Author Archives: abryant633

NHTSA Announces Recall Of Over 40,000 Harley Davidson Vehicles

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), announced last week that it was recalling 41,637 Harley Davidson motorcycles due to a potential for short-circuiting and increased motorcycle crash risk.

The recall includes the FLHX, FLHXSE, FLTRX, FLTRXSE, and FLTRXSTSE models. According NHTSA’s notice, a voltage regulator wire may rub on other components near the motorcycles’ engine, wearing down the outer casing and exposing the wire. This can lead to short circuits and a loss of power with little to no warning to the driver.

This auto defect could lead to a very dangerous scenario for a motorcycle rider. If you own any of the above models manufactured by Harley Davidson please contact your local Harley dealer to ensure that your bike is updated and repaired to remove that potential defect.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago motorcycle accident or a Chicago traffic accident, please call the Chicago injury lawyers at the Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to our website at www.blgchicago.com.

6 Chicago Suburbs Receive Federal Grant For Traffic Safety Study

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6 Illinois towns outside of Chicago received federal grants to study traffic safety accord to new outlet Patch. Manhattan, Illinois, a southwest Chicago suburb, received a $100,000 grant focused on Route 52, which runs through their downtown. The village of Manhattan will use the funds to study pedestrian safety and hopefully reduce traffic congestion.

Morris, village of Channahon and village of Minooka to receive a $320,000 Statewide Planning and Research grant for a traffic study on East Route 6. Each of these towns will split the funds equally.

The money, which stems from the bipartisen infrastructure plan signed by President Biden in 2022, is used to establish a cooperative, continuous and comprehensive framework for making transportation investment decisions and to carry out transportation research activities throughout the state of Illinois.

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

What To Do If You Are Inolved In A Car Crash

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I’ve been asked through the years by clients, friends and family what exactly they should do if they are involved in a motor vehicle accident. The most important thing to worry about is your safety and the safety of any passengers or those involved in the car crash. Beyond seeking immediate medical attention, I put together a list of what to do and what not to do following a traffic accident.

Do:

• Do get names, addresses, license plate and phone numbers of the involved drivers and any witnesses
• Do call the police immediately or have someone at the scene call for you
• Do take photographs of accident scene, damaged vehicle and any bodily injuries
• Do notify your insurance carrier and the insurance carrier of the at-fault driver
• Do seek medical attention as soon as possible and concentrate on getting better
• Do keep records of your medical treatment • Do keep track of time missed from work including vacation and sick days used as a result of your injuries

Do Not:


• Do not give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurance company
• Do not negotiate with the at-fault driver’s insurance company before your medical treatment is completed
• Do not wait months or yearsfrom the date of injury before hiring an attorney, as your right to file claim or lawsuit may be barred
• Do not wait days or weeks from the time you are injured to seek medical attention. Your health comes first and also insurance companies are wary of paying for medical bills or for pain and suffering if treatment is postponed.

This is not an exhaustive list but important to keep in mind if you are involved in a car crash. If you or someone you know has been involved 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 or go to the firm at www.blgchicago.com.

GMC Recalls SUV And Pick Up Trucks For Brake Fluid Defect

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced this week that GMC will be recalling approximately 450,000 SUVs and Trucks due to an electronic brake control module software that could fail to display a warning light when a loss of brake fluid takes place.

The recall includes 2023-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESVs, 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2023-2024 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban 1500, 2023 GMC Sierra 1500, 2023-2024 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL,

GMC stated that the recall will include a free software update, which will hopefully eliminate the defect.

The NHTSA stated th a vehicle may be driven with low brake fluid if they aren’t provided the warning, which can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a Chicago car accident or an Illinois traffic accident involving a auto defect, then call the Chicago personal injury lawyers at the Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

NHTSA Proprosal Aimed To Protect Pedestrians

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The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced a proposal aimed to protect podestrians during car crashes. “We have a crisis of roadway deaths, and it’s even worse among vulnerable road users like pedestrians,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman. “Between 2013 and 2022, pedestrian fatalities increased 57 percent from 4,779 to 7,522. This proposed rule will ensure that vehicles will be designed to protect those inside and outside from serious injury or death. We will continue to work to make our roads safer for everyone and help protect vulnerable road users.”

