| By

Late last week officials marked the start of a new generation for child cribs. Back in December of 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted to approve a new set of mandatory crib standards. These new standards are the most stringent crib safety standards in the world. All importers, distributors, manufacturers and retailers are now required to offer only cribs that meet the CPSC’s new full-size and non-full-size crib standards.

From now on, cribs should be safer and cause less injury to children in Chicago and elsewhere. For decades, dropside cribs have caused death and injury to hundreds of children – an issue the government was monumentally slow in tackling.Our Illinois personal injury attorneys understand that these regulations are supposed to be some of the strictest rules to date. They reportedly require the manufacturer to stop the sale of dangerous traditional drop-side cribs, to strengthen mattress supports and crib slats, to require that all crib hardware be more durable and to make sure that safety testing is more rigorous.

“A safe crib is the safest place for a baby to sleep. It is for this reason that I am so pleased that parents, grandparents and caregivers now can shop with confidence and purchase cribs that meet the most stringent crib standards in the world,” said Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “From the start, our goal has been to prevent deaths and injuries to babies in cribs, and now the day has come where only stronger and safer cribs are available for consumers to purchase.”

Since 2007, the CPSC has recalled more than 11 million dangerous cribs. Drop-side cribs with detaching side rails were reportedly the cause of approximately 32 infant suffocation and strangulation deaths since 2000. A number of other deaths happened because of faulty or defective crib hardware. These new standards look to prevent these fatal accidents and to keep children safer in their cribs.

Starting in December of 2012, a number of places will be required to use only cribs that comply with the new crib standards. This applies to family child care homes and infant Head Start centers, other child care facilities and places of public accommodation, including hotels and motels and rental companies.

Baby cribs aren’t the only product that has been in trouble with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Last month, the CPSC announced that Macy’s Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $750,000.

The settlement is the result of CPSC staff allegations that accused Macy’s of knowingly failing to report to CPSC immediately, as required by federal law, that it sold children’s sweatshirts, sweaters and jackets that had drawstrings at the neck between 2006 and 2010.

The child clothing that is the subject of the penalty agreement was reportedly sold by Macy’s and Macy’s-owned stores, including Bloomingdale’s and Robinsons-May. According to the CPSC, the store chain knowingly sold the clothing after a recall had been issued.

Back in 1996, the CPSC issued a new set of drawstring guidelines that were meant to help prevent children from strangling themselves or getting entangled in the neck and waist drawstrings of clothing. Once a recall has been issued, all sales of the affected product must be halted.
Continue reading

| By

Driving distractions contribute to roughly 30 percent of all car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere. The real number may even be higher because investigating officers may not detect or record all distractions, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration.

Currently in the state of Illinois, drivers under the age of 19, school bus drivers and drivers who are operating in school and construction zones are banned from using a cell phone behind the wheel. All drivers are banned from texting. Illinois is also one of only six states that allows localities to ban cell phone use for all drivers. As of now, Chicago is the only major city in our state that has made cell phone use by drivers illegal, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.Our Illinois car accident attorneys see too many accidents each year that are caused by distracted drivers. These accidents are all 100 percent preventable. There are a number of ways distractions can take hold of a driver’s attention. There are visual distractions that take a driver’s eyes off the roadways, auditory distractions that happen when a driver hears something that’s not related to driving, manual distractions that occur when a driver is manipulating something other than the wheel and there are cognitive distractions that happen when a driver is thinking about something other than driving.

“While distracted driving is an emotional issue that raises the ire of many on the road, states must take a research-based approach to addressing the problem. Until more research is conducted, states need to proceed thoughtfully, methodically and objectively,” says GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha.

Enforcement of these regulations has concluded that:

-A high-visibility cell phone and texting law enforcement campaign drastically reduces cell phone use. Long term effects of this enforcement are not yet known.

-Laws banning hand-held cell phone use dropped the use of these devices by about half when they were first implemented.

A recent report conducted by the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration, titled Distracted Driving: What Research Shows and What States Can Do, is able to summarize how often drivers operate a motor vehicle while distracted, what exactly distracted driving is and the crash risks of driving while distracted.

