Articles Posted in DUI

A Des Plaines man also accused of drunk driving could be the first area motorist to be cited for texting while driving, the Chicago Breaking News Center reported.

As reported on Abels & Annes’ Chicago Car Accident Lawyers blog, the new law makes it illegal to text message, e-mail or surf the Internet while driving. The effort, aimed at reducing Chicago car accidents and fatal Illinois traffic accidents, also outlaws the use of cell phones in school zones or construction sites.

Violating the law will result in a $75 fine. In serious cases, such as fatal accidents, police may subpoena a driver’s cell phone records if it’s believed they were texting at the time the crash.

Winter travel is expected to be its busiest in at least three years in Illinois and across the country.

The Chicago car accident attorneys and Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes wish everyone a joyous and happy holiday season. Visit our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer blog for tips on Safe Winter Driving , avoiding Chicago car accidents during dark winter commutes, the dangers of drunk driving, and teen driving safety.

Most of all, stay safe and enjoy time with friends and family.

The AAA Chicago Motor Club is reporting that Illinois will see an increase of more than 10 percent in the number of people traveling 50 miles or more from home this year, CBS2 reported.

AAA is projecting 87.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the year-end holidays — a 3.8 percent increase from the 84.5 million who traveled over the Christmas/New Year’s period a year ago.

MSNBC noted that is 3.2 million, or 3.8 percent, more than traveled over the same period a year ago.

“More Americans traveling during the winter holidays is another sign consumers are continuing to grow more confident in their personal financial situations,” said Brad Roeber, AAA Chicago regional president. “The moderate projected rise in the number of air travelers is especially welcome since the airline industry was hit especially hard by the recession.”

This winter, travelers will be paying nearly $1 more per gallon for gasoline than they did last year. The current nationwide average for self-serve regular is $2.59.

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Authorities in Illinois and across the country will be out in force to prevent fatal drunk driving accidents over the New Year’s holiday.

Each year in Illinois, an average of more than 50,000 people are arrested for drunk driving and 3 in 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol related traffic crash in their lifetime, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

As the Chicago car accident lawyers and Illinois accident attorneys at Abels & Annes reported on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers blog, Illinois is the eighth-deadliest for fatal drunk driving accidents.

Last year in Illinois, 1,043 people killed in traffic accidents; one in three (362) were legally drunk and one in four (252) had a blood alcohol level of almost twice the legal limit (.15) or higher.

-Each year, about 310,000 people suffer injuries in alcohol-related traffic crashes nationwide, an average of one person injured every 2 minutes.

-Fatal drunk driving accidents in Illinois are three times more likely to occur at night than during the day.

– Teenagers and young adults are at increased risk of an Illinois drunk driving accident. Although 16-24 year olds comprise only 15.52 percent of the licensed drivers in the state, they are involved in 38.85 percent of all fatal alcohol-related crashes.

-Nearly one-third of fatally injured teenage drivers (age 16-19) were drinking prior to their crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is pushing a nationwide crackdown aimed at drunk drivers through the New Year’s holiday.

Authorities in Illinois will also be conducting sobriety checkpoints through the state, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is encouraging motorists to drink responsibly through its Tie One on for Safety and Designate a Safe Ride Home campaigns.

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A nationwide Intensive Holiday Drunk & Impaired Driving Crackdown & Advertising Blitz has been announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The Chicago car accident lawyers at Abels & Annes noted on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer blog that Mothers Against Drunk Driving is also increasing enforcement and awareness efforts for the holidays.

In 2007, nearly 1,500 people were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In Illinois, of the 1,043 people killed in traffic accidents in 2008, one in three (362) were legally drunk and one in four (252) had a blood alcohol level of almost twice the legal limit (.15) or higher, as Abels & Annes reported in an earlier blog.

That is a a 17 percent reduction from the 439 Illinois fatalities involving drunk drivers in 2007. The reduction puts Illinois in the middle of the pack — tied for 20th when comparing the drunk-driving fatality rate in all 50 states.

Still, Illinois’ 362 fatal drunk driving accidents was eighth highest in the nation after Texas (1,269), California (1,029), Florida (875), Pennsylvania (496), North Carolina (423), Georgia (416) and South Carolina (403).

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, have launched “Over the Limit. Under Arrest” a national drunk and impaired driving crackdown involving thousands of law enforcement agencies during the holiday season.”Drunk driving is a major public safety threat that still claims thousands of lives every year,” Secretary LaHood said. “Many states continue to step up their efforts to get drunk drivers off our roads, but the numbers tell us we have to do more. Drinking and driving is dangerous and unacceptable, and I’m asking law enforcement to stay vigilant during this busy holiday season.”

Five states have shown great reductions in alcohol-impaired driving fatality rates from 2007 to 2008. Those include Vermont, Wisconsin, Maine, Nebraska and Minnesota. The states with the least progress are Idaho, Rhode Island, Wyoming, Kansas and New Hampshire, according to government statistics.

Driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher is illegal in all 50 states. But the focus will also be on drugged driving.

