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A teenage driver and a private in the Illinois Army National Guard lost their lives in a single-car accident in Illinois. It happened when the vehicle left the road, spun out into a ditch and then struck a tree, according to the Woodridge Patch. The two later passed away at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee.The type of vehicle your teen drives can mean the difference between life and death in the event of an accident, but how do parents select a vehicle that is both safe and affordable? Our Chicago car accident attorneys are parents, too! We understand there are a lot of questions that need answering before purchasing a vehicle. You may be even more confused when selecting a vehicle for your newly licensed teen. You may be wondering things like: Should I buy them a used or a new car? What type of car should I get them? Which ones are the most reliable?

“Having a car is not a birthright,” says Gail Cunningham, spokesperson for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, who raised four children. “Today’s teens seem to think that they should have a car waiting for them in the driveway when they return home from the Motor Vehicle Department with their driver’s license. If that’s right for your family, fine. But don’t be held hostage to peer pressure, and by that I mean from other families who are buying their teen a car.”

We’re going to help our children out no matter what, so here goes. First you will need to determine if you’re going to get a new or a used vehicle? If you’ve got a budget, as most of us do, you’re almost always better off getting a used car. A certified pre-owned car will be able to provide you with the advantages of a new-car like warranty. You might be able to get better financing rates too!

“A first time driver doesn’t need a new car, but of course they want one,” says Lori Mackey, president of Prosperity4Kids. “The depreciation, probability of fender benders and the price tag [means new] is not the most logical way to go.”

New cars will have all of the latest features, but late-model used cars will still come with anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, airbags and reasonable power and performance. You’re going to want to select a car for them that has a responsive chassis, making sure it handles well, has quick steering and has a good brake system.

So once you’ve figured out whether you’re going to go new or used, you’ve got to start thinking about what kind of car you’re going to go for. At this point it is important for you to take their safety into consideration. You can check out safety ratings and other crash-test information from a number of organizations including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. You’re also urged to look at J.D. Power and Associates for reliability and other quality ratings.

“I see these young, inexperienced drivers in Mustangs, BMWs, and large SUVs. These automobiles are big, powerful and difficult to control for even experienced drivers. In the hands of a new driver, they can be deadly weapons,” says LeeAnn Shattuck, co-owner and chief car chick with Women’s Automotive Solutions.

Remember that you don’t want to go too small. The smaller the car, the less likely it will be to protect your teen in the event of a front-end accident.

“Your teen is safest in a mid-sized sedan with a four cylinder engine, airbags and a good crash test rating,” says Shattuck.

No matter what way you go about it, selecting a car for your teen is going to take a lot of time and a lot of research. This may be one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make in your teen’s life.

“Don’t feel you have to buy the first car you see,” says Jack Nerad, executive editorial director for Kelley Blue Book.
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The first comprehensive overview summarizing and analyzing distracted driving research for state officials was released last month by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). The report looked into research from more than 350 scientific papers published between 2000 and 2011. The report, Distracted Driving: What Research Shows and What States Can Do, looks into the habits of distracted drivers and their influence on car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere in the United States. It also looks into creating countermeasures to reduce the risk involved with distracted driving.”Despite all that has been written about driver distraction, there is still a lot that we do not know,” said GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha, who oversaw the report’s development. “Much of the research is incomplete or contradictory. Clearly, more studies need to be done addressing both the scope of the problem and how to effectively address it.”

Our Chicago car accident attorneys would like to share with you some of the hard facts associated with distracted driving:

-Distractions limit driving performance.

-Texting likely increases accident risk more than cell phone use.

-Drivers are distracted as much as half the time they spend behind the wheel.

-Drivers are able to adapt to some extent. They are able to pay more attention to driving and reduce their distracting activities when presented with a risky driving situation.

-Distractions are involved in traffic accidents an estimated 15 to 25 percent of the time.

-Cell phone use increases traffic accident risks.

This report asks that states implement the following countermeasures:

-Continue to leverage effective, low-cost roadway countermeasures like edgeline and centerline rumble strips. These features alert motorists when they are drifting out of their driving lane.

-Keep track of distracted driving influences in accident reports so that the information can be used to evaluate distracted driving laws and programs.

-Implement distracted driving communication programs.

-Monitor the impact of existing hand-held cell phone bans before looking into enacting new laws. A number of states that have yet to pass handheld bans should wait until more definitive research and data is available on the effectiveness of these laws.

-Look into other distracted driving laws and programs. Evaluation of these programs will provide the information that states can use to decide which countermeasures are effective and which are not.

-Create and enforce a texting ban for all drivers. Include a complete cell phone ban for novice drivers.

-Enforce all existing cell phone and texting laws.

-Assists employers in developing and enforcing distracted driving policies and programs.

“While distracted driving is an emotional issue that raises the ire of many on the road, states must take a research-based approach to addressing the problem. Until more research is conducted, states need to proceed thoughtfully, methodically and objectively,” says GHSA Harsha.

High-visibility enforcement for texting and hand-held cell phones is important in enforcing current laws. Enforcement efforts are an effective way to help change motorist behavior.

“Our report includes the preliminary results of these cell phone crackdowns, which have prompted dramatic declines in hand-held cell phone use and texting behind the wheel. The final results are expected shortly and should be considered as states move forward with education and enforcement initiatives,” says Harsha.
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“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for all Americans ages 5 to 34. And the annual highway death toll costs our nation over $230 billion a year,” said Jacqueline Gillan, vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. “Too many people are needlessly dying because states have been slow to enact laws to protect teen drivers, keep drunk drivers off our roads and ban the dangerous and deadly practice of texting while driving.”Democratic leaders of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation recently introduced legislation to improve the safety of motor vehicles, to advance traffic safety laws in states and to enhance consumer information, according to Automotive Industry Today. These measures are aimed at reducing the number of fatal car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere. The proposed law is sponsored by Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), Senator John D. Rockefeller (D-WV). It would fund safety programs and activities of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation responsible for auto and traffic safety.

Our Illinois car accident attorneys note the proposed law (the Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Improvement Act of 2011 (MVHSIA), or Mariah’s Law) is named after an Arkansas teen killed in a traffic accident involving a texting driver. It aims to address teen driver licensing, improve motor vehicle safety standards, halt distracted and impaired driving, tighten up child passenger safety regulations and enact safety defect and consumer information reforms.

“As a parent and a lawmaker,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), “I want to take every reasonable safety precaution to ensure that our teen drivers are safe and well-prepared for the serious responsibility that comes with getting a license. This legislation will give young drivers better education and more experience before they get out on the roads, keeping us all safer and saving lives.”

This proposals include the Safe Teen And Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act. This is the legislation, introduced by Senator Gillibrand and co-sponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), that includes a $22 million grant program that will be used to encourage states to adopt a number of teen driving laws. The laws will phase in driving privileges as a teen gains more experience at the wheel. For a state to qualify for these grants, it would have to create and enforce laws that would restrict the number of teen passengers that a young driver drive ride with, initiate a ban on cell phone use and limit nighttime driving.

“As the mother of a teenager, I know firsthand how important it is to keep our roads safe,” said Senator Klobuchar. “These measures will provide states with effective guidelines to help ensure drivers’ safety and prevent risky behavior – especially among teen drivers. I will continue to fight to strengthen protection for drivers and make our roads safer for everyone.”

This bill would direct the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to issue a standard that would ensure the reliability and performance of electronic systems that operate and control vital vehicle safety systems. It would also require the Administration to create some way for consumers to have better access to government information about recalls, defects and other safety-related data. This proposal comes after many lost faith in the current recall system — many consumers were never notified about malfunctions regarding their vehicle.

“This bill is about saving lives,” said Senator Mark Pryor, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance. “We’ve strengthened programs designed to stop dangerous driving behavior, and we’ve stepped up vehicle safety so that families are protected by strong safety standards and devices when an accident does occur.”
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The Illinois car crash attorneys at Abels & Annes have recently settled two cases on behalf of motorists involved in collisions. Both clients were injured and required multiple visits to healthcare professionals before their symptoms were under control.

In one case, on March 23, 2010, our client was the victim of an Illinois hit and run accident. She was traveling southbound on Oakhurst Drive in Aurora, Illinois when she came to a stop in the left turn lane. When the light changed to green, she proceeded to turn left onto New York Street when a 1999 Chevy Blazer traveling westbound disregarded their red light and T-boned the woman’s 1999 Honda Accord. The at fault driver immediately fled the scene.