This study concluded that:

-Drivers who use hand-held devices are as much as four times as likely to get into a car accident that is serious enough to injure themselves.

-Texting likely increases accident risks more than cell phone use.

-Motorists frequently drive while distracted, perhaps as much as half the time.

-Drivers adapt to some extent. They are able to pay more attention to driving and reduce their distracting activities in more dangerous driving situations.

“Despite all that has been written about driver distraction, there is still a lot that we do not know,” said GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha, who oversaw the report’s development. “Much of the research is incomplete or contradictory. Clearly, more studies need to be done addressing both the scope of the problem and how to effectively address it.”

Nearly 5,500 people were killed in traffic accidents that reported the involvement of a distracted driver in the United States in 2009 alone. Another 448,000 people were injured in these incidents, according to Distraction.gov. This means that 20 percent of injury accidents that happened in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving.

Distractions are inevitable. It is virtually impossible to completely eliminate them while driving, it’s a part of who we are as humans and as drivers. With proper self-discipline, we can all do our part to reduce distractions and risks of fatal accidents.
Continue reading

| By

A horrific head-on collision devastated a family, killing both parents and leaving the two sons paralyzed from the waist down. Despite intense therapy, doctors are unsure if the boys will ever regain use of their legs. The 9- and 8-year-old boys were on their way home with their family from a road trip when the family suffered a tragic car accident in Colorado. The accident happened on Highway 285 in Fort Stockton when an SUV swerved into the lane that the family’s minivan was traveling in and collided with the vehicle head on. In addition to the brothers injuries, the parents died and their 6-year-old sister’s arm was broken, according to Huffpost Impact.After the accident, the boys were taken to the Covenant Health System’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Lubbock. Later on they were airlifted to the Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital because of the severity of their spinal cord injuries. They were then transported to Chicago’s Shriners Hospital. Our Chicago personal injury attorneys understand how fortunate we are to have facilities like this in our area. The Shriners Hospital is a facility renowned for its work in pediatric spinal cord rehab. The boys will continue their treatment here in Illinois. Spinal cord and neck injuries can and do occur in serious car accidents.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the spinal cord column consists of more than 31 bones (or vertebrae), 7 cervical vertebrae (neck), 12 thoracic vertebrae (upper and middle back), 5 lumbar vertebrae (lower back), 5 sacral vertebrae (sacrum) and 2 fused coccygeal vertebrae (coccyx). Also in the spinal cord is the central bundle of nerves in charge of sending signals to and from the brain and the rest of the body. Damage to the spinal column can be detrimental to these functions.

Roughly 200,000 people have to live with SCI in our country. It is estimated that there are anywhere between 15 and 40 cases per million people every year. This means anywhere between 12,000 and 20,000 new patients are treated for SCI every year.

Motor-vehicle accidents contribute to nearly 50 percent of these injuries. Men are most likely to be the victim of SCI as they account for 80 percent of all patients. Most of the new SCI cases are of people 30-years-old or younger. It’s estimated that approximately 60 percent of these new cases occur in those ages 15- to 35-years-old.

This is no cheap injury either. The CDC estimated that the lifetime cost for this injury can be more than $3 million. This means a patient could potentially have to fork over anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000 a year if they suffer from SCI.

Insurance companies understand the liability and can sometimes move quickly toward a settlement — even offering a check claiming to be the maximum available under the policy limits of the at-fault driver. If a loved one suffers a spinal cord injury, seeking the immediate representation of an Illinois injury lawyer can be vital to protecting your rights. An accident lawyer will charge you nothing for a confidential consultation — and will often come to your home or hospital room.

Do not make any statements to opposing insurance representatives. Do not sign any paperwork and do not accept any payment. Choosing a lawyer can be an important first step toward ensuring that the necessary resources for rehabilitation and long-term care will be made available to you and your family.
Continue reading

| By

Drivers in Illinois, ages 18-years-old and older, are allowed to take their attention off the roadway and talk on their cell phone while behind the wheel of a car if they want. Well, everyone outside of Chicago is allowed to. That could all change very soon, if Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. has her way.

