Chicago City Council Passes Speed Camera Ordinance

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The Chicago Trubune reported this week that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s controversial speeder camera law was finally passed by alderman. The vote was approved 33 to 14. The law did not pass without a few changes by Emanuel, who had received criticism by the press and by constituents, who suggested the cameras were money making opportunity by the city. Emanuel, who has claimed from day one that these were aimed to save children’s lives, made a few changes to the law before the vote. First, the cameras hours of operation will be limited from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, near schools and parks. Second, the fine for speeders driving 6 to 10 mph over the speed limit will see a fine of $35 rather than $50.

Most interestingly here is that Emanuel admitted that the research initially used by his office was faulty. He admitted it was “error-ridden” and should not have been released. Specifically, the Chicago Tribune previously reported that the cameras would show a 26% decrease in accidents rather than the 60% suggested by the mayor’s office.
I hope this idea works and people are mindful when driving near schools and parks. I can predict right now that my office is going to be flooded with calls from people who receive these tickets asking if there is anything to dispute the fine. A small portion of my practice is dedicated to criminal and traffic defense and I am certain I will receive calls from people asking if there is anything can be done to fight the ticket. The answer is no. These tickets are not traffic violations and they do not go on your driving ticket. These are more comparable to a parking ticket. The fines have to be paid (or risk having your drivers license suspended) but there is not effect on ones driving record or insurance.
Let’s hope we see the elimination of vehicle-pedestrian accidents outside of schools and parks in Chicago.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a Chicago vehicle-pedestrian accident or Chicago car accident, then car Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com. 

Are There More Fatal Car Accidents On Tax Day?

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The middle of April is
stressful time of year for a lot of people (including for small business owners
like yours truly) because it is the time of year when taxes are due.
 Increased stress can lead to many unhealthy outcomes, and according to
some researchers, more car accidents.  I ran across and interesting
article in the Chicago Tribune, which stated that history shows
there is a higher number of deadly car accidents on tax day. According to   Dr. Donald Redelmeier,
a research and physician from the University of Toronto,  30 years of data and found 6,783
traffic-related deaths on Tax Day, or 226 per day compared 213 per day on one
day a week before the deadline day and another day a week after.  The researchers analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration. The results appear
in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association. 

What has caused this
trend on tax day and is it an anomaly? Answers vary but the most researchers
concluded that there are more drivers on the road on tax day and that increased
stress in many of these drivers can increase the chances for car accident.

Typically I would say
that this is an anomaly but the research did cover a 30 year period and the
numbers are hard to ignore. I guess the lesson here (at least for my-self) is
to finish your taxes before April 15.

If you or someone you
know has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident,
then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation
at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com. 

New Illinois Bill Would Outlaw Use Of Cell Phones In Vehicles

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The Daily Eastern News reported recently that Illinois
Representative  John D’Amico, from
Chicago, introduced a new bill that would outlaw the use of cell phones while
driving. Robert Bates, the health studies department chair, teaches
several safety-related classes: Advanced Driving Maneuvers, Accident Prevention
in Schools and Industrial Safety.  Bates said texting while
driving overloads the physical and mental aspects of the body.  “The
driver must make thousands of decisions in a short period of time. Any errors
can result in harm to one’s self or others,” Bates said in an email. “Research
in driving simulators have indicated significant impairment when texting and
driving.”

It
should be pointed out that revisions to the bill would not pertain to people
using “hands-free or voice-activated mode” while driving, but recent research
conducted by the University of Utah questions whether even those options should
be permitted at all.  If the bill passes, Illinois would be the 10th state in the country to implement such a ban.

There
have been discussions by the NHTSA and
others on the national level about a federal ban on cell phone use in vehicles. As I have stated before, I
believe the most effective way to deter this activity would be to stiffen
penalties of those caught texting and
driving. Specifically, increase the penalties on those who cause a car accident
or injuries by texting and driving.
An argument could be made these offences should be treated as a Class A misdemeanor with
the same level of penalties and fines when someone is convicted of drinking and
driving.

If you
or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truckaccident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the
firm website at www.blgchicago.com.  

BMW Recalls 1.3 Million Vehicles Due To Electrical Issue

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According to Forbes online
and many other news outlets, BMW is recalling 1.3 million cars
worldwide because the battery cable cover in the trunk might be incorrectly
mounted. Based on this defect, BMW says the electrical system can
malfunction, meaning the vehicle could fail to start, or in the worst cases,
the system could char or catch fire.

