Author Archives: abryant633

IDOT & ISP Issue Tips For Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

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Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) and the Illinois State Police (“ISP”) launced the “Start Seeing Motorcycles” campaign as part of motorcycle safety awareness month. Start Seeing Motorcycles banners and yard signs will be on display throughout the state, reminding the public to always stay alert for motorcycles.

According to IDOT, there are approximately 150 motorcycle fatalities in Illinois every year. Just 3% of all registered vehicles in Illinois are motorcycles. Despite that low number, 14% of all traffic fatalities in 2023 were motorcycle related. This safety campaign is geared towards curbing that trend.

IDOT and ISP issued the following safety tips for both motorcyclists and drivers, which they hope will make the roads safer for everyone.

For drivers:

  • Look twice before changing lanes or merging into traffic, using your mirrors and glancing over your shoulder. Allow appropriate distance.
  • Allow motorcyclists enough space to maneuver and enough time to adjust if necessary. Traffic, weather and road conditions require motorcyclists to react and maneuver differently than other drivers.
  • Be vigilant. A motorcycle can easily be hidden behind other vehicles. Checking mirrors and blind spots is essential before changing lanes or merging.
  • Use care when driving near a group of motorcyclists. Sharing the road with organized motorcycle groups requires patience and communication. If you need to change lanes or reach an exit, signal your intention early and wait for the riders to create a space. Do not merge in between groups or riders unless there is enough space to do so safely.

For motorcyclists:

  • Wear DOT-compliant gear that increases visibility in traffic in addition to providing protection in the event of a crash. Use bright colors and retro-reflective strips or decals, especially at night. Over-the-ankle boots, gloves, protective jackets, pants and properly fitted helmets with face shields or protective eyewear are all part of a full-gear package.
  • Use lane positioning to increase your visibility. Ride with your headlight on at all times. It’s the law in Illinois. Give yourself space and time to react. Allow room for emergency braking. Make lane changes gradually and expect the unexpected.
  • Ride sober. Motorcycle riding and alcohol don’t mix. Drinking slows your reaction time and affects your balance, coordination and vision.
  • Always signal before changing lanes. Avoid weaving between lanes. Flash your brake light when you are slowing down and before stopping.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a Chicago motorcycle accident, then call the Chicago accident 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.

What Is Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist Coverage

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Illinois law requires all motorists carry car insurance. The Illinois state minimum for bodily injury coverage is $25,000.00. What happens if the driver causing the auto accident has only the minimum coverage ($25,000) required by law, but your medical bills, injuries and total damages far exceed the $25,000.00 minimum coverage? Or what if the at-fault driver does not have any auto insurance? Can anything be done? 

Clients are surprised to learn that their own insurance policies can carry what is called uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage applies when a driver is injured in an auto accident caused by an uninsured driver. The injured driver, through the help of an attorney, can make a claim against their own insurance company pay their medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and loss of a normal life. An official demand for arbitration must be made by the injured party and sent to their own insurance carrier. Once the injured party has completed medical treatment, their attorney can work on settling the claim with the insurance company. If settlement is not reached then the injured party and the insurance company partake in a binding arbitration to determine an award based the injured parties total damages (medical bills, lost wages, inuries, pain & suffering and loss of a normal life).

A claim can also be made against a client’s own insurance company when the other driver have enough insurance to compensate the entire amount of damages. These claims are called underinsured motorist claims. The process for recovering money damages is the same as an uninsured motorist claim. The only difference is the at fault’s party’s insurance must be exhausted before the injured party’s insurance can be claimed.

The uninsured motorist process can be complicated. I highly recommend contacting an Illinois injury attorney to discuss and walk you throught the uninsured motorist claims process in a order to maximize your recovery. The Chicago accident lawyers at the Bryant Law Group have years of experience handling these types of claims and provide free legal consultations. Feel free to call at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Finally, and just as important, is to make sure you purchase full coverage when buying auto insurance. This will ensure that you have uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and protect you in case you are involved in an accident with no inurance or only the state minimum.

Cook County Court Clerk Offers Amnesty On Traffic Ticket Late Fees

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If you have any moving violations in Cook County, Illinois traffic court that have accrued late fees, you have the week of April 14 through 18 to pay those fines and have any late fees and collection costs waived.