She recently proposed a House bill that looks to federalize driving and cell phone usage, according to Auto Trends Magazine.

As it stands now, these are laws that are managed by individual states. Under the proposed legislation, the U.S. Department of Transportation would be required to set up a nationwide standard that would prohibit all cell phone use while driving. McCarthy’s House bill aims to reduce the number of distracted driving car accidents in Illinois and elsewhere in the United States.In the meantime, many local law enforcement agencies are doing everything they can to raise awareness and enforcement efforts to push the laws that they do have. A number of recent studies have illustrated the effectiveness of more visible enforcement efforts.

Nearly 5,500 people were killed on U.S. roadways in 2009 alone because of car accidents that reported the involvement of a distracted driver, according to Distraction.gov. Another 448,000 people were injured because of these types of accidents. Our Chicago car accident attorneys understand that a nationwide ban on cell phone use by drivers has the potential to truly benefit the safety of everyone on our roadways. According to these statistics, roughly 20 percent of all injury crashes that happened in 2009 involved a distracted driver. These numbers can be drastically reduced with the proper awareness, laws and enforcement. No cell phone conversation is worth a human life.

“Driving while making a phone call, texting or using apps can be as dangerous as driving drunk, and much more common,” Rep. McCarthy said. “With some basic commonsense rules that are already in place in some parts of the country, we can reduce injuries and save lives in America.”

Safe driving advocates everywhere are stepping up awareness campaigns and enforcement efforts in an attempt to reduce the occurrence of this dangerous driving habit. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that a recent study returned dramatic reductions in distracted driving in both Syracuse, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut. These studies included two pilot projects that were used to measure the effect of increased law enforcement coupled with high-profile public education campaigns.

“These findings show that strong laws, combined with highly-visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cell phone use behind the wheel,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Based on these results, it is crystal clear that those who try to minimize this dangerous behavior are making a serious error in judgment, especially when half a million people are injured and thousands more are killed in distracted driving accidents.”

Each of these programs was funded by $200,000 in federal funds and $100,000 from the state. The result proved that increased police enforcement accompanied by paid advertising and news media coverage indeed made a significant reduction in distracted driving. Television campaigns were aired and bulletin boards were posted to warn drivers about this dangerous driving habit and of the law enforcement crackdown on the behavior.

After the increased enforcement efforts:

-Syracuse, New York, witnessed that both handheld cell phone use and texting declined by one-third with just the use of high-visibility law enforcement.

-Hartford, Connecticut saw nearly a 60 percent decrease in handheld use. Texting by drivers decreased by nearly three-quarters.

“The success of these pilot programs clearly show that combining strong laws with strong enforcement can bring about a sea change in public attitudes and behavior,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “We applaud the work of the men and women of the Syracuse and Hartford police forces, and call on state legislatures, law enforcement and safety advocates across the nation to follow their lead.”
Continue reading

| By

A train accident in Illinois took the lives of two elderly women earlier this week. The two women had just dropped off a friend before their car slammed through the crossing gates near 167th Street and Central Avenue, according to the Chicago Tribune. The seven-car train plowed into the vehicle and pushed it along the tracks for several hundred feet. The lead car eventually derailed but remained upright. The train was traveling at speeds of up to 96kph when the incident occurred.There were 89 people aboard the train at the time of the accident. Seven were taken to various local hospitals with minor injuries. A number of passengers credited the driver with keeping the entire train from derailing. According to Metra officials, the track was bent as a result of the accident. It will have to undergo repairs before train services can resume. National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway says that federal officials have already been notified of the accident and are currently investigating the cause.

As we recently reported on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, Illinois is one of 10 states that has been ordered by the federal government to develop additional safety measures to reduce the number of fatal accidents that occur at railroad crossings. Neglecting to develop these new safety measures can result in a loss of funding.

Since 2006, Illinois has witnessed nearly 600 grade-crossing accidents involving trains, vehicles and/or pedestrians. These accidents have resulted in nearly 100 deaths. These statistics land Illinois at second place for the highest number of rail-crossing accidents in the nation.