The BMW car recall affects 5-series and 6-series
models built between 2003 and 2010, the company said. BMW says fewer than 1
percent of those cars have encountered a problem, and it doesn’t know of any
accidents, injuries or fires.

This has been a trend the past few years with
many foreign car makers. Toyota, of course, issued a massive recall due to
issues with a faulty accelerator.  Lexus also had a smaller sized defect
recall a year ago.

If you or someone you know has been injured by a
Chicago auto defect or Chicago car accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm
website at www.blgchicago.com.

Studies Show Speed Related Accidents Have Increased

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Consumer Reports magazine published an article this month
about a study prepared by the Governors Highway Safety Associated (GHSA), which
concluded that speed related car accident fatalities have been on the rise the
past seven years. Despite substantial decreased in alcohol related fatalities
(down 24% since 1985) and traffic fatalities due to not wearing a seat belt
(down 57% since 1985), traffic fatalities due to excessive speeding has been on
the rise since 2005.  According to the study there have been 12,000 traffic fatalities due to speeding over the last 10 years.

This is an area of
traffic safety that I have not discussed on this blog very much in the past.
The main focus by the government (and this blog) over the past few years has
been on distracted driving and state and federal bans on texting and driving.
Has the government dropped the ball on the dangers of excessive speeding. In
Illinois, I would have to say not entirely. It is important to point out that
starting in 2011 in Illinois if a driver plead guilty or was convicted for
speeding 30 miles per hour over the speed limit, it was considered a
misdemeanor and Court supervision was not allowed. These tickets are often
amended to make them supervision eligible, but regardless, Illinois has made
some steps to curb excessive and dangerous speeding.

What does the GHSA
recommend to decrease speeding related traffic fatalities?  Below is a
list of recommendations:

States should: 

  • Look into speed concerns through aggressive driving
    enforcement, since the public believes it’s a more serious threat to
    safety. 
  • Target speed enforcement in school and work zones, as
    this has higher public support and viewed as less controversial.


NHTSA should: 

  • Sponsor a national high-visibility enforcement campaign
    and support public awareness efforts to address speeding and aggressive
    driving.
  • Promote best practices in automated enforcement
    strategies. Only 14 states allow automated speed enforcement and only two
    allow it everywhere in the state.
  • Sponsor a National Forum on Speeding and Aggressive
    Driving to bring experts together to develop a plan and share information.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a Chicago car accident or a Chicago traffic death then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com. 

What Can Be Done To Limit Distracted Driving Accidents?

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 There was an interesting
article in the Chicago Tribune’s business section this week
that asked the question: has technology become so overwhelming that is it
causing a collision course between commerce, consumers and government. This is
an interesting question as we live in a society of social networking that can
all be accessed at any time through our smart phones.  As the article
suggests and numerous studies I have revealed, distracted driving can be just
as dangerous as drinking and driving. The next question is, what can the
government due to protect drivers from distracted driving accidents if it is
just as dangerous as drinking and driving?  The suggestion I have made
over and over is to enact stricter penalties for those guilty of texting and
driving when personal injury is involved. How can drivers take the texting ban
laws seriously if there are no repercussions? If people realize that they could
possibly go to jail or face heavy fines and community service for causing a
serious distracted driving accident, then they may think twice about picking up
their phone while in the car.

The article mentioned
that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is meeting in Chicago
next week to discuss proposed voluntary guidelines for minimizing the distractions
of in-car navigation and other built-in technology systems.  One proposal
would be to require technology in cars that disables built-in phone
calling, texting, emailing, Web surfing and other distracting devices unless
the car is parked, and it would not allow information to be typed into a
navigation system in a moving vehicle.  That would definitely be a start
but could be costly for the automakers and consumers.  It is good to the NHTSA
is taking these issues seriously.

If
you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicagotruck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a
free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com. style=”font-size: 12pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, serif; “>

New Illinois Law Permits Bicyclists & Motorcyclists To Ride Through Red Lights In Limited Circumstances

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A new Illinois law that
went into affect on January 1 of this year allows bicycle and motorcycle riders
to drive through red lights in limited instances. The Alton Telegraph reported
last month that the purpose of the bill was to help motorcycle and bike riders
move out of potentially dangerous intersections sooner.  

