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AAA has launched a teen driver website specific to all 50 states in an effort to help young drivers and their parents put the emphasis on driver safety. Keys2Drive: The AAA Guide to Teen Driver Safety, comes with state-specific information to help us to educate our teens and to help to reduce their risks of car accidents.

According to this customizable website, car accidents take the lives of more teens than suicide, homicide and cancer combined. Recent research from safe teen driving advocacy groups concluded that when teens ride with siblings, teenage neighbors and friends, they are at substantially higher risk risk of being involved in a car accident in Chicago or elsewhere. This is proven true even with the brightest of teens behind the wheel. One of the biggest saviors is experience, which will only come with time and practice.Our Chicago car accident attorneys ask that parents get involved in their teen’s learning experience — especially through the long summer months. Encourage them to do things like wear their seat belt, abide by speed limits and to only drive during the daytime hours. These three characteristics have been proven to greatly reduce the risk of an accident. Talk to your teen about these safe driving rules and explain to them the responsibility of safe driving habits and the consequences of irresponsible driving.

It’s no secret that teens are at an increased risk for accidents on our roadways. Although teen drivers, those between the ages of 15- and 20-years old, only make up 7 percent of the entire licensed population in the United States, accidents that involved a teen driver made up roughly 20 percent of all of the traffic accidents. As a matter of fact, motor-vehicle accidents are the number one killer of teenagers. Based on total miles driven, teen drivers are involved in roughly three times as many deadly traffic accidents compared to any other age group.

We agree with the AAA Foundation in saying that turning your teenage driver into a safe driver in indeed a complex task. There are two major parts of this learning experience. A teen driver must learn the rules of the road and they must learn how to safely operate a vehicle. Many safe driving advocates urge that these new, young drivers participate in a driver education and training program in order to learn both aspects. It is never too early to start this learning process. A good driver education program can help your young driver to develop safe driving habits, to improve hazard recognition and explain how to manage time, space and visibility in traffic.

What can you do, as a parent, to help your teen become a safer driver?:

-Always obey road laws when your child is in the vehicle with you.

-Always wear your seat belt and encourage your young soon-to-be driver to do so as well.

-Get involved and be interactive. Talk to your kids about road signs, pedestrians and other vehicles. Explain every aspect of driving to them so they’re left with no questions or confusion.

-Ride with your teens. Illinois requires that parents and their teen drivers conduct at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice. This includes at least 10 hours of night driving. AAA recommends at least 100 hours of supervised driving time.

-Talk to them about driving during different moods or emotions. Angry or tired driving is distracted driving and increases risks for an accident.

-Although your teen may not be of legal age to drink alcohol, it doesn’t mean that they won’t. Talk to you teen about the dangers and the consequences of driving under the influence.

To get a license in Illinois, teens must complete a three-stage process that allows them to gradually gain exposure to different driving situations. This allows them to ease into driving over a period of time. Two of these steps include the instruction permit and initial driver’s license. After these steps they are eligible to receive their full driver’s license. The GDL program has been proven to better educate teen drivers.

Parents are urged to create and enact a parent-teen driving agreement as well in an attempt to set down some ground rules for driving that everyone can agree on.
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Traffic fatality statistics for 2010 will be released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration later this summer. Meanwhile, the agency has recently released comprehensive state-by-state data for 2009. Statistics show car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois declined 13 percent. Still, Illinois experienced more than 900 fatalities resulting from traffic accidents in 2009.

As that number is still relatively high, law enforcement and safety advocates continue their push to urge drivers to drive safer on our roadways and to abide by driving laws during the busy summer driving season and throughout the remainder of the year.Our Chicago car accident attorneys believe that through a conscious effort from all residents we can maintain a significant decrease in these numbers. This decrease will have to result from more alert driving, less distracted driving, the monitoring of drunk driving and more awareness for on-foot travelers and cyclists.

In our state, nearly 1 death occurs for ever 100 million vehicle miles traveled. It is also estimated that there are almost 9 deaths for every 100 million registered vehicles or nearly 11 deaths for every 100 million licensed drivers.

Illinois has witnessed a numbers of years in which the number of fatalities resulting from car accidents has decreased. The steepest decrease occurred from 1975 to 2009 when we saw a decreased of 55 percent. In 1975, we saw more than 2,000 traffic accident fatalities, compared to 911 in 2009. During these 34 years, we experienced a 76 percent decrease in the number of fatalities per vehicle miles traveled.