In our state, roughly a quarter of all fatal train accidents have occurred at crossings with gates. About 75 percent of fatal train accents happened at crossings that have other types of traffic control devices, like signs and flashing lights.

Follow these safety tips to help prevent a collision at a railroad crossing:

-Never drive around gates that have been lowered. Not only is it illegal, but it can be deadly.

-Never race a train to the crossing.

-Only go through a crossing if you’re sure you can safely cross the entire track.

-If your vehicle gets stuck on the tracks at a crossing, call your local law enforcement agency for assistance. You should only try to restart if you can post lookouts to warn of approaching trains.

-Be on the lookout for a second train when crossing multiple tracks.

-You should always expect a train on the track. Trains do not follow set schedules.

-Never ignore safety devices like lights, gates and bells.

-Only cross tracks at designated roadway crossings.

The Federal Highway Administration reports that there were nearly 2,000 incidents at public highway-rail crossings in the United States in 2009. These incidents resulted in nearly 250 deaths and more than 700 injuries. About 75 percent of these incidents happened during daytime hours.
Continue reading

| By

Illinois bicycle crash attorneys at Abels & Annes have negotiated a settlement on behalf of a cyclist and tri-athlete injured in a crash caused by a negligent motorist. The case settled for the insurance policy limits of the at fault driver, as well as additional compensation from her own under-insured motorist policy.

The accident took place on July 24, 2009, as the victim was traveling eastbound in a marked bicycle lane through the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Sangamon Street in Chicago, Illinois. A woman traveling westbound in a 2005 Nissan Ultima failed to properly yield to the cyclist, who had the right of way, causing her left hand and right knee to strike the car on impact. The victim’s momentum then took her up and over the hood before landing on her back, right shoulder, right head/helmet, and left hand. Following the collision, the victim had an immediate onset of right knee and left hand pain, swelling and bruising, head pain, and multiple lacerations and abrasion. She was then transported to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center by ambulance.

At the hospital, x-rays and CT scans were administered which came up negative for any fractures or brain/spine damage. After a night in the hospital, she was provided a pair of crutches, a prescription for pain medication, and instructions to follow-up with a doctor before being discharged.

Due to ongoing right knee pain, the woman went to see a doctor on August 14, 2009, who ordered an MRI scan for a possible meniscal tear. She also complained of low back pain that was radiating down into her right knee and lower leg. These injuries made it difficult for her to turn with a fixed foot, squat, or lie in bed at night, which was especially difficult for her as a tri-athlete. She described the pain in her left hand as constant. The August 19 MRI was luckily negative for serious injury. She was told to begin physical therapy and slowly increase her level of activity.

Over the next few months, the victim attended 21 physical therapy sessions between two locations and was still suffering from pain in her right knee and lower back. The pain was still persisting as of her latest evaluation on May 26, 2010, ten months after the accident, and still limiting her ability to compete in triathlons.

Our firm was able to settle with the at-fault driver for her entire policy limit of $25,000. In addition, the lawyers showed that the $25,000 was inadequate to fully compensate the victim for her injuries, and secured another $15,000 payment in under-insured motorist benefits from her own policy. The settlement allowed the victim to avoid litigation, and the court costs and stress that can come along with it.
Continue reading

| By

You may be inclined to take it easy this summer, and you deserve it. Whatever you do though, don’t let down your guard behind the wheel.

Residents are more likely to die in a car accident in Illinois during the summer months. There are a number of things you can do to help protect yourself and your loved ones on our roadways during the next few months.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys wish everyone a safe and enjoyable summer, but we also ask that you use caution while traveling to and from your summer vacation destinations. Increased traffic during the summertime directly affects the number of fatal accidents on our roadways.”During the summer months, weekends provide families and friends with an opportunity to come together and enjoy the warm weather,” said Illinois State Police Director Hiram Grau. “….[As]the summer driving season shifts into gear, the Illinois State Police want to remind motorists to stay focused behind the wheel, obey all traffic laws and avoid unnecessary distractions. Our goal is to make the summer driving season as safe as possible.”

