Articles Posted in Auto Accident

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of seat belts in a vehicle is the most effective way to prevent injuries and save lives in the event of a car accident or other traffic crash. Yet despite the prevalence of seat belts in vehicles, state laws making seat belt use mandatory, and a public perception that seat belts are an important safety feature, far too few drivers and adult passengers use seat belts every time they ride.

In 2012 alone, more than 2.2 million Americans needed treatment in an emergency room due to injuries they sustained in a collision and non-fatal injuries are estimated to have cost more than $50 billion in that year in lost work costs and lifetime medical expenses.

In 2014, the national rate of seat belt use was 88.5 percent which was an all-time high yet 49 percent of people killed in traffic collisions in 2014 were not restrained, highlighting the fact that those who fail to use seat belts face a disproportionately high risk of death in a crash.

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People in Chicago may be participating in unofficial celebrations today as the temperature is expected to exceed 80 degrees for just the third time this year. The skies should be sunny, the weekend is almost here, and families may be getting together this weekend to celebrate Mother’s Day.

While today should be a great day in Illinois, things will become more chaotic tomorrow as a cold front will move towards the city, bringing with it a substantial drop in temperatures and some thunderstorms.

If you live in the Midwest, rain and thunderstorms are a normal part of life. You have no choice but to deal with this form of inclement weather even if it affects your commute, your ability to get your kids to school, or your weekend activities. But even though rain and storms are common here, many motorists lack the skill and/or the desire to drive safely in these conditions, leading to an increased risk of car accidents and traffic collisions taking place throughout Chicago.

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What type of driver poses the greatest threat to others on Chicago roadways? It might seem like a simple question to pose but it is an incredibly difficult one to answer. While generalizations can be made across types of motorists, the truth is that each individual driver determines how safe or risky her conduct will be and her actions, as well as her safety, may vary from one trip to another. Engaging in risky conduct like speeding, tailgating, using a cell phone while driving, driving while intoxicated, or drowsy driving are some of the most common ways that an otherwise safe motorist can become incredibly dangerous to others and these are also activities which Illinois sees, unfortunately, on a daily basis.

A new study has produced some data about two groups of drivers who are often thought to be among the most dangerous: the elderly and teenagers. The information was released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of Colorado Anschultz Medical Campus and determined that teenage motorists cause more fatal car accidents and traffic crashes than do elderly drivers.

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In an effort to keep consumers constantly informed about the safety of the vehicles they drive, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (“IIHS”) puts several models of popular cars, trucks, and vans through a series of simulated collisions every year and then ranks the vehicles based upon their performances. A vehicle’s ability to withstand an impact, its design related to the passenger compartment, and suspected injuries to occupants inside are just some of the areas reviewed during IIHS testing.

Recently, IIHS released data from several large pickup trucks that underwent a small overlap front crash test. The small overlap front crash test involves a vehicle striking a fixed object in a head-on manner but with the object off-center from the vehicle. It is designed to simulate a situation where a car leaves the road and strikes a pole or a tree or the event where a second vehicle crosses a center line and collides head-on with a first car in a striking or glancing blow.

Unfortunately, the results of the testing are something less than positive.

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Technology is pervasive in our daily lives. From the alarm clock that rings in the morning to the GPS device that gets you to your destination, to a cell phone that keeps you connected to the world and the tablet that lets you work on the go, it is hard to avoid technology. While these devices have led to a great convenience for the masses, they also present many drawbacks, and among them are safety concerns. Increasingly, motorists are using their cell phones behind the wheel and it had led to an increase in distracted driving car accidents in Chicago and across the nation.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a time for drivers of all ages to reflect on their personal conduct while operating a motor vehicle and to encourage others to do the same.

