to ten years earlier.   In fact, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, about one in ten Massachusetts residents or approximately 688,000 people biked more than once in 2011.   A

Understanding Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Massachusetts

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Massachusetts By Joseph F. De Leo, Esq.      Many people are confused today as to the type and amount of automobile insurance coverage necessary to protect them in the event of an injury arising out of an automobile accident by an uninsured or underinsured automobile as noted by recent news stories concerning people injured by vehicles which did not have adequate insurance coverage.   This article will briefly survey the portion of your own Massachusetts automobile insurance policy which may benefit you should you be injured in an automobile accident and the types and amounts of coverage you may want to increase beyond compulsory amounts prescribed by Massachusetts law.   Future articles will review what insurance coverage and amounts are necessary should you be involved in an accident for which you are deemed liable and coverage amounts that affect damage to your automobile, property and damage to other people’s property or vehi