According to the 2009 Illinois Crash Facts & Statistics report, more than 89,000 people were injured in traffic accident during the year. Rear-end collisions accounted for the highest number of injury accidents, resulting in nearly 30 percent of all injuries in 2009. These types of accidents were also responsible for a majority of property damage accidents, accounting again for nearly 30 percent of total crashes.

“The number of fatalities and injuries on Illinois roadways has declined in recent years due to many factors including effective traffic safety programs, excellent safety engineering, strategic partnerships with law enforcement and the fact that more motorists are buckling up today than ever before,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig in a release statement. “Even with these accomplishments, however, impaired driving is still responsible for far too many motor vehicle deaths and injuries across Illinois. IDOT stands firm in its goal to eradicate the senseless act of drinking and driving on Illinois roadways.”

Reader’s Digest urges Motorists to keep these five driving hazards in mind when driving during the summer months:

–Look out for wild animals. As more vehicles travel our roadways during the next few months, your risk of hitting a deer, moose, or other wild animal greatly increases. You are urged to always be alert and focused when behind the wheel of your car.

“Drivers need to understand the type of area they are driving in and be aware of any signs or markings indicating the possibility of animal crossings,” he says.

According to State Farm there were 2.3 million collisions between deer and vehicles in the United States in 2009.

–Be cautious in wet weather. A number of accidents happen when drivers fail to adjust their driving behaviors to current weather conditions.

“If a hailstorm is bad enough that you can’t see the road, the safest thing might be to pull off to the side of the road and wait until driving conditions improve,” says Dan Bleier, a spokesperson for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “A little extra caution is bound to slow you down, “but being involved in a crash could end your trip entirely – or worse.”

You’re also urged to clean the interior and exterior of your vehicle’s windows, make sure that all of your lights and signals are working and to always turn on your headlights when visibility is poor.

–Never drive drowsy. It is estimated that two out of every five drivers report that they’ve fallen asleep at the wheel.

“About one in six fatal crashes involves a drowsy driver,” says Belier.

You are urged to pull over and stop driving or switch with a passenger if you start to feel sleepy at the wheel. You should be driving on at least 6 hours of rest and you should take a break every 100 miles or every two hours.

–Lookout for bicyclists.

Because these two-wheeled vehicles are smaller than your vehicle, you may have a hard time seeing them in your mirrors. Keep an eye out of these vulnerable travelers. Bicyclists also hit the open road in full force during the warm summer months. Chicago bicycle accidents are a common cause of serious and fatal injuries.

“Drivers should leave extra stopping space between themselves and riders because they (riders) have far less protection than those inside of other vehicles,” Bleier says.

–Watch your speed. Speeding is one of the top contributors to traffic accidents. It contributes to one out of every three reported traffic crashes.

“Drivers are focused on getting to their destination quickly, rather than getting to their destination safely,” says Bleier.
Continue reading

| By

Distracted driving accidents have recently experienced a significant decrease in Syracuse, New York and Hartford, Connecticut, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Two pilot projects in these areas are proving that increased enforcement of distracted driving laws can have a significant impact.

Illinois distracted driving accidents remain a primary safety concern. Even though drivers in our state are banned from text-messaging and driving — and Chicago drivers are banned from using a cell phone — enforcement is spotty at best.Our Chicago car accident attorneys understand that as technology advances, the risk of distracted driving accidents increases. To help combat this problem, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy is currently proposing a law that would enforce a ban nationwide.

She is currently seeking co-sponsors, no one from Illinois has jumped on that bandwagon yet. Verizon Wireless has already voiced its support of the policy, the Safe Drivers Act of 2011.

“We applaud Rep. McCarthy for introducing the Safe Drivers Act of 2011. While mobile devices bring great benefits to Americans’ lives, they must be used responsibly while driving. We’re pleased that Congresswoman McCarthy is championing this public safety measure, and we fully support her efforts to enact the Safe Drivers Act of 2011,” says Peter Davidson, Verizon senior vice president of federal government relations.

The studies conducted in Syracuse, New York and Hartford, Connecticut reveal that areas with strict enforcement of these types of rules typically see a lower fatality rate.

