Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog
Illinois officials and federal leaders are joining forces to determined the best way to reduce accidents involving distracted driving, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). Illinois officials will be joined by various leaders from the medical, education, researched and traffic safety communities at a distracted driving summit planned for later this month. The focus will be on tackling the increase in distracted driving accidents in Chicago and the surrounding areas.
“I first met several of the founding members of FocusDriven at our Distracted Driving Summit, and I’m deeply impressed by their commitment to turn these tragic events into positive actions that will help save lives,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Their stories are not just heartbreaking; they’re also a clear and compelling call to action.”Our Chicago car accident lawyers understand the severity of the issue. Few accidents are accidents in the strictest sense of the word; many are caused by a driver who simply fails to pay attention. We urge all motorists to help keep the roads safer for everyone by avoiding distractions behind the wheel.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that, at any given moment, 9 percent of drivers are talking on their cell phone. This type of driving makes drivers four times more likely to be involved in a car crash, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.
“FocusDriven is an important organization that puts faces and names to the tragedies caused by cell phone use while driving,” said National Safety Council President Janet Froetscher. “The members of FocusDriven have powerful stories to tell about their loved ones. We hope their stories will help people realize the dangers of using cell phones while driving.”
The Government reports the following distracted driving trends
-Those between the ages of 15 and 20 have the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal accident.
-7 percent of drivers were reported to be distracted during the time of the accident in 2005, that number has now increased to 11 percent.
-Nearly 5,500 people were killed in accidents involving a distracted driver in 2009 — 16 percent of fatalities. Another 448,000 were reportedly injured under these conditions.
-Of the 1,517,000 accidents resulting in injury, an estimated 20 percent reportedly involved distracted driving.
The Illinois Distracted Driving summit offers online registration for this free event on the NSC website.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, the personal injury attorneys and wrongful death lawyers at Abels & Annes offer free and confidential appointments to discuss your rights. Call (866) 99-ABELS. There is no fee unless you win.