Monthly Archives: January 2025

Honda Announces Recall Of 290,000 Vehicles For Engine Issue

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration (“NHTSA”) announced this week that Honda is recalling 294,612 of their vehicles in the U.S. to rpair an issue that may cause engines to stall or suffer a loss of power. A software error in the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU) may cause an engine stall or a loss of power, increasing the risk of a crash or injury, the U.S. auto safety regulator said.

The vehicle models affected include certain 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type-S, the 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, and the 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type-S vehicles. If you own once of the types of vehicles, please take to your local dealer for the appropriate repair. The software program will be updated and repaired by dealers free of chagre.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago traffic accident involving a Chicago auto defect, then call the Illinois personal injury attorneys at the Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Tesla Most Recalled Automaker In 2024

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According to Car Connection and the National Highway & Traffic Safety Admistration (“NHTSA”) Tesla had the most recalled vehicles in 2024. The electric vehicle maker had a total of 5,137,968 vehicles across five (5) different vehicle modes recalled in 2024. The issues ranged from the incorrect font size on warning lights to detaching parts. Many of the recalls were merely software updates to Tesla’s systems.

Ford Motor Company incurred the largest fine from NHTSA in 2024 when they were told to pay $165 million  in November for failing to properly address an ongoing rearview camera recall that most other automakers have had to contend with. That’s the highest penalty imposed by the NHTSA since the fines imposed on airbag supplier Takata, which subsequently went bankrupt. 

Oftentimes these recalls are a positive development as the promote safety and correct problems before there is a serious accident or bodily injury due to a vehicle defect. The NHTSA, which automakers often clash with, is here to protect the American consumer, drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call the Illinois injury attorneys at the Bryant Law Group, LLC at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Ford Recalls 270,000 Vehicles Over Safety Concern

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced this week that Ford Motor Company has recalled 270,000 vehicles over concerns battery failure. The recall affects certain 2021-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles.

The NHTSA announced that 12-volt battery in these vehicles may experience degradation and suddenly fail, which can result in a loss of electrical accessories, including the hazard lights, or cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Ford stated that dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the 12-volt battery free of charge.

No serious car crashes or traffic fatalities have been reported to date. If you own a 2021 to 2023 Bronco Sport or a 2022 to 2023 Maverick please consult with your local dealer to determine if you need a replacement.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call the Bryant Law Group, LLC for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Chicago City Council Considering 25 MPH Speed Limit

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Multiple news outlets, including NBC 5 and WTTW, reported last week that Chicago’s City Council is discussing lowering certain city street speed limit’s from 30 MPH down to 25 MPH.

The proposal was supposed to go to a vote last week, but the bill’s sponsor, Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), withdrew the planned vote at the last minute. It is not clear why the vote was withdrawn, but I think it is safe to assume he did not have the enough support from his fellow Aldermen. The push to lower speed limits comes from concern about a recent surge in Chicago pedestrian fatalities in the past few years. La Spata said the push to reduce the speed limit on most city roads was an effort to make the city’s roadways safer after a surge of deaths in recent years.

Reducing a car’s speed by just a few miles per hour significantly increases the chance of surviving a crash and reduces serious injuries, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.

The City Council voted 49-1 to create a working group to devlope ways Chicago can change its traffic ticketing system so Black, Latino and low-income residents are no longer disproportionately hit with fines. La Spata said the working group would address concerns that reducing the city’s speed limit would give city officials a way to ease Chicago’s financial crunch by hitting drivers who refuse to slow down with fines and fees.

It will be interesting to see if the City Council decides to revisit this proposal sometime later this year. With more and more workers returning to work in the office downtown since the pandemic, we are seeing much more foot traffic around Chicago, especially in the downtown loop.

If you or someone you know has been seriously injured in a Chicago traffic accident or Chicago truck accident, then call for a free legal consulation with the Bryant Law Group at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

New Illinois Driver And Traffic Laws For 2025

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It’s a new year and there are dozens of new laws that take effect in Illinois. Most of the new laws that I reviewed have to do with health insurance and insurance coverage. There were only three (3) new traffic and/or driver laws in Illinois that take effect in 2025. I have outlined these new laws below:

HB 4592 – Allows the Secretary of State to issue mobile ID cards and driver’s licenses.

SB 0275 – The Secretary of State’s Office will be required to offer applicants the option to be issued an 8-year driver’s license within the next two years.

HB 5408 – Drivers will be prohibited from stopping or parking vehicles on shoulders of highways within a half-mile radius of the eastern entrance to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

Nothing too dramatic was passed last year by the Illinois legislature that will affect Illinois drivers in 2025, but it is always good to know any new laws that have been enacted.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call the Chicago injury lawyers at The Bryant Law Group, LLC at 312-614-1076 for a free legal consultation or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway Express Lanes Reopened

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The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) announced that the express lanes on the 1-90/94 expressway have officially repopened for the first time since their closing for consutruction in March 2024.

Their closure was part of a three (3) rennovation project run by IDOT. Since the express lanes closure, commute times in and out of the loop and out to O’Hare airport have increased dramatically. So much so, that a recent traffic study put Chicago tied for first in the U.S. for worst traffic congestion.

The express lanes (which referese directions depending on time of day and congestion) were originally supposed to open in December. IDOT pushed their openning until today blaming continued testing on the Reversible Lane Access Control System, which controls access to the lanes depending on the flow of rush hour traffic. That system includes more than 120 gates, camera equipment, fiber optic cables and a variety of signage, IDOT said.

We are all hoping that the re-opening of the express lanes will help ease traffic congestion in and out of the city. Though, more closures on the Kennedy are coming as IDOT will be moving to the third phase of the contruction project. There will be periodic lane closures on parts of the outbound Kennedy Expressway from Ohio Street to the Edens junction. Road contruction workers are expected to rehabilitate lanes and refurbish a number of bridges along the route.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call the Illinois injury attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC., for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Chicago Tied For Worst Traffic In U.S. In 2024

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The annual Global Traffic Scorecard was released yesterday by INIX and it Chicago did not look good. According to the study’s findings, Chicago was tied with New York as the worst in the U.S. for traffic congestion and was only behind Hong Kong globally.

INRIX, a transportation data and analytics firm, showed that Chicago and New York commuters lost an average of 102 hours sitting in traffic last year. Los Angeles ranked third with 88 hours lost.

The average speed of a downtown Chicago commute was approximately 14 mph, tied for the third-slowest in the country. INRIX calculated that the slow commute for drivers in Chicago costs on average about $1,826 per year. The analysis attributed the increases to a return to in-person work, and large nighttime trip increases on the weekends as cities have tried to entice employees and visitors back to enjoy their downtown life.

I agree with INIX’s reasoning but another factor, at least for those who drive downtown on the I-90/94 Kennedy expressway, is the ongoing construction. The express lanes going north and south have been out of commission for most of the year and as I wrote last month, they will not be open until the end of January. Hopefully, once the Kennedy construction is completed and the express lanes are open, then commute times will ease up a bit.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call the Chicago injury attorneys at the Bryant Law Group, LLC. for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.