I wrote recently about Chicago Mayor Rham Emanuel’s plan to strengthen the local crosswalks laws. This ordinance could not come at a better time as a study reported on by the Chicago Tribune reveals the dangers for Chicago pedestrian walkers.
The study revealed that 80 percent of vehicle-pedestrian crashes in Chicago occur at intersections and commonly involve people crossing the street with the walk signal. The study showed that the 17,487 crashes between 2005 and 2009 involved 18,377 pedestrians. The experts who prepared the study believe these numbers reveal a traffic safety crisis despite a downward trend in the rate of pedestrians killed. Pedestrian fatalities in Chicago hit a 16-year low in 2009 with 34 deaths, down from 88 deaths in 1994, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The Loop, Near North Side and Austin neighborhoods appear to have the highest number of auto and pedestrian accidents during this time period.
The study found that 78 percent of all crashes and 80 percent of fatal and serious vehicle crashes occurred within 125 feet of the midpoint of an intersection — at crosswalks or nearby.A 2010 state law requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. The previous law required drivers to yield and stop when necessary.It’s too early to assess the impact of the law, officials said. But IDOT provisional numbers for 2010 show 2,943 vehicle-pedestrian crashes in Chicago last year, 32 pedestrian fatalities and 409 serious injuries. Those accidents were not factored into the new study.
The Chicago Department of Transportation report that an average of two hit-and-run pedestrian crashes resulting in deaths or injuries take place each day in Chicago. Hit-and-runs account for 33 percent of vehicle-pedestrian collisions and 41 percent of those that are fatal, double the national average, officials said. That’ comes to a total of 5,534 hit-and-runs over the five-year stretch, causing 3,683 deaths and injuries.
These are some startling numbers that the city has published. It will be interesting to see what Emanuel’s proposed ordinance will actually say, and whether the 2010 state crosswalk law will actually make life safer for pedestrians.
If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a Chicago crosswalk accident or Chicago car accident, then call Chicago injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.