Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog

November 24, 2025

Holiday Parties, Dram Shop Liability, and Social Host Duty in Boston: What DUI Victims Need to Know Before the Holidays

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach in Boston, office celebrations, Friendsgiving dinners, and family gatherings start to fill the calendar. Alcohol is often part of these events, and unfortunately, so are drunk driving crashes. If you or someone you love has been hit by a drunk driver after a holiday party, you may be facing medical bills, time away from work, and a confusing set of questions about who is responsible.

Massachusetts law does more than hold the drunk driver accountable. In some situations, the bar, restaurant, or even the private party host who provided the alcohol may also be legally responsible. Understanding dram shop liability and social host duty can help you protect your rights and pursue the full compensation you deserve.

Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers represents drunk driving victims throughout Boston and across Massachusetts, and this guide explains what you should know as the holiday season begins.

September 15, 2025

Massachusetts Wraps “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”: What It Means for Victims and Families

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Massachusetts closed out the annual Labor Day impaired-driving enforcement wave on September 1 as part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. At Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, we recognize the effectiveness of high-visibility patrols, sobriety checkpoints, and public education efforts in preventing tragedies. When a crash does happen, they can also shape the evidence, the criminal charges, and the path to civil recovery. Below, we explain what the campaign is, why it runs in late August through Labor Day, how it connects to Massachusetts crash trends, and what steps victims should take after an impaired-driving collision.

What the enforcement wave is and when it ran in 2025

Each summer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration coordinates a nationwide crackdown on impaired driving around Labor Day. In 2025, the enforcement period ran from August 15 to September 1, supported by paid and earned media that encouraged drivers to plan a sober ride. You likely saw messages like “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Ride Sober or Get Pulled Over” across television, radio, digital platforms, and highway signs.

August 29, 2025

Drunk Driving Victims: Late-Summer 2025 Developments

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Late summer is a dangerous time on American roads and waterways. From mid-August through Labor Day, alcohol related crashes historically spike as travel, celebrations, and late nights increase. This year is no exception. Our drunk driving victims’ attorneys are tracking high-profile cases, new enforcement waves, and policy changes that matter to victims and their families. In this update, we walk through what happened in August and early September 2025, what these developments mean for your rights, and how we build strong civil cases for those harmed by impaired drivers.

What Happened in August 2025: A Snapshot of Tragedy and Accountability

Across the country, police and prosecutors announced charges in several heart-wrenching crashes. In Houston, two young men visiting friends were killed when an allegedly intoxicated driver slammed into their vehicle in Midtown. Prosecutors brought murder charges, reflecting how seriously Texas treats extreme intoxication and reckless conduct that causes deaths. Families and classmates held vigils and called for accountability.

July 20, 2025

A New Road to Safety: Massachusetts Drivers and the Coming 2026 Drunk-Driving Detection Mandate

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

As a personal injury attorney dedicated to protecting victims of drunk-driving crashes, I know that the most effective way to save lives is to stop these tragedies before they happen. Beginning with the 2026 model year, a groundbreaking federal requirement will mandate that all new passenger vehicles be equipped with advanced drunk-driving detection systems. This measure will impact drivers nationwide, including here in Massachusetts, and is aimed at making impaired driving a relic of the past.

Our drunk driving victim accident attorney explains the new mandate, the technology behind it, and its implications for safety, privacy, and the evolving legal landscape.

The Legislative Foundation

June 17, 2025

Understanding Your Rights as a Victim of Drunk Driving in Massachusetts

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The Human and Legal Cost of Impaired Driving

Every year in the Commonwealth, crashes caused by drivers under the influence shatter lives and place an enormous financial and emotional burden on victims and their families. Massachusetts law recognizes that innocent people injured by drunk driving deserve not only compassion but robust legal remedies that make them whole and deter future misconduct. This article explains those remedies from the vantage point of a Boston personal injury practice dedicated to protecting victims’ rights. Our Boston drunk driving team at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers has recovered compensation for crash survivors across the Commonwealth. We provide the following overview as a public service resource, not as individualized legal advice.

Massachusetts Drunk-Driving Statutes: A Foundation for Your Civil Claim

September 3, 2020

Recreational Marijuana Laws Could Lead to More Car Crash Deaths

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Do recreational pot laws cause an uptick in traffic accidents and fatalities?

Several studies say that they do. If you, a family member, or a friend have been in an accident caused by an intoxicated person in Massachusetts, contact our law firm as soon as possible. We can help.

