Illinois Governor Quinn Signs Patricia’s Law

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I recently wrote about
Kelsey’s Law, which was signed by Governor Quinn earlier this week. The
governor also signed Patricia’s Law that same day, which is another piece of
legislation that affects Illinois drivers. Patricia’s Law specifically
eliminates the possibility of gaining court supervision when a driver is
convicted of causing a car accident those results in a death. Court supervision
is not the same as probation. If the driver stays out of trouble (no further
tickets or arrests) during the supervision period, then the there is no
conviction on the driver’s record. 

According to CBS
Chicago, the
law was named after Patricia McNamara, a Rockford woman killed in a crash
caused by a distracted driver who was given a fine and court supervision in the
case. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White did not believe that Court
supervision was enough when someone is charged with a traffic fatality. “Court supervision is a way by which you get your license back,
and you pay a fine. You may have to do some community service, and I just think
that’s the wrong way to approach how we deal with individuals who have killed
someone on our roads,” he said.

The
new law went into effect this week when it was signed by Governor Quinn.

If
you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or
Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant
for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384.  

Illinois Governor Quinn Signs Kelsey’s Law

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Back in 2011, 13 year
old Kelsey Little was walking with two friends in Grundy County, when she was
tragically struck and killed by a 15 year old driver. Shockingly, three days
later the 15 year old applied for and received his driver’s license. This news
shocked the Little family along with lawmakers and Illinois Secretary of State,
Jesse White.

As a result, Illinois
lawmakers drafted and passed House Bill 1009, which was named Kelsey’s law. The
new law, which NBC 5 reports was signed into law by Governor Quinn, prohibits any teen with unresolved traffic
citations from getting a state driver’s license.  Sources said Quinn
supports the proposed legislation. The new law would ask the
question: ‘Do you have a pending case in court dealing with a traffic
violation?’ If a teen answers, ‘Yes,’ or is caught lying, White’s office can
then invalidate that license application.

“It’s the kind of commonsense
legislation that will make people of Illinois safer, our lives better and my
family a little happier,” Little’s mother, Nancy Deckleman, said
after Monday’s bill-signing. “Knowing that for everything Kelsey’s been
through that something good will finally come of it.”  The new law
took effect with Quinn’s signature.

This is the type of legislation
that makes the roads safer, and will hopefully prevent other deadly
vehicle-pedestrian accidents from taking place.

Should you or someone you love
become injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago auto-pedestrian accident,
then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free legalconsultation at 312-588-3384. 

Summer Safety Tips For Drivers

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Summer is here and it is
the season where more drivers are on the road than any other time of year. Whether
it is a cross-country vacation or a weekend get-away, millions of drivers are
out on the road, so it is important to be aware of other motorists, your
passengers and, of course, what you are doing as the driver. The Texas A&M
Transportation Institute, which has provided numerous traffic safety studies in
the past, has provided a list of detailed safety tips in order to avoid traffic accidents caused before of the summer heat. The sun can be a driver’s worst enemy if it gets into their eyes, that’s why lots of people get some vehicle tinting done. 

 

§  Check tires for proper air pressure, tread
wear and a spare.

§  Check wiper blades, the cooling system (for
needed servicing and coolant level), fluid levels, lights, and the
air-conditioning system.

§  The focus of any driver, at all times, should
be driving. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near crashes involve
some form of driver distraction.

§  Everybody aboard must agree to wear their seat
belts every time they are riding or driving in your vehicle.

§  Be responsible and don’t drink and drive.

§  Make sure car seats and booster seats are
properly installed and that any children riding with you are in the restraint
system best suited to protect them.

§  All children 12 and younger should ride in the
back seat. Never leave children alone in a vehicle during the summer.

§  Have an emergency roadside kit
available: 

§  a cell phone;

§  a first aid kit;

§  a flashlight;

§  flares and a white flag;

§  jumper cables;

§  a jack (and a ground mat) for changing a tire;

§  work gloves and a change of clothes;

§  basic repair tools and some duct tape (for
temporarily repairing a hose leak);

§  a jug of water and paper towels for cleaning
up;

§  nonperishable food, drinking water and
medicines;

§  extra windshield washer fluid; and

§  maps.