The deal does not include parking, red light or speed camera violations. Late and collection fees will be waived for the following violations:

Major files include the following offenses:

  • Unlawful use of license or permit
  • Driving while license or permit is suspended or revoked
  • Driving commercial vehicles while license suspended, revoked, cancelled or out of service
  • Eluding or fleeing police
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, intoxicating compounds
  • Reckless driving
  • Street Racing
  • Speeding 26 miles or more

Minor files include the following offenses:

  • Failure to stop at stop sign
  • Disobey solid red signal
  • Failure to wear seat belt
  • No valid state registration
  • Operating uninsured vehicle
  • Failure to produce driver’s license
  • Speeding 1-25 miles over the posted limit
  • Speeding 1-25 miles over in a construction zone
  • Speeding 1-25 miles over in a school zone

Mariyana Spyropoulos, clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, said in the following regarding this week’s progam, “this amnesty initiative is part of a broader effort to remove financial barriers that disproportionately impact working families. By waiving collection fees, we’re helping residents take meaningful steps toward resolving their cases and restoring trust in a system that should work for everyone.”

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call the Chicago accident 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.

Illinois Ranks 36th For Roads In Annual Highway Study

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The Reason Foundation released their 28th annual highway study this week, and Illinois ranked number 36 out of 50 for the quality of roads throughout the state. Last year Illinois was ranked 29th. This is a surprisingly low ranking despite having the second highest gas tax (66 cents per gallon) for highway infrastructure.

The foundation’s highway study  grades state roadway conditions on several factors, including pavement conditions, urban congestion, structurally deficient bridges, fatality rates, and cost. This is what the report specifically had to say about Illinois:  “In safety and condition categories, Illinois’ highways rank 37th in urban Interstate pavement condition, 29th in rural Interstate pavement condition, 34th in urban arterial pavement condition, 42nd in rural arterial pavement condition, 38th in structurally deficient bridges, 21st in urban fatality rate, and 16th in rural fatality rate.”

Illinois ranks 46th out of the 50 states in traffic congestion, and its drivers spend 65 hours a year stuck in traffic congestion, the report said.

This is ranking is discouraging based on the amount of money taxpayers pay is gasoline tax. I will play a little devils advocate and say that there could be a light at the end of the tunnel for Illinois drivers. The final phase of the Kennedy expressway construction project in Chicago will be completed this fall. Once completed, one would hope that some of the traffic congestion in the Chicagoland area will decrease, and will hopefully move Illinois up in the rankings. We will have to wait and see.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Chicago traffic accident or Chicago truck accident then call the Chicago accident 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.

Phase 3 Of Kennedy Expressway Construction To Start Next Week

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The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) announced yesterday that the third and final phase of the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) in Chicago was start on March 17 and last through the fall. The construction take place on the outbound side of the I-90/94 from the Edens Expressway junction to Ohio Street.

Two mainline outbound lanes will be closed at a time. IDOT said during the construction, the reversible mid-gate entrance and exit will be closed. This means drivers who enter the express lanes will not be able to exit until they reach the Edens Expressway at Foster Avenue.

The expresslanes will be closed to inbound drivers coming from O’Hare airport to downtown. They announced that the project will be completed by Thanksgiving 2025.

Be sure to plan ahead if you need to take the Kennedy as there will be traffic backups for the next 6 months. This is nothing new as the first 2 phases of construction have shut down lanes (and the expresslanes) off an on for the last 2 years.

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

Lake County Adding Traffic Safety Measures For St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

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St. Patrick’s Day is a little over a week away but the festivities begin next weekend throughout the Chicagoland area. The Lake County Sherrif’s Department is planning ahead as they announced extra traffic safety and enforcement for the entire weekend.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Transportation for the “St. Patrick’s Day Traffic Safety Campaign,” which includes the strict enforcement of seat belt use, speeding, distracted driving and all traffic laws.

The St. Patrick’s Day traffic safety campaign is funded by federal traffic safety funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and administered by IDOT, which provides law enforcement to add extra patrols to work high traffic weekends like St. Patrick’s Day. As I have written multiple times, this is part of form president Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill passed back in 2022.

If you are going out to celebrate for St. Patrick’s Day, please have a sober driver or call a rideshare company to get you to and from your parties. If you are driving please take extra care and be aware of your surroundings.

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

Oak Law Police Department Receives Federal Traffic Safety Grant

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The Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn police department announced this week that they received a federal grant for fiscal year 2025 Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (“STEP”) grant. The money, which is from form president Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastracture bill, will provide funding for additional law enforcement during hight traffic weekends, speficially holidays.

The additional enforcement will allow Oak Law police to implement different programs like ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,’ ‘Click It or Ticket,’ and ‘Drive High, Get a DUI.’”

The grant year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025, enables Oak Lawn Police Department to conduct additional enforcement operations, particularly during high-risk periods. These operations will focus on dangerous behaviors that contribute to crashes, such as speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving, failure to yield, disobeying traffic signals and seat belt violations.

We have seen these grants approved for police departments throughout Illinois. The extra enforcement is incredibly helpful to smaller police forces as they have to deal with high levels of traffic on certain weekends. Illinois has seen an uptick in traffic fatalities since the covid pandemic adn extra law enforcement attempting to weed out dangerous driving behavior will hopefully make the streets safer for all of us.

