Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

According to recently updated advice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Children should ride in rear-facing car seats longer, until they are 2 years old instead of 1.” (C. Johnson, AP Medical, Chicago AP, 3/20).

Both organizations additionally advise that “older children who've outgrown front-facing car seats should ride in booster seats until the lap-shoulder belt fits them.” Seat belts won’t work properly on Children that are too small for them. Generally, children should not use adult seat belts until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches. The advice “may seem extreme to some parents, who may imagine trouble convincing older elementary school kids up to age 12 to use booster seats, but it's based on evidence from crashes. For older children, poorly fitting seat belts can cause abdominal and spine injuries in a crash.”

As a Chicago car and truck accident attorney, I strongly encourage parents to take these additional safety precautions.

As a Chicago personal injury attorney, I want to spread this safety information, which can be critical during the winter months. Three intense winter storms in New York have made a nightmare for many come true for some drivers – being stranded on the roadway for hours. Experts say, however, that the drivers did the right thing by staying put and not risking being lost on foot in blizzard conditions. (Buffalo NY AP, 12/15).

However, where shelter is visible, it may be wise to try to get to shelter. Nonetheless, experts advice passengers “to stay in your car if stranded is especially true if there's no other shelter in sight and there's still gas in the engine to power the heat. It's best to just use your cell phone and stay in your vehicle until we can get out there and get somebody to get you out of there," Indiana State Trooper Jones said.

The Department of Homeland Security further urges “travelers to know what they're headed into when they get on the road, and to be prepared with a disaster kit that includes blankets and a shovel. The must-haves for winter driving Include: fully charged cell phone, small shovel, food and water, heavy gloves, scarf and hat, and a warning device to signal other drivers, like flares or reflective triangles.” Stranded drivers should turn on and run the engine for approximately 10 minutes every house to warm up, but should crack the window and ensure the tailpipe is clear of snow to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning.

Encouragingly, the government says “the number of people killed in crashes connected to driver distraction fell last year but still remain an epidemic.” (K. Thomas, AP, 9/20).
The Transportation Department released information showing that 5,474 people were killed in crashes reportedly due to distracted driving in 2009. This figure represents a 6 percent decline from the 2008 figure of more than 5,800 distracted driving deaths.

However, although the number of distracted driving deaths declined, so did traffic fatalities overall, and distracted driving fatalities represented 16 percent of al traffic fatalities in both 2009 and 2008.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says “the problem is still an epidemic and the data could be the ‘tip of the iceberg.’ He says many police reports don't document whether distraction was a factor in vehicle crashes.” This informational release comes just before Transportation Secretary LaHood kicks off a second summit on distracted driving this Tuesday.

As a personal injury attorney, I urge all drivers to overcome the temptation to use distracting devices. All is takes is a split second to change your life, and lives of others on the road. Attentive driving is critical to the safety of our roads.

A study recently indicated nighttime driving is becoming more hazardous for teen drivers, and the likely culprit is cell phone usage. As a personal injury lawyer in Chicago I am not at surprised by the study results, but hopeful that teens and parents alike will take the risks of cell phone usage while driving seriously.

In a report released Thursday, the Texas Transportation Institute says “the proportion of nighttime fatal crashes nationwide involving drivers aged 16 to 19 years increased 10 percent from 1999 to 2008.” (J. Vertuna, AP, 5/6). Data used by the duty came from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration.

Senior research specialist Bernie Fette asserts that combining night time driving, which is already dangerous, with inexperienced teen drivers and cell phone usage, "and you've created a perfect storm."

A drunk driver killed four Oswego teens in a car accident early Sunday morning. Jack McCarthy and Jim Kimberly of the Chicago Tribune report that the driver was charged with multiple counts of reckless homicide and drunken driving related to the accident.

The driver of this car, a twenty-three year old woman, was at the wheel of her 2001 Infinity transporting eight teens from a party when the vehicle crashed into a utility pole on Illinois Highway 31 at approximately 2:20 a.m. Sunday. The accident killed four teens and injured four others.

We have previously discussed the extreme danger associated with alcohol and motor vehicles, and the increased fatalities associated with teenage decision making with motor vehicles. This tragedy could have been avoided. There is no excuse for getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. There also were at least four occupants of the vehicle who were not wearing seat belts because the vehicle only had seat belts for five occupants.

It is time for increased penalties for drunk drivers and restrictions on teenage access to motor vehicles.

The Chicago Area Transportation Study analyzed the most-recent data concerning traffic accidents and found that 70% of all Illinois accidents occur in Chicagoland.

The study also revealed that Chicagoland residents are more likely to be injured in automobile accidents than other Illinois residents.

The highest pedestrian fatality rates in the region were experienced in Cook County. However, when compared to other large cities, the City of Chicago was found to be a relatively safe city for pedestrians.