If you or someone you
love is injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident this
summer, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free legal consultation, at 312-588-3384. 

Chicago Samples ‘Pedestrian Scramble’ At Downtown Intersection

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The Chicago
Tribune reported recently that the Chicago Department of
Transportation introduced a ‘pedestrian scramble’ at State and Jackson in the
downtown loop. The test involves stopping
all vehicles — heading east on Jackson and north and south on State — for about
14 seconds every other light cycle to give pedestrians a jump on traffic to
cross in all directions, including diagonally, according to Bill McCaffrey, a
spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation. The goal is to
give pedestrians a head start crossing streets and therefore reducing conflicts
between pedestrians and turning vehicles, officials said.

Of
course, the over-arching goal is to reduce the risk of vehicle – pedestrian accidents, which are prevalent in downtown Chicago, especially during rush
hour. About 3,000 vehicle crashes involving pedestrians — causing several
dozen pedestrian deaths — occur in Chicago each year, according to the Illinois
Department of Transportation. The city’s pedestrian plan calls for reducing
crash-related pedestrian injuries by 50 percent.

I work
and live downtown and I have yet to notice this change at State and Jackson,
thought I will keep an eye out for it. For some reason, I do not see this as
something that would decrease pedestrian accidents because you are increasing
the number of pedestrians walking in every possible direction at a busy
intersection. I would like to see what the results will be of any studies and
if there a plans to expand this to other intersections.

If you
or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago pedestrian accident or
Chicago car accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant,
at 312-588-3384 for a free legal consultation. 

Chicago Believes Traffic Lights For Bicyclists Are Working

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I have written in weeks past about
designated bike lanes on Dearborn in downtown Chicago, and the Chicago
Tribune reported recently, the city believes that these designated
lanes along with bicycle specific traffic lights, have kept bicyclists safe and
obeying the rules of the road. The
bicycle-specific traffic signals on Dearborn are part of a federally funded
experiment involving the two-way bike lanes, which are protected from moving
vehicle traffic by plastic posts and a parking lane over much of the 1.15-mile
route between Kinzie and Polk streets.  Monitoring by the Chicago Department of Transportation shows
that cyclists stopping for red lights has improved by 161 percent since
cyclist-specific traffic signals, which glow with the image of a bike on the
lens, were installed on Dearborn in December. “Cyclists will really
abide by a signal if they have one,” Chicago Transportation Commissioner
Gabe Klein believes.  

“Enforcement
hasn’t been necessary because people for the most part are obeying the
laws,” said Cmdr. Al Nagode of the Chicago Police Department’s district that includes the Loop. “We’ve had a handful of
citations that we’ve written both to drivers of vehicles and to some bikes when
we see something egregious.”

The
Police Department has no reports of traffic accidents between cyclists and vehicles or
cyclists and pedestrians since the two-way bike lanes were installed, Nagode
said.

“I’m
sure there have been some close shaves here and there,” Klein said.
“Cyclists need to pay attention. You cannot drift into the other lane. I
think it will take time for people to get used to the new traffic pattern, but
so far it has gone pretty well.”

This
report is good news for Chicago cyclists and drivers. There are often
complaints from both types of commuters about the other. Although the sample
size (6 months) is still small, it would be safe to say that these bicycle
specific lanes and traffic lights are working. The goal here is to make the
road safe for everyone – – bicyclists, drivers and pedestrians. It will be
interesting to see if the city expands the bicycle only lanes to other major
roads throughout the city.

If
you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a Chicago bicycle accident or Chicago car accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney
Aaron Bryant for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384. 

Illinois Passes Bill To Increase Minimum Auto Insurance Coverage

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The Chicago Tribune reported
this week that the Illinois House and Senate passed a bill that would increase
the minimum auto insurance coverage to $25,000 for injury or death to one
person. That is up from $20,000, which has been the minimum amount for the past
24 years. 