The Aurora Police Department responded to the scene and began to interview witnesses who confirmed that the victim was obeying all traffic laws when the hit and run driver ran the red light and crashed into her. Police soon found the vehicle involved in the crash, but the driver had left and the registered owner could not be located. The police report described that victim as dazed and confused when they arrived, and she was transported to Rush Copley Hospital for an examination.

At the hospital, the plaintiff complained of left-sided rib pain and right knee pain. After diagnostic tests and x-rays were administered, she was diagnosed with a left rib contusion and a right knee sprain. She was prescribed pain medication and instructed to follow up with her primary care physician.

The victim sought follow up medical treatment on March 25, 2010 due to ongoing and increasing pain, especially in her left ribs. She was diagnosed with a severe left rib contusion and ordered to refrain from heavy lifting and to stay off work for several weeks. She was also instructed to seek further medical attention if the pain persisted.

After the rib pain did not subside, the woman sought additional medical treatment on April 9, 2010. An x-ray of her left ribs found non-displaced fractures of her left fourth, fifth, and sixth ribs. She was ordered to continue to refrain from heavy lifting and to stay off work until after April 26, 2010. The pain was still persistent when she visited a doctor again on May 14, 2010, and she complained that the injury was aggravated with movement, which made sleeping very difficult. Finally, on June 11, 2010, the victim reported that her condition was improving.

Her inability to work due to the injury resulted in a lose of income. In addition, the lingering pain made it difficult for her to conduct simple tasks in her daily life.

Our law firm pursued an uninsured motorist claim against our client’s own insurance carrier due to the fact that the at fault driver fled the scene of the crash. We were able to negotiate a settlement of $20,000 to compensate the plaintiff for her expenses and lost wages, as well as her pain and suffering.

In the second case we settled, a woman was driving northbound on Winfield Road in Winfield, Illinois when she stopped for a red light at the intersection with Highlake Road. Another motorist traveling in the same direction failed to stop for the red light and crashed into a car idling at the intersection, which in turn rear-ended the victim’s car. The man admitted to Winfield Police officers that he did not notice that the vehicles in front of him had stopped because he was lost at the time and not paying attention.

Following the collision, the victim had an immediate onset of pain and received initial medical treatment at the scene by Wheaton Fire Department EMTs. She later sought follow up medical treatment due to ongoing and increasing pain. She complained of left shoulder pain, chest pain, headaches, and neck pain due to whiplash. The doctor prescribed her pain medication and recommended physical therapy, which she completed 15 sessions of.

The case settled for $8,500 pre-litigation.

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A Chicago motorcycle accident lawyer at Abels & Annes was able to secure compensation for a biker’s injuries after negotiating a settlement for the full policy limits of the at-fault driver’s insurance, as well as additional payments from an under-insured motorist claim and a medical benefits claim.

On August 27, 2010, the victim was riding his Honda motorcycle northbound on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago when he approached the intersection with Paulina Street. As he proceeded through the intersection, a man driving a 1998 Chevy Blazer southbound on Milwaukee initiated a left turn onto Paulina without adequately checking if he had a safe path to travel and T-boned the victim.

The front driver’s side of the negligent motorist’s vehicle hit the left side of the victim’s motorcycle, striking the rider’s left leg in the process. The force of the impact ejected the victim from his motorcycle, causing him to land on his back and skid 20 feet across the pavement. The Chicago Police Department arrived at the scene and ticketed the driver of the Chevy for failing to yield when making a left turn, which he was found guilty of at trial.

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According to a number of studies, summertime is the deadliest days for teens on our roadways. More teens die because of car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere during July and August alone.

We recently covered this topic on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog. We reported that car accidents are the number one cause of deaths for those ages 15- to 20-years-old in the United States. Drivers are most likely to die during their first year and first 1,000 miles of driving.The Indiana Traffic Safety Report is one of the most recently released studies involving teen accidents during the summer months. So let’s see what our friends and neighbors have to say. This report shows detailed information on accidents, fatalities and the various factors that increase the likelihood of a crash, such as drunk driving and speeding, according to the Pharos-Tribune.

The report shows that the number of fatal accidents, which sat at 631 in 2009, showed a decrease of 12.6 percent from 2008. Unfortunately, that number jumped back up by 11 percent in 2010. The numbers in Illinois are expected to mirror these trends.