 NHTSA’s plan would essentially affect the design of all SUVs and pick-up trucks. The new standard would “require vehicles to meet a head injury criterion when subjected to testing simulating a head-to-hood impact. The vehicles would have to reduce the risk of serious to fatal head injury to child and adult pedestrians in impacts at vehicle speeds up to 25 mph, which encompass about 70 percent of pedestrian injuries from vehicle impacts.”

The NHTSA’s ultimate goal is for the new frontend designs to better mitigate the force of a pedestrian head impact, in turn increasing the chances of survival. Increasing visibility for the driver is also a major factor.The NHTSA mentioned that the proposed changes would save up to 67 lives per years.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago auto and pediastrian accident, please contact the Chicago injury lawyers at the Bryant Law Group, LLC for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Chicago Ranked World’s 5th Worst Traffic City

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Inrix released their 2023 global traffic study earlier this summer, and unforturnately for Chicagoans, their city ranked 5th worst in the world. They are only behind New, Mexico City, London and Paris.

The study analyzed travel patterns in 950 cities worldwide. The group looked at “lost” hours as time spent in traffic “during peak commute periods compared to off-peak conditions.” In particular, the Dan Ryan and Stevenson expressways were among the most congested commutes in the United States last year.

Drivers who took the Dan Ryan from the Jane Byrne to I-57 everday on their commute during peak rush hour, then they lost approximately 66 hours sitting in their car. Drivers who to the the Stevenson from the Dan Ryan to Cicero every day during peak hours, they lost about 64 hours in their cars.

On average drivers lost about 9 more hours in their car in 2023 versus 2022.

Most Chicago drivers have understood or at least learned to live with heavy rush hour traffic for years. I think they also know the culprit for the recent increase in lost traffic time: construction on the Kennedy. Expansion on the Kennedy, which began last year, seems to have affect all traffic connecting to that stretch including the Jane Byrne, Dan Ryan and Stevenson and along with sidestreets. The Kennedy construction is supposed to end in the late fall of 2025.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a Chicago traffic accident or an Illinois truck accident, please the Chicago injury attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC at 312-614-1076 for a free legal consultation.

Toyota Recalls Popular Highlander SUV

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According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), Toyota recalled their Grand Highlander SUV and Lexus TX due to an airbag defect. Specifically, the driver’s side curtain airbag might not deploy during a crash, increasing the chance of an injury. Toyota annunced that it will notify owners once a solution has been found.

The recall is for approximately 145,000 vehicles. In a press release Toyota stated that the affected airbags are located on the driver’s side, and the deployment problem might occur if the driver’s window is rolled down. Obviously, that could increase the risk of an injury during a crash that involves that area.

The recall was announced at the end of July and I have not seen that there has been a reslution to fix the defect. Nor have a seen any news that there have been any serious car accident injuries for traffic fatalaties due to this defect. If you own a Grand Higlander or Lexus TX, please reach out to your local Toyota dealer as soon as possible.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or have been injured by an auto defect in the Chicagoland area, please reach out to the Illinois personal injury lawyers at The Bryant Law Group, LLC. for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

New Illinois Traffic Laws For 2024

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The Illinois legislature was very active in 2023 introducing eight (8) new traffic laws that became active in January of 2024. Below is a breakdown of each new bill:

  1. HB 2431: Videoconferencing while driving will now be prohibited.
  2. HB 2582: Motorcycle licenses will no longer be offered to residents under the age of 18, with specific exceptions.
  3. HB 3876: Residents of Illinois who buy vehicles in another state must apply for registration and certificate of title no less than 45 days after the purchase of the vehicle.
  4. SB 0896: Auxiliary lighting on motorcycles may not emit blue lights. Auxiliary lights may only emit red light if they are actively braking.
  5. SB 1251: Operators of ambulances or other rescue vehicles must have specified training in the operation of that vehicle. In municipalities with population of under one million residents, sirens and lamps must be in operation at all times when pedestrians and other drivers are present, and when that vehicle has been called to a bona fide emergency or has been directed to disregard traffic laws in the operation of the vehicle. The ambulance must also slow down at red lights to achieve safe operation.
  6. SB 1526: The Department of Transportation must develop a mobile app that provides motorists with updated travel conditions.
  7. SB 1653: The Department of Transportation and local authorities must institute a pilot program to erect and maintain hazard bars, or visual signs and additional signage, for all viaducts and underpasses with a clearance of less than 15 feet. Hazard bars must hang at the same clearance level as the viaduct or underpass, and be located at least 500 feet in front of them.
  8. SB 2028: Requires best practices on stranded motorists to be included in Illinois Rules of the Road publications.

