Category Archives: Chicago traffic safety

University of Illinois Chicago Study Finds Speeder Cameras Save Lives

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The University of Illinois at Chicago (“UIC”) department of Urban Policy and Planning release a years long study regarding the safety and efficacy of Chicago’s speeder camers. The whole study can be found here.

The finding that has grabbed most of the headlines is that speeder cameras disproportionately ticket black and brown drivers over white drivers. “More particularly Black drivers are getting speed tickets. And the question then became why,” said Stacey Sutton, associate professor of UIC’s Department of Urban Planning and Policy. “Roadway density is different. Population density, there are fewer businesses for people yet so there may be a good propensity to speed in those areas. And that we’re seeing that would explain some of it.”

The study found that red light cameras also ticket minorities disproportionately. “Thirteen percent of all cameras within 350 feet of the freeway,” Sutton said, adding that many cameras near freeways ticket more. They are also more likely to ticket minorities because, she said, “Twenty-one percent are in majority-Black neighborhoods.”

Also interestently, the study did conclude the speeder cameras do make city streets safer. researchers found that speed cameras reduced fatal and serious crashes by 15%. According the data pulled by the City Streetsblog site found that Chicago speed cameras are doing their job by reducing the number of traffic injuries and deaths (at least in the areas where the cameras are located). The comparison of car crash data from 2012-13 (before CDOT installed the cameras) and 2018-19 found that while serious injury and fatal crashes increased by 21 percent citywide during this six-year period, the increase was only 2 percent within the eighth-mile zones near the cameras. And while speed-related crashes spiked by 64 percent citywide during this period, they only went up by 18 percent in camera zones.

It would be fair for city officials to argue that the speeder cameras were not implemented as just a money grab, which was what many critics (including me) argued when they were installed. Many, including myself, jumped to this conclusion because of all the studies performed on red light cameras up to that point found that they were safety neutral at best. That is, they provided no significant safety benefit at the intersections where they were installed. I think this is good news. But where does the city go next? Do they install more cameras? I think the answer could be a study into stretches of the city streets that are most dangerous. It needs to be determined if speeder cameras could help slow down the amount of car crashes in the most dangerous roads.

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

Chicago Inspector General Rips City’s Traffic Light Management

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The Chicago Sun-Times reported this week on local Inspector General, Joe Ferguson’s, blistering report about multiple traffic management inssues within the city. The report states, in part, ““Rather than proactively maintaining and retiming traffic signals, [the city] conducts most of its work in response to 311 complaints, aldermanic requests and major construction projects,” the report concluded. “This approach to maintenance limits [Chicago’s] ability to address problems before they become hazardous or unnecessarily expensive to repair.”

The report also states that the traffic light management in Chicago is woefully understaffed. Chicag has four traffic signal engineers while federal recommendations say it should have 28, the report said. Also, Chicago has 27 traffic signal technicians, compared with a federal recommendation of 71.

This is not encouraging news for several reasons. First, this report reveals the lack of progress needed to meet previous mayor Rahm Emanuel’s “Vision Zero” plan, which aimed at eliminated all pedestrian fatalities. Second, based on the city’s response, there doesn’t appear to be any urgent plan to correct these issues due to budgetary deficits.

I would like to wait and see Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s response to this report before casting too much blame. She has only been in office for a year and has had to respond to a global pandamic, protests and riots. I believe she will respond, but this was not a good report. Based on earlier budget decisions, it appeared that Lightfoot was focused on decreasing traffic congestion and making our streets safer for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. This report sheds light on issues that need to be addressed before the city can fully say they are committed to improving traffic safety, decreasing congestion and pollution. The ball is in her court.

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

Chicago Car Crashes Have Been More Severe During Covid-19 Shutdown

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As many would suspect traffic is way down during the Covid-19 shutdown. There have been an estimated 70% less Chicago car accidents since the shelter in place order began in mid March. This comes as no surprise due to the lack of motorists on the road. Regardless, we have seen an increase in the severity of Chicago car crashes.

Northwestern’s study, found that after the stay-at-home order went into effect, the percentage of incapacitating or fatal crashes ticked up. “You had so much less traffic,” said NUTC Director Hani Mahmassani. “That was so unusual. You’re so used to driving very slowly on Chicago streets, so when you had that, people’s natural instinct was to speed up.”

Chicago and the state of Illinois are not alone with these numbers and “In some states, anywhere from 50% to 70% less miles (are driven), but the fatalities are up,” said NSC President and CEO Lorraine Martin. We really need to get to the root cause and understand what the behavior is that’s causing this kind of disturbing spike in very severe crashes.

Why the increase in traffic fatalities and severe injuries? Drivers feel at liberty to drive at excessive speeds as very few others are on the road. Local Chicago officials believe they have seen an uptick in speeders since the shutdown. The Chicago Department of Transportation warned of a 14% of increases speeders on city roadways. The Chicago Police Department and Illinois State Police said they’ve increased visibility and have some targeted patrol efforts. But Martin says road safety doesn’t just fall on law enforcement.

Even if there are less drivers on the road, it is important to stay vigilant and aware of others on the road. There are many who believe they can speed and drive recklessly when no one else is out there.

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

Chicago Traffic Fatalities Down In 2019

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There is encouraging news in Chicago traffic news. Traffic fatalities are down 30% in the city compared to this time last year. There were 108 traffic deaths through October 2018 compared to 77 so far this year.

This is good news for the city and particularly the cities’ transportation department which implemented “Vision Zero,” a plan aimed to eliminate all traffic fatalities in Chicago by 2026. Vision Zero’s plan includes changing intersections to make them safer, road user education and improving transit use in high crash areas, is an international road safety project.

The plan is also using used crash data to identify high-crash corridors and areas, which were prioritized for safety improvements. The areas include downtown Chicago and seven neighborhoods, such as Belmont-Cragin on the Northwest Side and Englewood on the South Side.

I don’t think anyone can say at this point what has caused the decrease in traffic deaths. I think we all hope that the money and time spent by Vision Zero is making our streets safer. I think a more detailed look at the data on the type and location of the traffic accidents will help us answer those questions. Let’s hope this trend continues.

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

Pedestrian Fatalities In Chicago Down 40% So Far This Year

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I have written on this blog multiple times about Chicago’s Vision Zero. It is a traffic safety plan implemented by outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanual who’s goal was to eliminate all pedestrian traffic deaths by 2026. Part of the plan has been the implementation of speeding cameras, larger and more visible cross walks with traffic stop signs and designated bicycle lanes. Vision Zero was off to a rocky start as last year alone saw an uptick in Chicago pedestrian fatalities. Traffic safety might be improving.

According to Block Club Chicago, a local online news source, pedestrian deaths have decreased in so far this year compared to data collected from this time last year.

Between Jan. 1, 2018, and May 31, 2018, 20 pedestrians were killed in Chicago. During the same period in 2019, only 12 people on foot were killed in crashes, according to data presented last week to the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council. Chicago Dept. of Transportation Assistant Commissioner Sean Wiedel called that very encouraging news.

So far, no specific data or studies have been provided to the press explain the decrease in deaths. The article points to the increased number of vehicles on the roads, higher speed limits and a growing number of drivers and those on foot distracted by cell phones and other electronic devices as the main causes for the uptick in pedestrian deaths in recent years. I would like to see what the numbers are by the end of the year to see if any of the policies implemented by Vision Zero could explain why the numbers decreased this years. I would also like to know if new mayor, Lori Lightfoot, plans to keep Vision Zero a priority for the city. Regardless, this is encouraging news, and we can only hope that the numbers continue to decrease the rest of the year and years to come.

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