The numbers aren’t all positive, however. From 2000 to 2009, we saw a near 5 percent increase in fatalities from car accidents that involved a drunk driver. During 2009 alone, nearly 40 percent of all fatal traffic accidents involved a driver with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher.

Speeding was also a common factor in many of these accidents. Of the 911 traffic fatalities in 2009, 325 of them were the result of an accident that involved a speeding driver. Most of these accident occurred in an area with a set speed limit of 55 mph.

Passenger cars suffered the most fatal accidents as they accounted for nearly half of all deadly crashes. Light trucks followed behind, accounting for 32.9 percent of all fatal crashes.

In an attempt to reduce these numbers, Illinois enact a seat belt law for all front seat passengers. If you’re busted not wearing your seat belt, you could face an immediate $30 fine. This law went into effect back in 2003. Consequently, more than 90 percent of motorists wear their seat belt. More recently, the state has enacted a law banning drivers from text messaging or using a cell phone in school zones and construction sites.

Just by looking at this data, there are a few things you can do to reduce your risk of being in an accident. It may not seem like rocket science, but believe it or not, many residents refuse to follow these few precautionary steps. Residents are urged not to drink and drive as it greatly increases your chances of being involved in an accident. All motorists are urged to wear their seat belt, not only because it’s the law but to help save your life in the event of an accident. And lastly, you’re urged to abide by the speed limits. Increasing your speed increases impact upon a collision which increases the severity of injuries.
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Two teenagers were killed and three other occupants injured in a tragic Western Illinois car accident when their attempt at “hill hopping,” or driving over a hill at high speeds to get airborne, ended with their car rolling multiple times and striking a tree. According to WGEM.com, the crash occurred just outside Carthage, Illinois in the 1600 block of North Hancock County Road. The 18 year-old driver lost control of her vehicle as it landed and she was killed along with a 16 year-old passenger.

Locals say the area, known as “Butterfly hills,” is a popular destination for teens looking for thrills, and hill hopping at the location is a common occurrence. Teens often set out for the specific reason to drive over the hill at speeds of 90-100 miles per hour. Police said this was not the first crash at the hill.

“I would have died too,” said a friend of the victims, “it’s not easy to know your friends died doing something that everybody has done.”

Police said there were no drugs or alcohol involved in the crash, and both victims were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident.

While these types of accidents aren’t common, there are incidents throughout the country of teens being killed or severely injured after unsuccessful hill hopping attempts. The Chicago Tribune reported a similar incident that occurred in Long Grove, Illinois in 2004 when two teens decided to go hill hopping on a rural stretch of road. The car was traveling 90 m.p.h. when it hit the crest of the hill and sent the automobile careening out of control until it was stopped by a tree. The driver was ejected from the vehicle and survived, but his best friend was killed in the wreck.

The driver, who later pled guilty to reckless homicide, now gives speeches to teens about the dangers of reckless joy-riding. He explains how the invincibility that teens often feel is an illusion, and how by the time he realized this, he had to live with the guilt of killing his best friend.

Another similar incident happened just last year in Ohio when three teens between 15 and 16 years-old were severely injured after their car lost control and overturned during a hill hopping incident described as “horrific.” None of the occupants were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, and two of the occupants were ejected from the car.

Like the incident outside of Carthage, the crash occurred at a spot frequented by local teens looking to have fun. In fact, a 16 year-old was killed in a hill hopping attempt seven years prior at the same Ohio location. The victim died after crashing into a tree, the same tree the latest victims grazed as they lost control of their vehicle, the Dayton Daily News reported.

Unfortunately, this is not trend likely to go away anytime soon and it has been going on for a long time. I recently discussed this accident with a 40-year-old attorney who said that when he was a teenager back in the 1980s, he could recall hill hopping on several occasions with his friends.

Click here to read the story as reported by The Daily Gate City.

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Illinois truck crash lawyer Gary Annes has reached a settlement on behalf of a pedestrian that was injured in April, 2010. The truck vs. pedestrian collision occurred at the intersection of Monroe and Wells Streets in Chicago.

A truck driver had been traveling westbound on Monroe Street around 7:45 AM and was making a left turn onto southbound Wells Street. Our client was walking eastbound on the sidewalk on the south side of Monroe. When the pedestrian reached the intersection she waited for a walk sign, and proceeded to cross in a marked crosswalk one she received a walk sign.

