Monthly Archives: January 2014

Choosing The Proper Car Seat For Your Child

Date
Posted by

As many parents know,
choosing a car seat is not always the easiest decision. There a myriad of
choices, specifically for the different ages and sizes of their children. The
most important thing going through parent’s minds is which one will provide the
best protection in case of a car accident. Thanks to healthychildren.org and
the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a detailed chart provides the
specific type of car seat need for the age your child. Below is a breakdown of
the type of car seat parents should choose in determining how to best protect
their children. The list not only provides the type of car seat, but also
indicates which direction it should face.

 

Infants/toddlers

Rear-facing
only seats and rear-facing convertible seats

All
infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Seat until
they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height
allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer.

 

Toddler/preschoolers

 

 Convertible
seats and forward-facing seats with harness

 

Any
child 2 years or older who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height
limit for their car seat, should use a Forward-Facing
Car Seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest
weight or height allowed their car seat’s manufacturer. This also applies to
any child younger than 2 years who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or
height limit of their seat.

School-aged children

 

Booster
seats

All
children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their
car seat should use a Belt-Positioning Booster Seat until the
vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9
inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

School-aged children

 

Booster
seats

All
children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their
car seat should use a Belt-Positioning Booster Seat until the
vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9
inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

 

If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then
call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384. 

2013 Saw A Slight Increase In Illinois Traffic Fatalities

Date
Posted by
The Chicago
Tribune reported this month that there was a slight increase in
traffic fatalities in 2013. There were 973 crash fatalities in 2013 compared with 956 fatalities in 2012, a nearly 2 percent
increase.  Despite the slight uptick, the report points out that this was
the fifth year in a row where car accident deaths were below 1,000. This is a dramatic
change from previous decades regularly saw traffic deaths well over a
thousand.  

The
Illinois department of transportation attributes this recent level of traffic fatalities to the strict enforcement of traffic laws like the seat belt
law. IDOT spokeswoman Paris Ervin said the department credits the
historically low fatalities in recent years to “increased seat belt usage
as a result of Illinois’ primary belt law, education and enforcement,” and
to safety improvements to the roads. But the department is not satisfied,
she said. “Our goal is to drive zero fatalities to a reality in
Illinois and get everyone to their destination safely,” she said.  

The
uptick in traffic deaths in Illinois comes as the number of traffic fatalities
in the U.S. is expected to be lower in 2013 than it was in 2012. In Wisconsin, for example, officials expect that traffic deaths in
2013 — totaling 519 in late December — were far below the state’s five-year
average of 571.

As I have written about
in the past, there are two new laws that went into effect in 2014 that could
the number of traffic accidents in Illinois. First, is the total ban of hand
held cell phone use throughout the state. The second is the speed limit
increase on certain interstates to 70 mph. It will be interesting to see which
direction the number of car crashes and traffic fatalities ebbs or flows in the
next year with these new laws in effect.

If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or a Chicago truck accident, then
call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free legalconsultation at 312-588-3384. 

Are Variable Speed Limits The Key To Unlocking Traffic Gridlock In Chicago?

Date
Posted by

The Chicago Tribune had
an interesting article about the future of driving in congested areas like the
Chicagoland region. The article touched on the possibility of V2V technology
that would allow drivers to communicate with each other via Wife and also
self-driving cars. The most promising trend, to me, was a type of technology
that allows speed limits to vary in congested areas called Active Traffic
Management of “ATM.” This technology is already being used in St.
Louis, Minneapolis, Ann Arbor and parts of Nevada, California and Florida.

ATM, Through the use of road sensors, the limits can be adjusted to
accommodate traffic, with the changes or other road-related information posted
on electronic signs above specific lanes. For example, one lane’s
electronic sign may show a speed limit of 60, another 55, and another may indicate
that drivers need to merge, depending on what traffic sensors show is ahead.
The system also can close individual lanes and space traffic on ramps.

“We’ve seen really great
response from drivers getting out of the lanes beforehand,” said Maan
Sidhu, freeway operations engineer for the Washington State Department of
Transportation, which started an ATM program in 2010 along Interstate 5 and has
expanded it to Interstate 90 and Washington Highway 520 in and around Seattle.
“We don’t have that stacking up of vehicles.”  Sidhu also said
the department has recorded “a general reduction in the number of
(vehicle) collisions” on those roads but “no really great
impact” on travel times on Seattle-area highways, which are
notorious for long traffic jams.

It will be interesting to see if
this is something that will be developed in Illinois. As I have written about
multiple times in the past, Chicago has some of the most congested traffic
areas in the United States. More importantly, would this type of technology
help reduce the number of traffic accidents in our area? I will be following
this closely to see if Illinois looks at this further and ultimately implements
ATM into some of the more congested areas.

If you or someone you love has been
injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free legal consultation at
312-588-3384.

A Review Of Illinois Traffic Laws For 2014

Date
Posted by

I have posted several articles over
the past year of new laws signed by Governor Quinn that went into effect on
January 1, 2014. Below is a review of the main laws that took effect this week.

Public Act
98-0511 amended the Illinois Vehicle Code, 625 ILCS 5/11-601, it changes the
existing legal speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph on all rural interstates. The
Act also allows eight counties (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, McHenry, Lake,
Madison and St. Clair) with heavily congested highways to opt out and maintain
the current 55 mph speed limit.

Illinois
also strengthened speed laws on all streets, highways, and roads throughout
Illinois. Anyone speeding 26 mph over the posted limit will now be charged with
a Class B misdemeanor and speeding 35 mph or more over the posted limit will be
charged with a Class A misdemeanor. Also, keep in mind that supervision is no
longer available for drivers who are caught speeding 31 mph over the posted
speed limit. Supervision is a type of court probation that allows defendants to
plead guilty and pay a fine. The charge is removed from the defendant’s record
if they do not receive any other tickets or arrests during the time period set
by the court (typically between 3 months to a year). If supervision is
completed successfully then there are no points added to the driver’s record
and the driver’s insurance rates are not affected. 

Public Act
98-0506 bans the use of hand-held cell phone devices behind the wheel.
Bluetooth headsets, earpieces, and voice activated commands are permitted. The
only exemptions from this law apply to law enforcement officers or
first responders; drivers reporting emergencies and drivers using electronic
devices while parked on the shoulder of a roadway. Those who violate this
Section shall be fined a maximum of $75 for a first offense, $100 for a second
offense, $125 for a third offense, and $150 for a fourth or subsequent offense.

Penalties for
distracted drivers who injure others or cause fatal crashes by the use of a
cell phone would face a Class A misdemeanor, which could result in fines up to
$2,500 and less than a year of jail time. Drivers involved in fatal accidents
could be charged with a Class 4 felony, which carries fines up to $25,000 and
up to three years of jail time.

It’s 2014,
so watch how fast you are driving (or you could be charged with a misdemeanor)
and remember to stay hands free when talking on the phone while driving.

If you or
someone you love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a freelegal consultation at 312-588-3384.