State
Rep. Dan Beiser (D-Alton), who sponsored the law, said it allows bikers to go
through a red light if they wait a reasonable amount of time without it turning
green.  Governor initially issued an amendatory veto of the
measure because he wanted to have specified a set amount of time that the
vehicles must wait. That veto was overturned by the House and Senate to enact
the bill. Since that time a new bill was introduced in the House which would
require motorcycle and bike riders to wait 120 seconds before proceeding
through a red light.

I don’t
see a problem with this new bill although it seems to have been pushed through
more for convenient purposes rather than safety. I think the new bill requiring
120 seconds makes more sense as there could be a lot of room for interpretation
when determining what a “reasonable period” of time should be before
proceeding through a red light.

If you
or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago motorcycle accident or a
Chicago bicycle accident, then call Chicago car accident attorney Aaron Bryant
for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at
www.blgchicago.com.  style=”font-size: 12pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, serif; “>

Secretary LaHood Delays Vehicle Back-Up Camera Requirement

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I wrote few weeks ago about the federal requirement on U.S. automakers to install rear-view cameras on all new vehicles. This was a law that President George W. Bush lobbied hard for and signed into law in 2008.  NPR reported today that Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sent a letter to legislators asking for a delay on this federal requirement. Specifically, LaHood stated in his letter that further research needed to be done before requiring installation of this technology in all new vehicles.

There is a lot of debate going on in Washington about this regulation. Of course, Republicans are harping about the added costs to the auto industry rather than taking into account the lives that could be saved or, at the very least, avoiding serious injuries to pedestrians. I stated in the beginning, and still feel this way, that it may be a little too burdensome to require these cameras on all new vehicles. I do believe though that they should be installed on all trucks and vans. My reasoning is that the rear line of vision is much further for trucks and vans, which makes it much easier to miss a young child that may dart behind one of these types of vehicles. We will have to wait and see until the end of the year to find out if this requirement will be fully implemented or if there will be changes.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago vehicle-pedestrian accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com. 

Big Surprise: Smoke Marijuana Greatly Increases Your Chance For A Car Accident

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U.S. News & World
Report reported this
month about the release of a new study about smoking marijuana and driving.  The
study, which was done by the British Medical Journal, found that those driving under the influence of
marijuana were nearly twice as likely to have a car crash as those who were not
under the influence or just buy UEI kratom or a like natural supplement.

According to a dwi attorney, drivers aged 35 and younger are more likely to have car accidents after using marijuana, the authors noted.  This risk appears to
be greatest in less-experienced cannabis users, younger drivers, and among
those who combine the use of cannabis and alcohol.

Although the research
seems to be clear that smoking pot makes driving much more dangerous, there are
still problems determining whether a driver was actually under the influence of
the drug after being involved in an accident. Dr. Guohua Li, a professor
of epidemiology at Columbia University in New York City told U.S. News about
the difficulty of accurate testing: “Because THC, the active
ingredient in marijuana, can be detected several weeks after use of marijuana,
it is hard to determine with certainty if a driver testing positive for
marijuana is indeed impaired by the substance at the time of testing,
This issue is especially urgent and important in light of the ongoing epidemic
of drugged driving and increased permissibility and availability of marijuana
worldwide,” Li said.

Regardless, the above
study documents what we already knew. Drugging and driving is just as dangerous
as drinking and driving. Despite the lax attitude many Americans have about
Marijuana, it is important that as a society we remain vigilant in warning
about getting behind the wheel if someone has been smoking the drug.

If you or someone you love
has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then
call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant at 312-588-3384 for a freeconsultation or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.

Governor Quinn Announces $21 Million Grant For Safe Routes To Schools

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Governor Quinn announced last month through the Illinois Department of Transportation that will be $21.7 million will be granted to schools throughout the state to help make routes to school safer for children.  Governor Quinn stated in his press release that the goal of the grant was to “Encourage children to walk and bike to school not only makes school routes safer, but also improves the quality of life for Illinois residents by easing traffic congestion and reducing emissions.” 

The 229 funded projects support sidewalk repair and equipment for police and crossing guards. The funding includes $1.5 million to assist communities with safety training, educational materials, and public service announcements encouraging safe walking and biking to school. This will help ensure a consistent statewide program and favorable outcomes from the Safe Routes to Schools projects. Click here to learn more about the plans to make children’s path to school.
These are encouraging steps being made by the state of Illinois to make roads safer for children and all pedestrians.  Vehicle-pedestrian accidents are a parents worst nightmare and hopefully this will help them sleep better at night and at the same time promote children walking and biking to school.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago vehicle-pedestrian accident then call Chicago car accident attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.