“These findings show that strong laws, combined with highly-visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cell phone use behind the wheel,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Based on these results, it is crystal clear that those who try to minimize this dangerous behavior are making a serious error in judgment, especially when half a million people are injured and thousands more are killed in distracted driving accidents.”

The enforcement programs in these states were made possible by $200,000 in federal funds and $100,000 from the state. Each state studied driver habits based on increased police enforcement and public advertising about the effects of distracted driving. The pilot efforts included a “Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other” campaign.

Distracted driving has be a large concern of some in our state. According to statistics from a Naperville North High School study of nearly 3,500 observed vehicles, nearly 200 drivers were witnessed talking on their cell phones and nearly 100 were observed texting behind the wheel.

“I try to show them how statistics are related to their lives,” said teacher Hiram Baird said.

Public awareness may be one of the first steps in enforcing these regulations and encouraging drivers to put down their phones.

“The success of these pilot programs clearly show that combining strong laws with strong enforcement can bring about a sea change in public attitudes and behavior,” said National Highway Transportation Safety Administration‘s (NHTSA) Administrator David Strickland. “We applaud the work of the men and women of the Syracuse and Hartford police forces, and call on state legislatures, law enforcement and safety advocates across the nation to follow their lead.”

According to the NHTSA, there were nearly 5,500 fatalities that resulted from accidents involving a distracted driver in 2009 alone. Another 500,000 people were injured in these accidents. Distracted driving accidents accounted for nearly 20 percent of the total traffic fatalities in 2009.

A nationwide ban and a pledge to strictly enforce this ban may be the only way to effectively prevent distracted driving accidents and deaths in our state and in our country.
Continue reading

| By

You may have heard about the “Drive Now. Text Later.” campaign launched by theIllinois Tollway Authority, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police, Illinois Secretary of State and AAA Chicago. This awareness campaign urges drivers to put down their cell phones and to stop texting behind the wheel in an attempt to reduce the risks of a car accident in Illinois.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys understand that drivers are already banned from using a cell phone and texting while driving within the city, but without strict enforcement efforts drivers will continue engaging in the dangerous driving habit and endangering motorists statewide. Statewide, motorists are forbidden from texting while driving and from using cell phones in school zones or at road construction sites. This campaign seeks to get the word out about the risks … and the law.Across the United States, nearly 5,500 people were killed in traffic accidents that reported the involvement of a distracted driver in 2009 alone. Another 500,000 people were injured in these accidents. These fatalities represent nearly 20 percent of all of the traffic fatalities for the entire year.

“We must adopt a no tolerance attitude on this issue,” said pediatric emergency physician Dr. Charles Nozicka. “We have to pay attention to the task at hand. Put the cell phone down. Stop texting and driving. One accident can change a life forever.”

Drivers under the age of 20 have the biggest proportion of distracted drivers. Nearly 20 percent of the drivers in this age group that were involved in a fatal accident were reported to have been driving while distracted, according to the Lake County News-Sun.

“This new challenge comes as a result of technology, and at face value, nothing really inherently dangerous, just your cell phone or your Blackberry. Let’s be honest, texting and e-mailing isn’t going to go away anytime soon and neither is talking on the phone,” said Kristi Lafleur, Illinois Tollway Authority executive director.

Here are some tips to help you avoid being involved in a distracted driving accident:

-Put your cell phone in the glove box or in your center console, turned off, while you’re driving. Think “out of sight, out of mind.”

-Display a “Drive Now. Text Later.” campaign decal on your window to remind both yourself and other drivers to stop texting while driving. You can order one of these from the Illinois Tollway website.

-If you need to use your cell phone, pull over and stop in a safe location before you do.

-If you have to answer the phone while you’re driving, do so on a hands-free device.

-Don’t send or read any text messages while driving.

-If you’re listening to the radio, use the volume and station buttons on the steering wheel instead of reaching for the center console.

“As an emergency physician and father of four, the issue of distracted driving has been a key component of my professional and parenting practice,” Nozicka said. “Life does not supply our teen drivers with a ‘reset button.’ Studies have shown that distracted driving is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.”