“Like alcohol, drugs impair perception, judgment, motor skills and memory. These effects can be dangerously magnified when drugs are consumed with alcohol, even in cases where a driver’s blood alcohol level is below legal limits,” said Director Kerlikowske. “Driving while impaired, from alcohol, drugs, or both, puts us all at risk and must be prevented.”

The campaign also reminds motorists that government research has consistently shown that more people are killed in crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver on the weekends and at night. In September, Abels & Annes also reported Illinois officials are concerned about the prevalence of weekend nighttime accidents.

In 2008 alone, 58 percent of drivers and motorcycle riders were killed in crashes that took place over the weekend and at night were alcohol-impaired.

“My message to drivers is this: if you decide to drink, find a safe and sober ride home or your chances of arrest are extremely high,” said Secretary LaHood. “Law enforcement officers will be out in full force during the upcoming holiday, especially at night and on the weekends, looking for the drunk drivers that put the rest of us at risk.”

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A driver faces felony drunk driving charges stemming from a Sunday Chicago drunk driving accident that claimed the life of a 27-year-old Chicago man.

The Examiner reported that the 21-year-old driver was going the wrong way on a one-way street shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday when he struck a car at the intersection of 58th and California. The driver and his 20-year-old passenger were not injured in the crash.

ABC7 reported the at-fault driver’s 1998 Chevy Lumina was traveling on 58th Street when he struck the driver’s side of the victim’s 1996 Buick Regal. The 27-year-old driver of the Buick was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital by a Chicago Fire Department ambulance and pronounced dead at 3:27 a.m.

Chicago drunk driving accidents and drunk drivers nationwide pose a serious threat over the Thanksgiving Weekend. Nationally, Mothers Against Drunk Driving estimates we will share the roads with 2 million drunk drivers who have at least three convictions for drunk driving.

In 2007, nearly 1,500 people were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. Last year in Illinois, nine people were killed and 961 injured in serious traffic accidents over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Abels & Annes reported on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer blog last week that Illinois authorities are hoping to reduce road fatalities by 100 deaths this year and are increasing traffic enforcement through the holidays period.

Through mid-November, 781 people died in Illinois traffic accidents compared to 883 during the same period last year. One-third involved a drunk driver, according to state statistics.

Last week, MADD announced progress in the third year of its campaign to eliminate drunk driving. The nationwide campign “Over the Limit, Under Arrest,” will kick off December 14;and MADD reported a total of 12 states now require ignition interlocks to prevent convicted drunk drivers of driving while intoxicated.

MADD has these tips to help ensure everyone’s safety this Thanksgiving:
-Designate a sober driver before celebrations begin.
-Never serve alcohol to those under 21.
– Plan safe parties, including providing non-alcoholic drink options to guests and not serving alcohol the last hour of the gathering.
-Be prepared to get everyone home safe.

Click here for MADD’s Safe Party Guide

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Coming soon: Public service announcements, newspaper articles, press releases, banner ads, TV commercials and increased enforcement aimed at reducing holiday drunk driving accidents.

The Chicago drunk driving accident lawyers and the personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Abels & Annes urge motorists to enjoy the upcoming holiday season by drinking responsibly, using designated drivers and public transportation, and insuring everyone’s safety by not driving while impaired.

Have a plan: Those who leave home without a plan usually end up making poor decisions.

The federal government is preparing an all-out blitz in conjunction with state and local law enforcement in preparation for the holiday driving season.

A total of 27 people were killed and 2,377 seriously injured in Illinois car accidents last year over the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Illinois New Year’s car accidents claimed the most lives. However Illinois Thanksgiving car accidents and Christmas traffic accident injured more motorists.

And while that is down from the 48 killed and 2,919 killed in 2004, the truth is holiday accident statistics vary by wide margins, depending in part on when holidays fall, but one thing remains constant: The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is one of the deadliest times on the road.

Nationwide, last year’s Thanksgiving Holiday saw an increase in fatalities: 158 were killed, compared to 139 in 2007, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Many safety advocates credit strict enforcement and awareness campaigns with reducing the number of serious and fatal accidents through the core holiday period. And, while Fourth of July and Labor Day where the deadliest single holidays last year, the trio of year-end holidays presents officials with the deadliest month-long stretch on the calendar.

Heavy traffic, impaired driving, visitors unfamiliar with roads, older drivers or younger drivers whom might not otherwise embark on lengthy or numerous trips, holiday stress, and fresh winter weather can all contribute to accidents throughout December.

Illinois Holiday traffic statistics
Memorial Day: 8 killed 726 injured in 2008, compared to 22 killed 1,098 injured in 2004 Fourth of July: 15 killed and 805 injured in 2008 compared to 6 killed and 1,148 injured in 2004 Labor Day: 15 killed and 803 injured in 2008 compared to 12 killed and 1,060 injured in 2004 Thanksgiving: 9 killed and 961 injured in 2008 compared to 19 killed and 1,117 injured in 2004 Christmas: 8 killed and 841 injured in 2008 compared to 22 killed and 927 injured in 2004 New Year’s: 10 killed and 575 injured in 2008 compared to 7 killed and 875 injured in 2004
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