It would also minimum coverage to
$50,000 for injury or death of two people, up from $40,000.

“The rates have not been changed in
24 years and do not keep pace with rising medical costs,” said proponent and
state Rep. Laura Fine, a Glenview Democrat. “This will save people who are
injured in an accident that is no fault of their own from some of the
out-of-pocket medical costs they may incur.

Rep. Fine is correct. Many times
drivers are seriously injured in car accidents and they incur medical bills that
exceed the amount of insurance coverage. As a Chicago car crash attorney, I
have seen this happen multiple times with my clients. Not only do innocent accident
victims suffer, but hospitals, physicians and other medical facilities can be
short changed for their services. I think this law needed to be changed years
ago. It has passed the Senate and House and fully expect Governor Quinn to sign
when it reaches his desk.

If you or someone you love has been
injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicagopersonal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free legal consultation at
312-588-3384. 

Study Shows Voice To Text Just As Dangerous Than Manually Texting And Driving

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The Texas A&M
Traffic Institute (TTI) recently conducted a study on the dangers of voice to
text while driving. As I have written here in the past, the reaction time for
drivers while manually texting is remarkably dangerous – – almost as dangerous
as driving under the influence of alcohol. Up to this point, no studies had
been conducted on the reaction times for drivers who use the voice to text
method through applications like Siri and Vingo.

For the
experiment, associate transportation researcher at TTI
Christine Yager gathered 43 participants, who drove an instrumented
vehicle on a closed course at the Texas A&M University Riverside facility,
and measured their reaction time as well as the amount of time spent looking at
the roadway ahead.


“Each participant drove the course four times:
once while not texting, once while texting manually and two more times using
two different voice-to-text mobile applications, Siri and Vingo,” Yager said.


Regardless of which texting method was used, the
voice-to text applications were not found to be any less impairing than
manual-entry texting. According to Yager’s abstract, response times and eye
gazes to the forward roadway were relatively similar within each texting
method.

These
are fascinating findings in this study. I would like to see a much larger study
performed by the National Traffic Safety Board or other governmental
institution to either confirm or deny these findings. If confirmed, then state
and federal lawmakers need to reconsider their anti-texting and driving laws to
include voice to text as this can be equally as dangerous and continue to lead
to traffic accidents.

If you
or someone you love is involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truckaccident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a freelegal consultation at 312-588-3384.

Major Cell Phone Providers Join Together For Anti-Texting And Driving Campaign

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AT&T is stepping up
to plate again to campaign against texting and driving. As I have written here
in the past, AT&T has launched campaigns before on this issue, but this
time they are being joined by other major carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile US, Inc. and more than 200
other organizations. As ABC News in Chicago reported this week, the new
campaign is titled “It Can Wait.” The new national advertising campaign, a nationwide
texting-while-driving simulator tour, retail presence in tens of thousands of
stores, and outreach to millions of consumers with a special focus throughout
the summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day-known as the 100 Deadliest
Days on the roads for teen drivers.1 The 2013 campaign drive will culminate on
Sept. 19, when efforts turn towards encouraging everyone to get out in their
community and advocate involvement on behalf of the movement.

The
campaign kicks off May 20, with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile bringing
a multi-million dollar, co-branded advertising campaign to raise awareness of
the dangers of texting and driving, and encouraging everyone to immediately
take the pledge against it at www.itcanwait.com www.itcanwait.com. The
campaign will focus on the stories of people who are living with the
consequences of texting while driving. Their stories will be told through
various media including TV, radio, digital and social. The first story in the
campaign will be of Xzavier Davis-Bilbo, who in 2010 at five-years-old, was
struck while crossing the street by a young woman texting while driving-leaving
him paralyzed from the waist down.

Also,
government agencies including the U.S. Department of Transportation, National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Transportation Safety Board
have all committed to help end distracted driving and support the efforts of It
Can Wait and others who are working to raise awareness.

This is
the first time that all the cell phone carriers have joined together and
focused on this issue with one major advertising campaign. I think they need to
applauded as we all know texting and driving is a major issue in this country.
But, I will state again, the danger of texting and driving will not go away
until stricter laws are enacted by individual states. Specifically, there need
to be higher fines when someone is caught texting and driving. If someone is
injured in a car accident where it can shown that texting and driving was the
cause, then there needs to be the threat of jail time. In other words, the
charge needs to be raised to a misdemeanor (Class A in Illinois), similar to a
DUI.

If you
or someone you love 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. 

NTSB Recommends States Lower Blood Alcohol Level That Constitutes Drunk Driving

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About fifteen years ago,
the National Traffic Safety Board (“NTSB”) made a huge push in this
country to lower to the blood alcohol content that constitutes drunk driving to
.08. Through the federal government they were able to put pressure on
individual states by withholding federal funding for road construction unless
states complied by enacting the new law. This tactic worked and was basically
applauded by lawmakers and interest groups as it appeared to make the roads
safer against drunk drivers. 

Flash forward to 2013
and the NTSB is now convinced that states should again lower the legal limit
for driving to .05, this according to a report from NBC Online News. According
to the NTSB 10,000
people die in alcohol-related traffic accidents and 170,000 are injured,
according to the NTSB. While that’s a big improvement from the 20,000 who died
in alcohol-related accidents 30 years ago, it remains a consistent threat to
public safety. 

Further,
the NTSB points out most countries in Europe, Asia and Australia have all
lowered the legal BAC limit to .05.  When Australia dropped its BAC level
from .08 to .05, provinces reported a 5-18 percent drop in traffic
fatalities. The NTSB reports that at .05 BAC, some drivers begin having
difficulties with depth perception and other visual functions.  At .07,
cognitive abilities become impaired. 

At .05 BAC, the risk of having an accident increases by 39
percent. At .08 BAC, the risk of having an accident increases by more than 100
percent.

The NTSB believes that if all 50 states changed their standard to
.05, nearly 1,000 lives could be saved each year.  It is also considering
other steps to help bring down the death rates on America’s roads.

The numbers are hard to argue with here.  If drivers fear
being arrested after just a few beers, then there will probably be less drunk
drivers on the road. And, ultimately, this will lead to less car accidents and
traffic fatalities. Regardless, I do not believe this law change is going to
happen overnight. The restaurant, beer and spirit lobby is going push back hard
against this type of rule change. Their argument will be that a lower BAC level
will punish otherwise responsible drinkers and still will not keep hardcore
drinkers off the road. This is a new development worth following in the months
to come.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago trafficaccident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney
Aaron Bryant for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384.

Chicago Mayor Proposes Fine Hikes For Reckless Cyclists And Dooring Accidents

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According to a report from the Huffington Post and WGN
News this week, Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, has proposed several fine
hikes for bicyclists who disobey traffic laws and also against motorists who
commit a dooring accident (these are accidents where a driver opens their door
on a road causing a collision with a bicyclist).

Currently, bikers caught disobeying
traffic laws face a $25 fine for all offenses. Under Emanuel’s proposed
ordinance, that fine would be increased to an amount ranging from $50 to $200,
“depending on the severity of the violation.”

Drivers would face harsher penalties
for reckless driving as well. Under the proposal, WGN reports the fine for
motorists who “door” a cyclist — hitting bikers with a car door while entering or exiting a vehicle —
would see their fines double from $150 to $300.

According to WBEZ
(NPR News), there were 577 reported doorings in Chicago from 2009 through September
7, 2012. City and transportation
officials had previously noted many bicycle doorings still go unreported.

There is no doubt
that the roads in Chicago can be dangerous for both bicyclists and motorists
and that for each most co-exist together. Both motorists and bicyclists are, at
times, guilty of negligent behavior and they must be accountable, especially
when a vehicle collision occurs. Hopefully, if these measures will provide the
impetus for both cyclists and motorists to obey the rules of the road, as they
will no longer be facing just a slap on the wrist (i.e. a $25 fine).

If you or someone
you know has been seriously injured in a Chicago bicycle accident or a Chicagodooring accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a
free legal consultation at 312-588-3384.