In an attempt to help keep teens safe on our roadways during the next few months, the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Operation Teen Safe Driving will be continuing its efforts in making a difference in the lives of Illinois teen drivers across the state. This program encourages teens to wear a seat belt, abide by posted speed limits, avoid driving distractions and avoid drinking and driving. For the last 5 years, the program has pushed efforts to the max and has successfully witnessed a near 50 percent decline in teen deaths in Illinois from 2007 to 2010.

Operation Teen Safe Driving works hand in hand with the Ford Motor Company Fund, The Allstate Foundation, Governors Highway Association, Governor Pat Quinn, Secretary of State Jesse White, Illinois State Police, Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Traffic Safety.

According to the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, nearly 5,500 drivers age 15- to 20-years-old were involved in deadly car accidents in the United States in 2009. In these accidents, nearly 2,500 young drivers were killed. Another 196,000 drivers from these age group sustained injuries from these accidents. This means that more than 10 percent of all drivers that were involved in fatal accidents in 2009 were between 15- and 20-years-old. During that same year 1,077 teens died because of drunk driving accidents.

In 2009, Illinois witnessed nearly 150 traffic accident fatalities of those in this young age group.

“Driver behavior plays a critical role in safety, particularly for new, inexperienced drivers,” said Mike Robinson, vice president, GM Environment, Energy and Safety Policy.

For this reason, parents are urged to get involved in their teen’s diving habits over these summer months. Know where they’re going and when they’ll be home. Make sure that they follow all roadway rules, laws and regulations. Try enacting a parent-teen contract to get your young driver to agree on and abide by some important and safe ground rules.
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A single-vehicle car accident in Chicago left one woman dead and two others critically injured. The accident happened in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the South Side. The vehicle left the roadways and slammed into a tree near the intersection of Midway Plaisance and South Cornell Avenue, according to My Fox Chicago.One woman was thrown 25 feet from the vehicle. She was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Two other vehicle occupants had to be extricated from the car. One was later pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The other passenger was taken in critical condition to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County. The police Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating.

In an effort to reduce the number of serious and fatal car accidents nationwide, a new two-year study will be conducted to observe driver’s actions and reactions to varying traffic conditions. Researchers then plan to use this information to aid the development of safety improvements in road design, cars and driver training programs. Our Chicago car accident attorneys recognize the significance of this type of study. Crash avoidance research may usher in a new wave of technology that will one day have the ability to save thousands of lives on our roadways.

“Collision prevention is the central goal of the study” said Ken Campbell, chief program officer overseeing safety for the Strategic Highway Research Program, which is part of the non-profit Transportation Research Board. “And the driver is the key to prevent collision.”

The two-year study will install special equipment into the vehicles of 3,100 participants. This equipment consists of four cameras and a data box. The four cameras will record forward and rear views along with the driver’s face and hands. This data will be held in the storage box, which will be kept in the vehicle’s glove box. Researchers will be collecting the recorded data every four to six months, according to Forbes.

“You can’t just look at collisions or near collisions to know what risk factors are. It’s that comparison with what the driver is doing when there is not a safety-related event that tells you what the risk factors are,” says Campbell.

In previous studies, researchers generally focused on countermeasures that protect drivers and passengers after collisions, like seat belts, airbags and crash-worthy vehicles. This is one of the few studies that takes it a step farther and focuses on avoiding the crashes altogether. Car accidents that happen at intersections and accidents where the driver runs off the road will be initial focus areas of this study
The Transportation Research Board is looking for volunteers to participate in Buffalo, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Durham, central Pennsylvania and Bloomington. Every driver that participates in the study will be rewarded with $500 for each year.

“We are particularly interested in people under 25 and over 65” Dr. Campbell said. Both groups represent a small percentage of all drivers and have high collision rates.

To participate, you’ll be required to have a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance and an approved vehicle. Participating vehicles are subject to a brief inspection. More than half of all vehicle makes are eligible.

“This study is long overdue and has the potential for providing the most comprehensive look at why highway crashes occur,” said Peter Kissinger, president and chief executive of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a nonprofit research and educational organization that provided technical advice for the study. “It is unprecedented in its scope and approach. It will be a wonderful supplement to other ongoing and planned traffic safety research efforts. My only disappointment is that the transportation research community didn’t initiate the study several years ago.”
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Illinois personal injury lawyer Gary Annes has reached a $100,000 policy limits settlement on behalf of a client who suffered painful injuries in a car accident caused by woman who had smoked marijuana and consumed alcohol prior to the incident.

