Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Cars acquire more and more technology every day. Some of this technology proves to help save the lives of pedestrians, like the rear-view cameras, while others many do nothing more than help you to check your Facebook while driving. Either way, these technological advancements are in high demand by consumers nationwide and our vehicles come with more distractions with each passing year.David Strickland, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says enough is enough. He says these unnecessary and unsafe technology do nothing more than increase your risks of being involved in a car accident in Illinois or elsewhere in the United States. He recently voiced his opinion on these new technologies at Telematics Detroit 2011. This probably wasn’t the best choice of audience to speak to about this topic as the attendees of this conference only look to enhance the use of such products inside the vehicle. Strickland wants to halt the progression of motor vehicles into rolling infotainment centers.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys understand the argument. But we also understand the argument of Telematics Detroit 2011. Some of these devices that have been recently introduced to motor vehicles do help to safely navigate on our roadways , like Global Positioning System navigation, automated emergency notification and internal diagnostics. However, there are a number of other new features that many safe driving advocates would argue only take driver attention away from the road, like a number of on-board systems for entertainment and social media.

“I’m just putting everyone on notice,” Strickland said, choosing his words carefully and ironically, “A car is not a mobile device.”

Safe driving advocates refer to the Chevy Cruze ad when speaking about these unsafe technologies now being added to vehicles. This was a commercial that debuted during the Super Bowl. It showed a guy, driving in his car, receiving his Facebook updates. Even though the built in app read them to him while driving, many still believe that the hands-free device is potentially distracting.

The Telematics Conference preaches the exact opposite message, stating that these features make driving easier and safer because people are going to engage in these acts while driving anyways. As a matter of fact, their website title reads, “Telematics is Here to Stay! Take Note of Consumer Demands As the Car Becomes the Ultimate Mobile Device.”

“I’m not in the business of helping people tweet better,” said Strickland. “I’m not in the business of helping people post on Facebook better.”

Most of the new gadgets that are being installed in these cars are indeed hands-free, which is one of their main selling points. Manufacturers claim that they’re only making driving safer because hands-free is a whole lot better than thumbing through your smart-phone while trying to drive.

According to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studies, hands-free devices may eliminate some of the physical distraction, but not they do nothing to eliminate cognitive distraction. For this reason, the Institute says that drivers on the phone, whether hands-free or not, are still at an increased risk for a motor-vehicle accident.
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It’s no longer a secret that a number of drivers in Illinois have no idea what they’re doing behind the wheel of a car. According to the 2011 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test, our state ranked 41st out of all 50 states. Our state’s average was a 75.8 percent, meaning that roughly one in four drivers on our roadways would not score well on a written driver’s exam if they were to take it today. Drivers with poor knowledge and awareness increase the risk that you will be involved in a car accident in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois.”The GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test has become the benchmark for America’s driving IQ,” said Scott Eckman, chief marketing officer, GMAC Insurance. “All Americans need a refresher course when it comes to rules of the road and it begins with education. We’re hoping this year’s GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test results will inspire drivers to arm themselves with the knowledge they need to stay safe.”

Our Chicago car accident attorneys believe that our state’s drivers can do much better this year with a little studying and practice. Our state scored below the nation’s average by 2.1 percent. These dangerous driving habits of ours can be reversed with the right mindset. Drivers are urged to familiarize themselves with the current road rules and regulations in attempt to reduce the risks of a serious or fatal car accident.

Nationwide, the test scores revealed that approximately 20 percent of the tested drivers would be unable to pass a written drivers exam if they were to take it today. They were unable to meet the minimum requirements to get a driver’s license in their state. This 20 percent equates nearly 37 million licensed American drivers on our roadways.

While our country’s score did increase from a 76.2 percent in 2010 to a 77.9 percent for this year’s average, the failing population still accounts for far too many drivers. After this year’s test results were released, it was concluded that nearly 90 percent of drivers were unable to identify what the proper action would be when pulling up to a steady yellow light. Another 25 percent of drivers were unable to identify what a proper following distance was.