When the plaintiff had made it almost all the way across the street, the truck driver suddenly made a left turn and hit her in the crosswalk. The front end of the truck struck the pedestrian’s left side. She was fully inside the crosswalk at the time of impact. She had an immediate onset of head pain and left side pain, especially in her left hip and shoulder.

The Chicago Police Department responded to the scene of the accident. After investigating, the truck driver was issued a ticket for failing to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Over the next few hours the plaintiff’s pain became worse. She was seen shortly after the accident at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.

At the ER she complained of head pain, neck pain, left shoulder pain and left hip pain. She was examined by emergency room physicians, a history was taken and diagnostic tests were performed. She was nauseous and eye twitching to the left was also observed.

Our client was diagnosed with a concussion and multiple contusions. She was prescribed pain medication and instructed to seek follow-up treatment after discharge.

Over the next few days the plaintiff’s symptoms continued, especially her headaches, neck pain, and left hip and left lower back pain. She first followed up with her primary care physician, who recommended that she seek treatment for her hip, low back and neck at the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute (“IBJI”), and also ordered a brain MRI.

The MRI was taken on May 15, 2010. The MRI revealed hydrocephalus, an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid. Based upon the results of the MRI, she was referred for a neurological consultation. After an initial consultation the doctor performed injections in her occipital area.

The client had her first treatment at IBJI in April, 2010. Based on our ongoing headaches, neck pain and left hip/left lower back complaints she was referred to a neurologist and for physical therapy.

After a month of physical therapy, the client returned to IBJI. Continue to experience neck pain, left hip and left low back pain. Examination at that time revealed the client was walking with a list to the left and that she had a limited range of motion in her lumbar spine. She was prescribed more physical therapy and a home exercise program.

The plaintiff again returned to IBJI after another month of therapy. She continued to suffer left him and lower left back pain and neck pain. Physical therapy was again extended.

After further therapy she had improved and was discharged from treatment.

The claim settled for $35,000 pre-litigation, saving our client the expense of a lawsuit.

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Drivers are urged to check their tires early and often this summer, according to a recently released consumer advisory from the U.S. Department of Transportation. All motorists are asked to inspect their tires to make sure that they’re properly inflated and to check for signs of tread wear and damage. It is important for drivers to do so during this time of year, as the weather has warmed up and motorists now face an increased risk of a tire-related car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere throughout the state.This consumer advisory was released just in time to coincide with National Tire Safety Week. It is during the next few summer months that motorists are at highest risk.

Our Chicago car accident attorneys ask that all residents take a look at this consumer advisory and carefully follow the recommendations as these safety precautions can help to keep you safe on our roadways. Old, under-inflated tires and the heat of the summer can have deadly consequences.

“As the weather warms up, it’s especially important for drivers to ensure their tires are properly inflated,” Secretary Ray LaHood said. “For your safety and the safety of others on the road, inspect your tires regularly and maintain the proper inflation.”

According to the Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the most recent data reports that roughly 3,400 people died from 2005 to 2009 because of tire-related accidents. Another 116,000 were injured in these preventable incidents.

“While it’s true improperly maintained tires can contribute to a crash at any time of year, it is particularly critical for motorists to check tires during hot weather, when families and luggage often overload vehicles for long vacation trips,” NHTSA Administrator David Strickland warned. “Underinflated tires spinning on hot asphalt for extended periods of time can be a recipe for disaster.”

Motorist are urged by the DOT to check the tire pressure in all four tires regularly, but especially before venturing out on long car trips. They are also urged to keep an eye on the wear and tear of their tires. Old, aging tires are more susceptible to heat stress and can cause a deadly accident. This risk only increases if your old tires are not properly inflated.

Motorists can take a peek at their tire sidewall to judge the age of their tires. You can also check with the vehicle’s owner’s manual or with the tire manufacturer to see how often you should be changing your tires.

