The Massachusetts Personal Injury Newsletter

According to the Labor Department the cost of automobile insurance over the past five years is more than double the 10.7% rise in consumer prices during the same time period.   Yet, claim payments are at best just keeping up with inflation as per the Consumer Federation of America.   Thus, even though the price of insurance is rising, you are not getting any more for your money so you want to make sure that your coverage pays off.   The following are some tips to keep in mind should your car be damaged in an automobile accident.      First, collect as much information at the accident scene as possible including other drivers’ information insurance, witness information along with photographs of the accident scene and vehicle damage.   You can use your smartphone to record much of this information.   Free apps such as WreckCheck can be very useful to collect all this data.      Second, report your accident, even a minor incident, especially if it is not your fault.   Many times

     Distracted driving is more of a risk than most people would imagine. In the United States , more than nine people are killed due to distracted driving every day, and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that involve a distracted driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported, in 2011 alone, 3,331 people were killed in car accidents that involved a distracted driver and an additional 387,000 people were injured in accidents involving distracted drivers.      Given, the ever increasing number of in-car infotainment systems which are predicted to increase five-fold in new vehicles by 2018, many are calling for limiting new and potentially dangerous mental distractions being built into cars.   According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety which released findings this month, its research showed that as mental workload and distractions increase, react