Proactive planning can be very helpful to motorists after an accident occurs. Get tips on what to do at these times.
A driver in Chicago can easily become flustered and unsure of what to do after an accident happens, regardless of the cause. Being prepared ahead of time can go a long way toward making this time less confusing. It can also help when the time comes to address issues such as compensation.
Many people in Illinois and elsewhere are aware of the dangers posed by driving while drunk or distracted. However, many overlook the potential hazards of drowsy or fatigued driving. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, drowsy driving contributes to an estimated 6,400 fatal collisions and approximately 109,000 injury accidents each year. Often it is not just the drowsy drivers themselves who are killed or injured in such crashes; the occupants of other vehicles may also be affected.
Cook County experienced far more fatalities in accidents involving large trucks than any other Illinois county.
Records from the 2013 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data show that 991 people lost their lives in automobile accidents. Of those fatalities, 142 occurred in crashes involving large trucks.
As people age, they may begin to experience a decline in their driving abilities. Drivers over 75 may have more of a chance of causing a fatal accident.
Older drivers have many more years of driving experience than the younger generations. As a result, many senior citizens have been able to maintain safe driving records. Unfortunately, a person’s driving ability does not necessarily stay steady while one ages. Chicago drivers who are over a certain age may become more likely to cause a serious car crash than younger drivers, states Consumer Reports. Senior citizens over 80 may be six times more likely to be in a fatal collision than others.
Vehicle safety technology has come a long way since cars first entered the mainstream more than a century ago, but there is still more that can be done to prevent car accidents from happening and keep motorists safer when they do. The National Transportation Safety Board recently renewed its call for widespread implementation of new crash prevention technology that they say could help prevent thousands of traffic deaths and injuries each year.
In the early days of automotive transportation, cars lacked even such basic safety features as doors and windshields. Later on, headlights, windshield wipers and turn signals were introduced, and gradually the array of standard-issue safety systems grew to include relatively modern technologies such as seat belts, roll bars and airbags. The most recent round of car safety innovation has been even more advanced, often using specialized computer systems to help keep drivers and passengers safe.
Not so long ago, rearview cameras were a luxury add-on for high-end vehicles, and not long before that they were entirely unheard of. Today, however, it is common for new passenger vehicles to be equipped with this potentially lifesaving technology, and in the years to come it will become mandatory nationwide. New federal regulations will require backup cameras in all new cars, minivans, SUVs and some light trucks by May 2018.
According to the nonprofit safety organization KidsAndCars.org, U.S. emergency rooms treat nearly 50 injured children every week due to backover accidents, and an average of two children per week die as a result of their injuries. In Illinois alone, 27 children were killed in backup accidents between 1990 and 2012, and hundreds more suffered serious nonfatal injuries. A vast majority of the children injured or killed in backup car accidents are under the age of five, although older kids and adults – particularly the elderly – are also affected.
On behalf of Steven Seidman
As total traffic fatalities drop, greater DUI awareness credited with safer roads
A recent motor vehicle accident in Chicago caused serious injuries to four individuals. The NHTSA lists a number of the most common causes of crashes.
The Chicago Tribune reports that five people suffered injuries as a result of a two-vehicle accident in the South Austin neighborhood on November 8, 2014. According to police reports, one vehicle rear-ended the other, forcing it to hit a brick wall. The first vehicle then hit a streetlight pole on the other side of the street.
Illinois has enacted legislation making it mandatory for convicted drunk drivers to use ignition interlock devices on their vehicles.
People who choose to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking endanger the lives of millions of motorists on Illinois roadways each year. In 2012, 321 people were killed by drunk drivers in Illinois alone, accounting for 34 percent of all motor vehicle accidents, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Due to the high drunk driving fatality rate, Illinois enacted legislation in 2009 making it mandatory for all convicted DUI offenders to use an ignition interlock device in their vehicles. Since that time, the DUI fatality rate has dropped by 22 percent. Illinois is not the only state seeing dramatic differences from enforcing mandatory interlock device laws, but states across the country have benefitted from these lifesaving devices.
The Illinois legal limit is 0.08 percent; however, studies show that drivers with a BAC of as low as 0.01 percent can cause devastating car accidents.
Motorists who drive with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or above in Illinois are considered intoxicated and can be arrested for a DUI. However, drivers who have a BAC below 0.08 percent can present hazards for other motorists on the road as well. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Illinois experienced a 15 percent increase in their drunk driving fatality rate in 2012. That year, approximately 34 percent of all fatal car and truck accidents were attributed to drunk drivers. With these high statistics, driving while intoxicated has become a major problem for Illinois motorists.
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