Sponsored in part by the National Safety Council, Distracted Driving Awareness Month places an emphasis on all distracting behaviors among drivers, though a primary focus is the use of a cell phone. Many motorists fail to realize that a conversation itself is the distracting portion of cell phone use and therefore a phone should not be used except in the case of an emergency, even if the cell phone is hands-free. Cell phones should never be used for texting, emailing, or surfing the internet while driving as all these functions require a driver’s attention to be diverted from traffic in front of her and onto the cell phone, leading to an increased risk for a collision.

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Many drivers on Chicago roadways today remember a time when the speed limits across the country were much lower than they are now. In the 1970s and 1980s, most states chose to keep their maximum speed limits to 55 miles per hour or under due to the threat of financial penalties from the federal government but that all changed when the National Maximum Speed Limit law was repealed in 1995. Following that move, many states increased their speed limits quickly and by January of 2013, only the nation’s capital had a 55 mph maximum.

Originally, the speed limit law was intended to help conserve gasoline but as an added bonus, officials quickly noted that the number of fatalities on American roadways decreased substantially. At present, approximately 50 percent of all collisions are believed to have excessive speed as a factor, and many of those car accidents produce injuries and/or deaths among the drivers and passengers involved.

By studying data since the repeal of the National Maximum Speed Limit law, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concluded that increased speed limits in the last two decades are the cause of 33,000 traffic deaths in the United States.

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Often, when it comes to driving, motorists will express an understanding of safety-related issues and will state that certain dangerous behaviors should be avoided at all costs. Yet those same motorists will admit to engaging in the dangerous behaviors themselves, leading to a “do as I say, not as I do” situation.

This seems to be particularly true of drowsy driving, an activity described as operating a motor vehicle while being impaired by a lack of sleep. It can stem from a worker who does not get enough time to rest, a parent of a new baby, or even someone who must be on-the-go often to provide for their families. In Chicago, many incidents of drowsy driving arise from the fact that the city’s expressways and interstates are so congested that drivers face long commutes, limiting the amount of time they rest each night.

No matter why someone is tired, the fact that they have not slept enough puts themselves and others in danger of a car accident, and data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests that more than 6,000 deaths are caused by drowsy driving annually.

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When the Illinois Department of Transportation announced proposed plans to widen the Eisenhower Expressway, the greater Chicago community had a range of reactions. Some were elated that additional lanes were being planned to increase capacity on one of the most congested areas in Illinois. Others were exasperated at the thought of a multi-year construction project that would certainly worsen the conditions of the expressway during the period of time when road work is active.

Now, IDOT is releasing some additional information about upgrades and changes it plans to make to surface roads in Chicago before work begins on widening I-290.

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A large number of drivers in the Chicago area are making plans to be on the roads this weekend, traveling to see family for the Easter holiday or otherwise enjoying some time away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This means that area expressways, interstates, and even local roads are expected to be laden with motorists all trying to get to their chosen destinations at the same time, leading to hectic and potentially dangerous situations.

Gas prices are relatively low at the moment though they have increased in the last two weeks. This is another factor expected to contribute to high traffic with several million drivers nationally expected to travel more than 50 miles from home. Unfortunately, rain is expected in much of Illinois today and on Sunday as well which could lead to a heavy traffic load with poor visibility around the state: a recipe for car accidents and other collisions.

If you will be one of the thousands of drivers taking to the roads this weekend, keep the following tips in mind:

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Collisions between cars traveling in the same direction happen with far too frequently in Chicago. Often, these crashes occur on the interstates and expressways that surround us but the city’s many one-way streets, roads, and alleys also make for a scene where a side impact crash may happen.

Commonly, one vehicle traveling alongside another may not realize that the second vehicle is present, thereby attempting to change lanes when it is unsafe to do so. As all vehicles have some degree of a blind spot to the sides of the car, these crashes can happen even when motorists think they know what vehicles are nearby if a car or small SUV happens to be somewhere a driver cannot see readily with mirrors. This is one of the reasons it has been so difficult to reduce these car accidents over the years, but that may now be changing.

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