Percent of THC-Positive Drivers in Fatal Crashes in Washington Has Doubled

Researchers who looked at Washington state found that the percentage of drivers who tested positive for THC after a fatal crash has doubled since the state legalized the use of recreational marijuana in 2012. THC is the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana and the component in the drug that makes people feel “high.”

The researchers found that from 2008 to 2012—the five-year period before marijuana was legal—approximately 8.8% of drivers involved in deadly crashes were THC-positive. That rate jumped to 18% in the five-year period from 2013 to 2017.

AAA Foundation for Traffic performed the study and released the results in January 2020. The study did not try to ascertain if marijuana caused or contributed to the crashes.

The researchers also discovered that the average number of THC-positive drivers involved in fatal crashes increased. In the five years prior to legalization, an average of 56 drivers involved in fatal crashes per year were THC-positive compared to an average of 130 drivers five years after legalization.

“This study enabled us to review a full 10-years’ worth of data about the potential impact of marijuana on driving safety—and it raises significant concerns,” Dr. David Yang, executive director of AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, said in a Jan. 30, 2020, statement. Continue reading

July 31, 2019

Drunk Drivers in Massachusetts Can Still Evade Ignition Interlock Penalties

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is now the only state in the U.S. where individuals convicted of a first-time offense of operating under the influence of alcohol cannot be subjected to interlock ignition devices before their car keys are returned. Boston drunk driving accident attorneys understand a number of traffic safety activists are trying to change this.

Among those involved are AAA Northeast and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), who have for years been pushing lawmakers to expand ignition interlock device usage. These machines, required of repeat OUI offender in Massachusetts since the 2005 passage of Melanie’s Law, which enhanced numerous penalties for drunk driving.

Per MGL 90, § 24, and MGL 90 § 24 ½, ignition interlock devices are to be installed – and paid for – by individuals convicted twice or more of operating under the influence, either when they are eligible for license restatement following their revocation/suspension OR during their revocation/suspension if they qualify for a condition hardship driver’s license. The latter is only good for 12 hours daily throughout that time.

The devices require the driver to provide an alcohol-free breath sample before the vehicle will start. If the individual tests positive for alcohol over a certain point, the ignition “locks” and the vehicle won’t start. The device also records the number of failed breath tests, which can be submitted to a judge and used as evidence against the driver if a condition of probation or parole is that the individual not consume alcohol. Continue reading

June 28, 2019

Tragic Motorcycle Fatalities Blamed on Massachusetts Commercial Driver

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The head of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles resigned this week after revelations that the department should have already suspended the commercial driver’s license of the man responsible for killing seven motorcycle riders in a horrific crash last weekend.

The car hauler he was driving collided with a group of motorcycle riders who were veterans and members of the Marine Jarheads motorcycle club enroute with their spouses to a nearby fundraiser. The defendant, a 23-year-old Springfield truck driver, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of vehicular homicide.

Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack announced the resignation of Erin Deveney, registrar of the Massachusetts RMV, effective immediately after revelations the trucker was able to keep his Massachusetts commercial operator’s license, despite a history of serious traffic infractions, including a drunk driving arrest last month in Connecticut. Even more recently, WCVB-TV reported Tuesday, he was involved in a June 3 rollover crash on an interstate in Texas. He also was arrested for drunk driving in 2013, and had his license suspended.

May 27, 2019

Record Number of Convicted Drunk Drivers on Boston Roads

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Boston is among the cities with the highest number of convicted drunk drivers on the roads, according to a new study by the insurance industry.

The report by QuoteWizard found Boston has the second highest number of drivers with drunk driving convictions of any city in the United States.

While it might sound like good news, and evidence of tough enforcement, our drunk driving injury attorneys in Boston know the number of drunk driving arrests only serves to illustrate the true extent of the problem. Most people convicted of drunk driving have previously driven drunk at least 80 times.

April 22, 2019

Graduation Season Increases Drunk Driving Risks in Massachusetts

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

May is graduation season and is often a time of great joy and family gatherings.

Don’t let irresponsible use of alcohol or drugs turn the season into a tragedy.

There are more than 100 high schools in Suffolk, Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth and Middlesex counties. And the Boston area is home to more than 50 colleges and universities, including Boston University, Harvard, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Our drunk driving injury lawyers in Boston urge parents and party hosts to take seriously the responsibility of safe hosting this graduation season. While additional liability can result from serving alcohol to those under age 21, even those hosting graduation parties for college students can face significant liability when an intoxicated guest causes injury, whether as a result of a motor-vehicle collision, assault or by other means.