Once again, Kansas took first place with an average state score of 82.9 percent. New York was bumped from last place, after 3 consecutive last place rankings, by Washington D.C. with an average score of 71.8 percent.

GMAC Insurance uses the National Drivers Test to remind all drivers that it may be time for them to re-up their driving skills as many of us “forget” what may be expected of us on our roadways.

The GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test concluded the following:

-Older drivers, or those ages 60- to 65-years-old, are some of the most knowledgeable on our roadways as nationally they averaged the highest test scores at 80.3 percent.

-Men tested better than women. Women only returned an average test score of 74.1 percent while men averaged at an 80.2 percent.

-The Northeast region of the county has some of the worst drivers, or at least the worst test average. They submitted an average test score of 74.9 percent.

-The Midwest region of the country had some of the highest test scores as they averaged a score of 77.5 percent.

-After three years in last place, New York moved to 45th place in the country. Last place is now held by Washington D.C.

-Wyoming had the lowest percentage of failures. Only one in twenty tested failed.

Try taking the National Drivers Test for yourself and see where you score stands up against the country’s average.
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A new video, “Faces of Distracted Driving,” was recently released by the U.S. Department of Transportation in an attempt to reduce the number of car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere throughout the country that are caused by drivers that aren’t paying attention behind the wheel.The new PSA features Charlene Sligting-Doud, who is a National Safety Council victim advocate. She became a safety advocate for the group back in 2007 after his father, John Sligting, was killed in a motorcycle accident. The cause of the accident? A distracted driver. His father’s motorcycle was cut off by a teen driver who, when using a cell phone behind the wheel, ran his vehicle straight through a stop sign. The safety advocate is using this video to urge drivers to make a vow to be cell phone free behind the wheel in celebration of the upcoming Father’s Day and in honor of all of the victims of distracted driving accidents.

Our Illinois personal injury lawyers understand that distracted driving is a common, and deadly, habit that creates serious risks for everyone on the road. Distraction.gov reports, nearly 5,500 people were killed in motor-vehicle accidents involving distracted driving in the United Stated in 2009. Another 448,000 people were injured on our roadways because of inattentive driving.

“My father was a hero to many,” said Sligting-Doud. “He served in the military, he was a firefighter and he was an amazing father. Losing him devastated my family. People need to put their cell phones down and focus on the task of driving. Don’t spend Father’s Day sharing memories – spend Father’s Day making memories.”

According to the National Safety Council, those who text while driving are at particularly high risk. More than 100,000 accidents happen each year because of the cell phone texts. An additional 1.2 million crashes involved a cell phone as the form of distraction for an accident.

“John Sligting was a beloved father and grandfather whose life was cut short because of distracted driving,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “I applaud Charlene for all of the work she is doing to raise awareness about this deadly epidemic, and I hope that everyone who hears about the loss of her father will remember to keep their eyes on the road, their hands on the wheel, and their focus on driving this Father’s Day weekend.”

Charlene Sligting-Doud also manages the HEARTS Network at the National Safety Council. Honoring Everyone Affected, Rallying the Survivors, or HEARTS, discusses real-life stories from victims who have all had their lives changed by traffic accidents that involved a teen driver.

Facts illustrating the dangers of distracted driving:

-Out of all the deaths resulting from distracted driving accidents, nearly 1,000 of these incidents reported a cell phone as the driver distraction. This counted for nearly 20 percent of all of the distraction-related accidents.

-Drivers that are using a hand-held device while driving a motor-vehicle are four times more likely to get into an accident serious enough to injure themselves.

-Roughly 20 percent of all the injury accidents that were reported in 2009 involved a distracted driver.

-The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that drivers under the age of 20 have the greatest proportion of distracted drivers that were involved in fatal accidents.

-Using a cell phone behind the wheel gives a driver the same reaction time as someone who is driving while legally drunk.
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