A motorist was killed Saturday afternoon in a Chicago car accident after his vehicle was broadsided by another car in a South Side traffic accident, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center.
The victim was driving an Oldsmobile Alero when he was broadsided by a Chevy Malibu near State and 75th streets shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, according to police.
The driver of the Malibu was treated at Provident Hospital of Cook County and reported to be in good condition.
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
Continue reading
Illinois recorded the fewest traffic fatalities since 1923, according to an exhaustive report on 2008 traffic fatalities released by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The Chicago car accident attorneys and the Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes are taking a look at the report in a series of blog here at our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog and our sister site, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog.
“We believe these reductions are evident that Illinois’ traffic safety efforts are working,” Gov. Pat Quinn said.
A study by the AAA Foundation suggests that more than half of all car accidents are caused by some form of aggressive driving behavior.
The Chicago car accident attorneys and the Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes encourage drivers to take stock of their own driving behavior — the study also noted that a significant number of drivers see aggressive driving as a danger despite being prone to such behaviors themselves.
As many as 56 percent of deadly crashes involve some form of aggressive-driving behavior; speeding is the most common contributing factor and is associated with one-third of all deadly accidents.
Abels & Annes’ Chicago car accident lawyers blog recently examined the dangers of speeding.
A nationwide telephone survey found 8 in 10 people rated aggressive driving as a serious or extremely serious savety threat. Yet nearly half of drivers reported exceeding the speed limit by at least 15 mph in the last 30 days.
“It’s easy to think ‘that other guy is the problem’ – the one who runs someone off the road, tailgates, or yells obscenities,” said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger. “In reality, examples of driving aggressively – any of which can lead to crashes, injuries and deaths – are all too common.”
Examples of aggressive driving include running stop signs or red lights, preventing other drivers from passing, speeding, illegal driving on the shoulder, and failing to yield.
The study and its findings are meant to educate motorists about the different forms of aggressive driving with the hope of improving driver safety and reducing deadly accidents.
A woman was reportedly killed Tuesday morning in a Chicago car accident on the South Side when a minivan driven by a drug suspect rammed her car while attempting to run down police officers, The Chicago Sun Times reported.
The woman’s car was one of two civilian vehicles the suspect’s van crashed into after striking two undercover police cruisers.
The suspect was caught after a brief foot pursuit following the string of accidents, which began just before 7 a.m. at 63rd Street and King Drive, according to police.
Authorities are seeking the driver responsible for running down three pedestrians in a Chicago hit-and-run pedestrian accident last month.
The Sept. 26 incident happened on the 1200 block of South Halstead Street shortly after 2 a.m.
The Chicago Breaking News Center reported three 19-year-old pedestrians, a man and two women, were standing in a bicycle lane, waiting to cross the street, when a dark colored SUV struck the trio and continued south on Halsted Street without stopping.
The federal government is poised to reduce by an hour the length of time long-distance truckers can stay behind the wheel, with the hope of reducing trucking accidents.
CBS 2 used a Chicago trucking accident that occurred four years ago as an example: A sleepy, fatigued, and perhaps drugged trucker slammed into 27-year-old Graham Brown’s small sedan.
While Brown can walk, he has lost the use of his left hand and arm and has undergone 22 surgeries.
Earlier this month the Chicago trucking accident lawyers at Abels & Annes reported that the 136 fatal Illinois trucking accidents in 2008 ranks the state sixth-highest in the nation for fatal semi accidents.
Last year, some 380,000 large trucks were involved in traffic accidents that killed 4,229 motorists. Another 90,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Federal Department of Transportation is soon expected to pass a measure that will require truckers to stop and rest after 10 hours on the road. Currently, they can run for 11 hours without rest.
However, the Brown family takes issue with how the current measure is enforced — with truckers who fill out written log books that can easily misrepresent hours spent behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound semi. The family has joined other safety advocates who want black boxes, data recorders with GPS, installed in the nation’s trucks.
Speeding drivers cause an estimate one-third of all accidents at a cost of $44,193 per minute, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has published a “Think Fast” campaigned aimed at reducing speed and speed-related accidents.
A significant number of the car accidents handled by the Chicago injury lawyers and wrongful death attorneys at Abels & Annes can be attributed to speeding drivers or drivers who disobey other traffic laws and traffic-control devices.
With winter driving just around the corner, drivers should remember that speed isn’t always about speed limits — driving too fast for road conditions also causes a significant number of Chicago car accidents.
Fuel consumption also decreases dramatically as speed increases. It takes 50 percent more fuel to travel 75 mph than it does to travel at 55 mph.
The federal government estimates more than 1,000 people a month are killed in speed-related crashes.
Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely, negotiate curves in the road or road hazards, and it extends the distance required to stop in emergency situations.
Crash severity also increases with speed and the effectiveness of safety devices, like airbags and seatbelts, decreases as speed increases.
In fact, the federal government estimates the probability of death or serious debilitating doubles with every 10 mph over 50 mph that a vehicle is traveling at impact.
Speed facts:
-Rural roads account for over 60 percent of all speed-related accidents
-66 percent of speed-related crashes involved a single vehicle
-Drivers in speed-related crashes are more likly to have a history of traffic violations
-On average, 1,000 people a month are killed by speed-related crashes in the United States
-Of drivers 15-24 years old involved in fatal crashes, one-third were speeding
A total of 136 fatal Illinois trucking accidents occurred in 2008, ranking the state among the worst in the nation for fatal trucking accidents according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which continues to release data based on last year’s accident statistics.
Overall, trucking fatalities declined slightly; the nation’s 9 million semis drove 226 million miles and were involved in 4,066 fatal crashes, compared to 4,633 fatal crashes in 2007.
The Chicago trucking accident lawyers at Abels & Annes are often called to represent clients injured in Chicago car accidents involving semis, dump trucks, buses or other large commercial vehicles.
Illinois Traffic Safety Leaders are urging motorists to use common sense through the upcoming Halloween Holiday weekend to avoid Chicago drunk driving accidents and DUI accidents on Illinois highways.
The Chicago car accident attorneys at Abels & Annes encourage motorists to have a travel plan to prevent drunk driving, including designated drivers, overnight stays, taxi cabs or other forms of transportation.
Nationwide, 1 in every 3 fatal accidents is caused by a drunk driver.
Halloween has proven especially deadly in recent years and authorities are concerned, with the holiday falling on a Saturday, excessive partying could lead to an increase in fatal drunk driving accidents.
In 2008, more than half (58 percent) of all highway fatalities involved an impaired driver or motorcycle rider, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we want to remind revelers to be responsible by not taking the party to the roadways, putting themselves, trick-or-treaters and other motorists at risk,” said RobertBrasky, president of Illinois Traffic Safety Leaders.
ITSL also recommends these simple tips:
-Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin -Before drinking, please designate a sober driver -If you’re impaired, and haven’t designated a sober driver, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely -Use your community’s Sober Rides program -If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement Continue reading
Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog
