Massachusetts Drivers Are Bad, But Mass. State Police Troopers Are Even Worse (Statistically)
In Massachusetts — home to some of the rudest and riskiest drivers in the country — even State Police troopers aren’t the safest drivers on the road.
And there are plenty of statistics to prove it, according to The Boston Globe.
About 100 people are injured annually in accidents involving the Massachusetts State Police, who have been involved in more than 1,800 accidents over the past five years. Officers were found to be at least partially to blame in more than one third of accidents.
Going back even further, The Globe found that four crashes in the last decade were fatal, and that the department has spent more than $3 million on settlements involving crashes in those same ten years. And that’s with the state’s $100,000 maximum payout on negligence claims involving government agencies.
Even when adjusting for the extra mileage troopers log during their patrols, The Globe found that state police are involved in more than twice as many crashes per mile as civilian drivers.
Among the crashes involving off-duty troopers over the past year:
∙ Trooper John J. Basler was charged with OUI and driving to endanger for his involvement in a crash that resulted in the death of a woman and her daughter in Plymouth in Sept. 2013. He was placed on leave, according to WBZ.
∙ In Nov. 2013, WCVB reported that Trooper Shawn D’Amato was charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol after crashing his Corolla into a State Police cruiser that was making a traffic stop in Revere. One of those drugs was allegedly crack cocaine.
∙ Trooper Dale Jenkins pleaded not guilty to several charges, including carrying a handgun while intoxicated, after he crashed his 1965 Corvette, critically injuring his passenger, in May. He was suspended indefinitely.
One trooper was singled out by The Globe for having driving issues, both off- and on-duty: Trooper Nicholas Internicola has been involved in 10 on-duty crashes, with six more listed on his personal driving record. (Internicola told The Globe that he was involved in only three accidents on-duty, zero accidents in which he was found to be at fault off-duty, and has a “perfect driving record.’’)
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