I think the most important new law is HB 2431 which outlaws videoconferencing wile driving. This would include facetime, zoom, webex or any other type of face to face calls while driving. This is an incredibly dangerous activity and it should not have taken this long to be enacted. Let’s hope our local and state law enforcements aggressively enforce this new law and will lead to less Illinois car accidents.

If you or a loved one has been serously injured in a Chicago car crash or Illinois truck accident, then call Chicago injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Are Highway Guardrails Safe For EV’s?

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A new study from the University of Nebraska concluded that nation’s guardrails are unable to handle electric vehicles (EV’s) which weigh thousands of pounds more than the average gas-powered sedan. The university’s “Midwest Roadside Safety Facility” conducted test crashes with an electric-powered pickup truck and a Tesla sedan by sending them into guardrails similar to those seen on U.S. roads and highways. The results of the tests found that our guardrails were not made to handle vehicles greater than 5,000 pounds. 

 The National Transportation Safety Board previously expressed concern last year about the safety risks that heavy electric vehicles pose if they collide with lighter vehicles gas powered vehicles. The safety board concluded that EV’s provide better protection for their occupants but can pose a more serious threat to those riding in gas powered vehicles due to the extreme weight discrepency. Electric vehicles typically weigh 20% to 50% more than gas-powered vehicles and have lower centers of gravity.

So the question that needs to be asked is what can be done to help prevent the potential dangers of EVs crashing into guardrails. The study recommends that there needs to be an “intensive collaboration”between auto makers and the U.S. government and safety boards to develop a plan to make the guardrails stronger and safer for all vehicles on the road. This seems like it would be a huge and very expensive undertaking to start replacing guardrails all over the country. I do not believe this was earmarked in the 2022 bipartisan infrastructure legislation. I think it would be a good idea for the Department of Transportation to look into what it would cost to replace or reinforce existing guardrails, especially in parts of the most dangerous (and steep) roads. I look forward to hearing what the Department of Transportation’s response to this study will be.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or Illinois traffic accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Chicago Department Of Transportation To Implement Traffic Calming Insfrastructure

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The Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) announced last week through press release that they are going to be installing what are called “traffic calming” infrastructure into various busy intersections around the city. Traffic calming infrasructure includes rubber speed bumps, vertical posts, and hardened centerlines at intersections that encourage drivers to take turns at safer speeds, prevent drivers from taking a diagonal path through the crosswalk, and improve drivers’ visibility of people crossing the street.

The intersections that will have these safety measures installed include:

  • N. Ashland Ave. & W. Wilson Ave.
  • N. Ashland Ave. & W. Sunnyside Ave.
  • N. Ashland Ave. & W. Montrose Ave.
  • N. Ashland Ave. & W. Cullom Ave.
  • W. Grand Ave. & N. Austin Ave.
  • W. Division Ave. & N. Rockwell St.
  • W. Chicago Ave. & N. Leavitt St.
  • W. Chicago Ave. & N. Oakley Ave.
  • W. Chicago Ave. & N. Paulina St.
  • W. 63rd St. & S. Kedzie Ave.
  • W. 63rd St. & S. California Ave.
  • W. 63rd St. & S. Western Ave.
  • W. 71st St. & S. Halsted St.
  • W. 71st St & S. Ashland Ave.
  • W. 71st St & S. Damen Ave.

I have written about Chicago’s traffic safety plans multiple times over the last several years. Previous mayor, Rahm Emanuel, introduced his “Vision Zero,” plan whose ultimate goal was to have zero pedestrian deaths within the next ten years. Mayor Lori Lightfood has stated that she planned to continue the Vision Zero mission. Despite all this planning and work, pedestrian deaths and traffic deaths have going up the last two years in Chicago and in Illinois. I think the traffic calming infrastructure is a step in the right direction to help slow down and hopefully eliminate pedestrian deaths in our city.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago pedestrian accident or Chicago traffic accident, then call Chicago car crash lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.