A distraction happens when you either take your eyes off the road, take your hands off the wheel or taking your mind off driving. Texting is the most deadly of distracting driving habits because it combines all three distractions simultaneously.
Continue reading

| By

“During this heavy summer travel season, we will remain alert and remove from our roads any passenger bus or driver that places motorists at risk,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

As travel increases during these summer months, more bus accidents in Chicago and elsewhere are expected to occur. This is why the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and its state and local law enforcement partners conducted more than 3,000 surprise passenger carrier safety inspections. These inspections resulted in nearly 450 unsafe buses or drivers being removed from the nation’s roadways. Out-of-service citations were issued to 127 drivers and 315 vehicles during the surprise inspections.Our Chicago personal injury attorneys understand that many residents and visitors will be traveling through the city this summer as they get out and enjoy summer vacations. Passengers of these buses expect these companies to keep them safe and get them to their destination safely. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. A number of bus companies operate with unsafe vehicles and drivers not fit for the road. That’s why the FMCSA steps in to push their safety rules and regulations on these companies to help to ensure passenger safety.

Motorcoaches transport roughly 750 million passengers ever year. Standards regulating roof strength, window glazing and a protected seating area reduce the risk of injury in an accident, according to the National Trasnportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The NTSB has placed bus accidents on their “most wanted” list. This list is a campaign that is used to raise awareness about preventable injury and to encourage states to increase their safety measures to regulate these companies. The FMSCA and the NTSB focus on these companies to help ensure the safety of all occupants. Both organizations continuously enforce new safety regulations and standards to make travel and equipment safer for these companies and for passengers.

As we recently reported on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, a recent Illinois bus crash resulted in injuries to 20 passengers. Although serious, that is a small portion of the accidents experienced throughout the entire year. In 2009 there were 2,528 bus accidents in Illinois (non-school bus related). These accidents resulted in 608 injuries and seven deaths.

“The public deserves safe passenger bus transportation every ride,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “FMCSA and its law enforcement partners will not rest until we weed out every unsafe passenger carrier and driver. Our ongoing strike force inspections are essential to protecting motorists and reaching our goal of zero fatalities involving commercial vehicles.”

In recent years, the FMSCA has upped the ante in these comprehensive safety reviews. It’s estimated that our nation has about 4,000 passenger bus companies. The Administration has increased their safety inspection efforts from 12,991 roadside safety inspections of motorcoaches in 2005 to nearly 26,000 inspections in 2010.

In another effort to protect bus passengers, the Administration passed a new final rule that requires any driver that is applying for a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to first have a commercial driver’s learner’s permit. The new rule also requires that every state licensing agency use a standardized CDL testing system and prohibits the use of foreign language interpreters to reduce the potential for testing fraud.

Safety is a top priority of the Department of Transportation. In an effort to increase and double check all safety measures, the DOT unveiled a new “Think Safety: Every Trip, Every Time.” pre-trip safety checklist. This checklist is to help consumers review a bus company’s safety record, safety rating and USDOT operating authority before they purchase a ticket.

The FMCSA has also banned commercial drivers from texting behind the wheel. They’re also looking to enact a rule that would prohibit hand-held mobile phone use by all drivers. Through the Motorcoach Safety Action Plan, the Department has proposed rules that will require all buses to have seat belts and electronic on-board recorders. These recorders will be used to replace easily the falsified paper records of driver hours. Drowsy driving is a top contributor to these busing accidents.

Travelers are urged to look into busing companies. You’re encouraged to look at their driving records, to look at their recent safety inspections and to look at the shape of their equipment. It may not always be your best bet to take the lowest priced company, but it’s is always safest to travel with the most reliable company.
Continue reading

Search
Our Other Blog
Contact Us
  1. 1 Free Consultation
  2. 2 Available 24/7
  3. 3 No fee unless you WIN
Complete the contact form or call us at (312) 924-7575 or (855) 529-2442 to schedule your free consultation.

Facebook IconTwitter IconLinkedIn IconJustia IconYouTube IconFeed Icon

Contact Information
100 N LaSalle St #1710
Chicago, IL 60602
Toll Free: (855) 529-2442Phone: (312) 924-7575Fax: (312) 924-7555

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2025, Abels & Annes, P.C.
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design