On August 2, 2008, the defendant was driving northbound, at an excessive rate of speed, in the leftmost lane of IL-53 in Rolling Meadows when she lost control of her vehicle, improperly crossed over all lanes of traffic to her right and the shoulder, impacted with the metal guardrail, swerved back left, and crashed into the passenger side rear quarter panel of the plaintiff’s 2000 Subaru Forrester.

The woman admitted to paramedics that she had been drinking, and the drug screen at the emergency room was positive for marijuana, cocaine, and valium. She later admitted to smoking marijuana on two separate occasions that day, including approximately 45 minutes before the incident.

The woman had a prior DUI conviction from less than a year prior to that date, as well as other prior arrests related to drugs and alcohol. She was issued several tickets for the incident and pled guilty to failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision, improper lane usage, and driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol. The accident was investigated by the Illinois State Police.

After impact, the victim’s car began to spin out of control, causing her to hit her head on the driver’s side window, hit her left arm, elbow, shoulder, knee, and ankle against the driver’s side door, and her right knee against the center console. When the paramedics arrived, she complained of headaches and hyperventilation.

Shortly after the accident she was treated at the Glenbrook Hospital emergency room. There, the woman complained of pain in her neck, left shoulder, elbow, arm, knee, and was suffering from a headache. Tests were performed and an MRI revealed that she had multiple disc protrusions. The pain and discomfort then worsened over the next couple days. Her primary care physician recommended a course of physical therapy.

On November 10, 2008, the victim followed up with her primary care physician as she was still experiencing pain, primarily in her head and neck. She was referred to a chiropractor and underwent physical therapy treatment from then until June of 2009. Despite these treatments, the plaintiff’s condition continued to worsen, especially with regard to her knees and ankles.

Her doctor ordered MRI’s for her knees, which revealed meniscus tears in both. The doctor related both injuries to her car accident and recommended bilateral knee arthroscopies with debridement. He then performed the surgery at Weiss Memorial Hospital in July 2010, which he reported was needed as a result of the motor vehicle collision. She was prescribed a course of treatment consisting of twenty-five physical therapy sessions.

As her knee problems became more manageable, she sought treatment for the pain in her foot and ankle. Bilateral MRI’s were performed, and showed sprain or partial tear of the distal posterior tibial tendon in both feet and an avulsion injury of the synchondrosis of the naviculare in the left foot. The doctor reported that the condition was caused by the motor vehicle accident and recommended surgery for both the foot and ankle, which the woman plans to undergoe in the near future.

As a result of the injuries caused by the intoxicated driver, the victim was unable to engage in many of the activities she enjoyed prior to the collision. In addition, most activities of her daily life, such as sitting, standing, cooking, shopping, cleaning, walking stairs, and going to work, were impossible for a time, and then later caused her pain when she did attempt to accomplish them.

She hired the lawyers our law firm shortly before the two-year statute of limitations, and we immediately began working to secure the maximum compensation possible for the life-altering injuries she sustained at the hands of a negligent driver. We obtained the defendant’s insurance policy limits. And we continue to work on the case, however, as the $100,000 is not adequate to compensate the victim for all the pain and suffering she has endured. We are now seeking additional monetary damages in the form of an underinsured motorist claim against her own insurance provider.

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It has been a dangerous week of Chicago area motorcycle crashes as a string of collisions have the claimed the lives of five people.

A 37 year-old woman was killed in Dolton, Illinois after a man driving a Ford SUV failed to yield to her before taking a left turn, causing her to collide into the SUV. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the motorist involved in SUV vs. motorcycle crash, who was driving with his 16 year-old nephew, exited his vehicle, removed his license plate, and attempted to leave the scene after the accident. A group of residents were able to restrain the man until police arrived, however, and he was soon placed under arrest.

According to 2008 nationwide statistics from the NSTSA, these types of accidents, where an automobile driver taking a left turn fails to yield to an oncoming motorcyclist, accounted for 41% of all fatal accidents involving a motorcycle and another car. This type of collision is particularly dangerous because the rider’s momentum continues as their vehicle comes to a sudden halt, resulting in them being launched headfirst into the street at a high velocity.