Keeping your tires up to par will not only help to keep you safe on our roadways, but it can help to keep you from wasting your money at the pump. According to the Department of Energy, tires that are not properly inflated can lower your vehicle’s gas mileage by nearly 0.5 percent for every 1 PSI (pound per square inch) drop in pressure. This means that if your vehicle gets an average of 30 miles per gallon and you vehicle’s tires require 35 PSI then a drop in just a quarter of tire pressure would mean you’re losing almost 9 percent in fuel economy. This equals about 3 miles per gallon!
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The death rate for SUV drivers has dropped nearly 70 percent. Safety advocates credit the installation of electronic stability for the increased safety, according to USA Today. This new technology uses the SUV’s brakes and the power of the engine to keep these vehicles on all fours, decreasing the risk of death during a car accident in Chicago and elsewhere throughout the United States, according to a recent report released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Our Illinois car accident attorneys understand that SUV drivers are now among those that are least likely to die in a traffic accident. These drivers are now much safer than passengers in smaller cars. The recent high rollover rate for these larger vehicles may have been the reason that this new technology was introduced more quickly in SUVs than in cars. Either way, SUV drivers have one less thing to worry about.Previously, before the introduction of this technology, the death rate for SUV drivers was 82 per million vehicles in the 1999 to 2002 models. Now, with the new safety measures, SUVs have a driver death rate of only 28 per million vehicles in the newer 2005 to 2008 models.

Drivers of cars weren’t so fortunate with the release of new car models. These vehicles went from a driver death rate of 110 per million in the 1999 to 2002 model to a driver death rate of 72 per million in the 2005 to 2008 models. While still a decrease in deaths, it doesn’t compare to the reduction of the SUV rates.

“The rollover risk in SUVs used to outweigh their size/weight advantage, but that’s no longer the case,” says Anne McCartt, the institute’s senior vice president for research. “It’s a dramatic change and a testament to the incredible effectiveness of electronic stability control.”

Here are the top 15 safest SUVs, according to ABC News:

-Audi A6 4-door 4WD

-Mercedes E-Class 4-door 4WD

-Toyota Sienna

-Ford Edge

-Nissan Armada

-Land Rover Range Rover Sport

-Land Rover LR3

-Honda CR-V

-Jeep Grand Cherokee

-Acura MDX

-Mercedes E-Class 4-door

-Lexus RX 400h

-Lexus GX 470

-Mercedes M-Class

-Saab 9-3 4-door

“The rollover risk in SUVs used to outweigh their size/weight advantage, but that’s no longer the case, thanks to ESC,” Anne McCartt, the Institute’s senior vice president for research. “It’s not just weight that gives SUVs an advantage. It’s also their height and other factors. When cars and SUVs of similar weight are compared, the SUVs have lower death rates.”

According to the IIHS report, drivers of smaller vehicles are nearly three times more likely to die in a motor-vehicle crash than in a rollover. Stability control has not been widely introduced in these types of passenger cars.

“For years, small cars have represented the low end of the economic spectrum and received fewer safety and enhanced design features,” says Sean Kane of Safety Research & Strategies, which advises plaintiff lawyers, government and auto suppliers. “Undoubtedly, that has an effect.”

Last year, there were nearly 12 million vehicles sold in the United States. Nearly 6 million of these sales were SUVs, pickups or vans while the remaining 5.6 million were cars.

“This report explains why Americans equate size with safety, even though small cars today are safer than ever before,” Newton says.

Many safety advocates suggest that more focus needs to be placed on the safety of smaller car occupants in the event of an accident with a larger vehicle.

“The trend from the reported data is clear: The lighter the vehicle, the higher the likelihood that its driver will be killed in a collision with another vehicle,” says Mukul Verma, a veteran auto industry safety official
Here are the top 10 vehicles with the worst driver death ratings:

-Nissan 350Z

-Nissan Titan crew cab

-Chevrolet Aveo

-Chevrolet Cobalt

-Nissan Titan extended cab

-Kia Spectra

-Chevrolet Malibu Classic

-Hyundai Tiburon

-Nissan Versa

-Chevrolet Colorado extended cab

If you were to compare vehicles using their most recent death rates, you would find that minivans are by far the safest with a driver death rate of 25. SUVs were right behind with a score of 28 followed by pickups with an average of 52 driver deaths per million registration years. In last place were cars with an unfortunate average of 56.

It is still important to point out that large cars perform better than small ones. Smaller four-door cars have a death rate of 82 while their larger four-door members have a death rate of 46.
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Last week the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Department of Transportation, and the City of Chicago’s Bicycling Ambassadors program kicked off part of what officials call their “Share the Road” campaign aimed at enforcing Chicago’s oft-disregarded biking traffic laws and educating citizens on the proper ways to avoid injuring cyclists on the road, the Chicago Tribune is reporting. According to officials, 240 warnings and one ticket were given over a two-hour period at a single intersection during rush hour.

The intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Desplaines and Kinzie Street was chosen because of the high volume of bicyclists who often pedal through red lights and encroach on crosswalks meant for pedestrians, making accidents and close calls a regular occurrence. As officials issued the warnings to cyclists and stressed the importance of following the law, some cyclists reminded officials that they were well aware of the laws and were only breaking them to avoid having to share the road with aggressive motorists who frequently cut them off and are generally unaware of their presence.

According to CDOT, an average of 1,300 crashes involving bicyclists occur every year in Chicago and about five of those end in death. As biking becomes more popular in the face of high gas prices and traffic congestion, the city is taking steps to increase biker safety through the education of motorists and cyclists, while improving the infrastructure of biking routes.

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Itasca, Illinois based National Safety Council is promoting June 12-18 as Teen Driver Safety Week.

As our Chicago auto accident lawyers recently reported on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog Mothers Against Drunk Driving has deemed summer the “100 Deadliest Days for Teen Car Accidents.”We began the month by reporting the National Safety Council would spend June focusing on preventable injuries. Other topics include summer safety and swimming pool drownings in Illinois, issues involving slip and fall prevention, and driver cell phone use.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that teen car accidents are the leading cause of death in the United States for those ages 15 to 20. Your teen is most likely to be killed in a summer car accident. For new drivers, the first year and first 1,000 miles of driving puts them at a lifetime high for being involved in a crash.

A family Guide to Teen Driving Safety will be available for free download from June 12-18.

Alive at 25 Parent online training will be available for free open enrollment from June 12-18.

How can I keep my Teen Driver Safe is a free webinar being offered on June 13.

Top Causes of Teen Driving Accidents include:

-Drunk Driving
-Distracted Driving
-Failure to Wear Seat Belts
-Night Driving
-Riding with too Many Passengers
-Overestimating abilities
-Inexperience
In an effort to spread the word about teen driving safety to young drivers and others, the Illinois Department of Transportation will also be promoting traffic safety at Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway. Race fans will be encouraged to sign safe driving pledges at races on June 4, July 7-10 and the Sept. 16-18 race weekend.

“We are pleased to join forces once again with racing fans at Chicagoland Speedway to promote traffic safety and positively impact millions more race fans in Illinois and across the nation,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig. “By promoting programs that increase safety belt usage and prevent impaired driving, NASCAR and Chicagoland Speedway events promise to remain a safe and enjoyable time for everyone. We hope to see many more fans commit to traffic safety this year.”
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Manny’s Delicatessen, Petterino’s, Gold Coast Dogs, multiple Starbucks locations, and most recently the Wilmette Public Library and the Glenview Post Office. Those are just a few of the local businesses that have been hit by cars in the Chicago area. Further, there has been several homes that have been the victims of Chicago auto accidents.

A Wilmette, Illinois library employee was recently hurt after a 56-year-old female driver lost control of her car and drove through a glass and brick wall on the North side of the building, according to Tribune Local. She apparently hit the gas instead of the brakes by mistake and accelerated into the library. The motorist was uninjured, and there was no evidence to suggest that drugs or alcohol played a role in the incident.

The vehicle crashed into a staff room where books are organized to be placed back on shelves. A library employee was working in a desk when the accident occurred, and her desk was moved by the collision impact.

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Chicago bicycle accident attorneys at Abels & Annes are very familiar with the issue of motorists failing to stay out of designated bike lanes in the city. Too often we see drivers cutting into the lanes and failing to pay attention to bicyclists, which often results in serious injury.

Now comes word that in at least some locations bike riders won’t have to worry about cars encroaching into bicycle lanes. Construction is starting on a protected bike lane that will run on Kinzie Street from Milwaukee Avenue to Wells Street, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. While the area is only a half-mile long, it is reportedly the first of 100 miles of protected bike routes that Mayor Rahm Emanuel has planned.

Unlike current bike lanes in Chicago, the protected lane will be located closest to the curb. Next to the bicycle area will be an approximately 4 foot wide buffer area, then a parking lane, and finally vehicular traffic lanes. This results in around a 12 foot buffer between bicycle riders and moving traffic.

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