Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog
Rain may have delayed the Geico 400 until Monday, but nothing takes away from the fact that the state of Illinois recently celebrated its 5th NASCAR race weekend. And this year, the weekend face opened up the 10-race Chase for the Championship.
From September 15th through the 18th, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) joined forces with Chicagoland Speedway and NASCAR to help raise awareness about the importance of safe driving habits. The event promoted both the “Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk” and the “Buckle Up America” safety campaigns in an effort to reduce the number of car accidents in Chicago, both on race weekend and through the upcoming holiday season.
“This productive relationship and popular racing venue has helped us deliver a positive message and dramatically impact driving behavior,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider.Our Chicago personal injury attorneys understand that our state is the very first to team up with NASCAR to promote safe driving habits. Included in the event was prize drawings and a pledge for participants to make to drive safely on our roadways. Outreach programs were held in Champions Park, on the main Concourse, in the Midway and in the KidsZone. Child passenger safety was also a hot topic of the event. Drivers were urged to keep an eye on their speeds and to beware the dangers of potential driver distractions.
The vice president of public affairs and multicultural development, Marcus Jadotte, says the he and NASCAR were thrilled to be able to join efforts with IDOT and the Chicagoland Speedway. He says that this event was an excellent example of how the partnership continues to send a positive message to motorists, communities and NASCAR fans.
IDOT also invited a number of NASCAR racing teams to this year’s event. With them came corporate sponsors and a number of drivers. Everyone joined together to support the cause.
NASCAR drivers in attendance at this year’s event:
-Carl Edwards
-Clint Bowyer
-Reed Sorenson
-Trevor Bayne
-Stanton Barrett
-Colin Braun
-Cale Gale
-Kurt Busch
-David Ragan
-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
-Travis Kvapil
-Johnny Benson
-Erik Darnell
One of the tops causes for car accidents in our area is driver inattention. We can all do our part to help reduce the risks of these accidents by just focusing some of our attention inward and correcting our own driving deficiencies. Some of these poor driving habits include driver fatigue, driver distractions, impaired driving and speeding. These are all poor habits that come with simple fixes.
In Illinois, there were nearly 290,000 traffic accidents in 2010. About 89,000 people were injured in these accidents and nearly 930 were killed. Although this is the lowest number of traffic accident-related deaths that have been recorded since 1921, we’re still experiencing far too many. These numbers can be significantly reduced with safe, cautious and alert driving habits.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident, the Chicago injury attorneys and wrongful death lawyers at Abels & Annes offer you a free consultation to discuss your rights. Call (866) 99-ABELS. There is no fee unless you win.
More Blog Entries:
Fatigued Drivers Contributing to Risk of Car Accidents in Chicago
September 18, 2011
Fatal Distracted-Driving Car Accident in Chicago Could Result in Serious Criminal Charges
September 15, 2011