In another incident, a 26 year-old man and a 23 year-old woman were killed in Wheeling after the motorcycle they were riding lost control and struck a utility box. The Chicago Daily Herald is reporting that prior to the crash, Buffalo Grove police attempted to pull over the man and his passenger after they sped away from a gas station on the 200 block of Milwaukee Avenue. After seeing the officer’s emergency lights, the pair sped away at what was described as a high rate of speed. As is protocol, the officer did not pursue the riders and alerted the Wheeling police that a speeding motorcycle was headed their way.

Soon after, at about 3:07 a.m., Wheeling police responded to a crash at the intersection of Milwaukee Road and Center Avenue where the riders were found dead. It appears that the riders, who were not wearing helmets at the time, were traveling at a right rate of speed when the driver lost control. Police are still working on reconstructing exactly how the crash occurred.

The Chicago Tribune reported on two other accidents where motorcyclists were killed as well. The first occurred in Glenview, Illinois when a 26 year-old man failed to obey a stop sign on Magnolia Street before attempting a left turn onto East Lake Avenue. A driver traveling eastbound down the center lane struck the rider, who was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. The other accident reported in the Tribune involved a 51 year-old man who died after rear-ending a car on the Dan Ryan expressway and losing control of his vehicle.

Summers are traditionally a dangerous time for riders in Illinois. After the long winter, motorcyclists come out in droves to take advantage of the state’s warm weather and lack of mandatory helmet laws. In fact, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the number of registered motorcycles in Illinois has risen 76% since 1999 to go along with the 26% increase in fatalities during that same period.

While motorcyclists cannot control the negligence of automobile drivers on the road, there are a number of things they can do to hopefully reduce their injuries:

• WEAR A HELMET! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that wearing a helmet saved the lives of 1,829 riders in 2008 • Drive defensively and do not assume other drivers can see you or are aware of your presence. The NHTSA reports that the majority of multiple-vehicle motorcycle accidents happen because the motorist does not see the rider • Make sure your lights are functioning so people can see you • Don’t drive too fast. Even experienced riders can lose control
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We recently told you about the new Kinzie Bike Lane on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyers Blog. This bike lane was created to help decrease the number of bicycling accidents on our roadways.

Bicyclists account for more than 30 percent of the traffic on that roadway. The construction for this project started back on June 6th. The new lane will sit adjacent to the curb and will come with a lane width varying between 5-1/2 to 7 feet wide. The bike lane is separated from traffic by a 4-foot-wide buffer zone.We have also published concerns about the safety of the bike lane along the lakefront. Our Chicago bicycling accident attorneys encourage you to do your part in ensuring everyone’s safety on these lanes. While many accidents are caused by careless or inattentive motorists, riders can do their part; be courteous to one another in an attempt to reduce these potentially fatal accidents.

The City of Chicago currently has over 110 miles of on-street bike lanes, more than 30 miles of shared bike lanes and many miles of off-street paths. One of Chicago’s most popular bicycling paths is the Lakefront Trail, which is nearly 20 miles long. To help encourage bicycling in the area, the city also installed thousands of bike racks. They also have sheltered bike parking at a number of CTA rail stations, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.

The Illinois Department of Transportation suggests proper trail etiquette to help keep you safe:

-Stay right.

-Yield to walkers.

-Pass to the left — announce your intentions before overtaking slower traffic.

-Avoid stopping or blocking the path.

-Leash and control your pet.

-Properly dispose of trash.

-Avoid contact with unknown plant species; poison oak and poison ivy are plentiful.

-Wear a helmet.

Government officials are stepping up their efforts to protect Illinois bicyclists as well. The state of Illinois is waiting for Gov. Quinn’s to sign a bill into law that would allow bicyclists to treat “demand-actuated” red lights as stop signs. This would only be permitted to go through a red light if the signal does not change to green “within a reasonable period of time”. This law was proposed by Illinois motorcyclists. It would allow both motorcycles and bicycles to legally travel through a red light if the signal fails to detect them waiting. This law would affect all of the state except Chicago.

It is estimated that there are approximately 1,300 bicycling accident in Chicago every year. Safer bike lanes, cautious bicyclists and alert motorists can help reduce the number of yearly accidents.
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