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

Chicago To Add 50 New Speed Cameras Around City

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Multiple new outlets, including WGN News, report last week that the Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) plans to install 50 new speeder cameras around the city. CDOT spokespeoples have not announced specific locations but they will take into consideration crash data from different busy intersections and stretches of road along with requests from alderpeople. By state law, cameras can only be within 660 feet of a school or a park. These 50 new cameras will bring the total to 200 in the city.

These cameras have been scrutenized from the very beginning when they were installed under former mayor Rahm Emanual. Critics have called these cameras a crash grab by the city. I have yet to see any detailed studies that they have decreased the number of car crashes in the areas where the cameras were installed.

I think it is fair to point out that current mayor, Brandon Johnson, has at least been up front that the cameras are being installed to help revenue for the city: Mayor Brandon Johnson said revenue from the cameras would help, in part, to generate $11 million needed to restore more than 160 police positions tied to the consent decree and would make up less than one-tenth of one percent of the 2025 budget.

Though, he is denying that the new cameras are being installed to balance th city budget. “The City of Chicago does not rely on speed cameras to balance its budget…. Mayor Johnson believes that speed cameras should be utilized to promote traffic safety in an equitable way, not as a revenue source for the City.”

The CDOT spokesperson said 136 people were killed in traffic crashes on Chicago roadways in 2023. Speed was a factor in nearly 70 percent of those crashes. CDOT will publicize the cameras’ locations before they’re activated. Drivers will be given a 30-day grace period once the new cameras are installed and receive a warning in the mail.

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

Driving Tips For Upcoming Winter Storm

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Chicago is currently undergoing a winter storm that will last throughout the day into tomorrow morning. Some parts of the Chicagoland region will get up to eight inches of snow. We are expected to be hit with another storm again on Saturday. If you can stay home and stay off the roads, please do so. The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) and the Illinois State Police provided the following winter weather driving tips just in case you do have to drive the next couple days:

  • Check the forecast and ensure someone knows your travel route and schedule.
  • Fill up your tank or fully charge your vehicle and pack winter weather essentials, such as a cellphone charger, traction materials, warm clothes, blankets, food, water, first-aid kit, washer fluid and ice scraper.
  • Use extra caution in areas susceptible to icing, including ramps, bridges, curves and shaded areas. Watch for black ice. A road may appear clear but can be extremely slippery.
  • Give them distance. Obey the Move Over law by slowing down and changing lanes when approaching ANY stopped vehicle.
  • Always wear a seat belt. It’s the law and your best protection in the event of a crash.
  • Drop it and drive. Put down the mobile devices. This, too, is the law.
  • If you are involved in a crash, remain inside your vehicle. Exiting your vehicle near a busy road can have fatal consequences.

Please be careful if you need to drive in this winter weather. If you or a loved one are involved in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, please call the Chicago accident 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.

New Illinois Traffic Technology Will Warn Drivers Of Traffic Risks

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The llinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology announced last month that they are introducing a GPS technology that will warn drivers of emergency vehicles on the road. The technology is aimed to promote Scott’s Law or the “Move Over Law” which requires Illinois drivers to o slow down and change lanes when approaching stationary emergency vehicles, including law enforcement, highway maintenance vehicles with flashing lights in use and any other stationary vehicle with its hazard lights activated.

The GPS technology called, HAAS Alert, will allow Illinois state police to send safety alerts to some Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, RAM and Volkswagen vehicles. The alerts will notify drivers of the vehicles of state police activity ahead of them on the road and that hey need to slow down and move over. The digital alerts are delivered via navigation apps and vehicle infotainment systems.

The partnership with HAAS Alert builds on a state police partnership with Google Public Sector and Move Over crash alerts in Waze and Google Maps, expanding real-time, GPS-based alerts to more drivers, according to state police. Through the alert system, Illinois State Police compiles information about a crash or other potential traffic hazard and sends it to HAAS Alert, which distributes it to select vehicles via Safety Cloud. Drivers approaching the noted location will see a police icon and an alert to slow down and move over, according to state police.

This is an impressive technological development by the Illinois State Police. We have seen over the last 10 to 15 years how technology, specifically smart phones, can distract drivers and lead to traffic accidents. Here, the state police are using technology to their advantage and giving drivers fair warning that there are issues on the road ahead of them. It will provide them the opportunity to slow down and pull over to the other lane. This will hopefully lead to less traffic accident, but also protect first responders from the dangers of oncoming traffic. This was the whole purpose of Scott’s law.

If you or a lvoed one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago traffic accident, then call Illinois accident 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.