Tag Archives: Chicago truck accident

December Is National Impaired Driving Awareness Month

Date
Posted by

I have written in recent weeks that traffic deaths in Illinois and around the country are far exceeding previous years. According to the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, more than 20,000 people died in car crashes during the first six months of 2021, a nearly 20% rise from the year prior. According to his advocacy group, a large portion of these traffic deaths are due to impaired driving.

“What we’re seeing in Illinois is similar to what’s happening throughout the country in that approximately 30% of people who are being killed are in alcohol-related crashes,” said Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. “That’s really a terrifying number when you consider most people know that it’s not OK to drive while impaired, and yet people are still doing it.”

With traffic deaths up and traffic crashes due to impaired driving, the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety are pushing for stricter laws to curb this trend. First, the group recommends that all states require ignition interlock devices for all convicted drunk driving offenders. Currently 34 states (including Illinois) already have this law in place.

The organization also is pushing for new technology that could help preven car accidents. Specifically features like automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning systems, and forward-collision warnings.

Finally, the organization also is pushing states to lower the legal blood alcohol level to .05%. Currenty, the legal minimum is .08 in most states.

As I wrote earlier this week, multiple Chicago police and sheriff agencies are increasing patrols for the holiday season to hopefully remind people to buckle up and to avoid driving if they have been drinking. This recent trend is not encouraging, but these type of accident are easily preventable. Order an uber or lyft or designate a driver for your holiday party. It’s that easy.

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

Suburban Chicago Police Step Up Holiday Traffic Patrols

Date
Posted by

The holiday season is here and many people will be on the road following Christmas parties. In response to the increased traffic and potential for impaired drivers, many suburban police departments are increasing their traffic patrols.

The Lake County, Illinois Sheriff’s Department announced this week that rom December 17 through January 3, more officers will be out patrolling roadway as part of a statewide traffic safety initiative targeting impaired drivers.

“Many people enjoy holiday parties this time of the year, but please be do not let that fun party end in tragedy by mixing alcohol or drugs into the driving equation,” said Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg. “Plan ahead and take a ride share or grab a ride with someone sober if you will be drinking or ingesting cannabis.”

If you are out and about during the holiday season, do not hesitate calling a rideshare, taxi or designate a driver. It is incredibly dangerous to get behind the wheel after drinking. It is also expensive and can ruin lives, if someone is charged with a DUI.

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

New Study Shows Economic and Traffic Benefits of Chicago’s I-290 Expansion

Date
Posted by

I wrote earlier this week about Chicago’s traffic congestion woes. The city is currently the second worst for major U.S. and cities and 6th worst wordwide. Some interesting tidbits came out of that story, including the proposed expansions of I-290 and I-55 discussed by the Illinois Department of Transportation head. According to the site Roads & Bridges, a recent study for the 290 expansion would benefit Chicago drastically both economically and in traffic congestion.

The Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) just released a study stating that the $2.7 billion project, which combines both transit and pedestrian improvements alongside bridge and roadway upgrades, is projected by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to provide amongst the best economic, equity, and traffic impacts of any project in the region by 2050 “The I-290 corridor is vital multi-modal infrastructure that’s needed to connect the western suburbs and southern Cook County with the City of Chicago, but it has far exceeded its design life and become one of the most congested and dangerous thoroughfares in the region,” stated ILEPI Transportation Director and study author Mary Tyler. “That said, its proposed modernization represents one of the region’s greatest opportunities to create jobs, reduce traffic burdens, and alleviate the economic access burdens facing disadvantaged communities.”

The proposed I-290 reconstruction project incorporates not only bridge and highway upgrades—including a new High Occupancy Toll lane (HOT3+) to support Express Bus service and promote carpooling—but also wider sidewalks, pedestrian safety islands, high visibility crosswalks, lighting, and signals to better facilitate pedestrian/bicycle traffic and transit riders.

A concurrent CTA project would upgrade Blue Line facilities, including reconstruction of the entire Forest Park Branch as well as stations from UIC-Halsted to Forest Park and six substations. 

The study examined the potential overall economic impact of the project, concluding that it would create nearly 22,000 new jobs paying an average of almost $80,000 per year, while growing the economy by more than $2.6 billion and boosting local, state, and federal tax revenues by more than $450 million.

What’s not to like about this project? It would hopefully finally start to free up one of the tightest and slowest commutes in and out of the city to the western suburbs (I-290) and create thousands of well paying jobs. The reporting has not said exactly where the funding will come from, but I would make a strong guess that Illinois’ portion from the recent $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill would be earmarked for this project.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then please call the Chicago injury attorneys at The Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Chicago Drivers Lost 104 Hours In Traffic This Year

Date
Posted by

According to a new study by the taffic analytics company, Inrix, the average Chicago driver spent 104 hours in traffic so far this year. That is the most time spent in the car for drivers in any major U.S. city. The study also stated that Chicago is the second most congested U.S. city, just behind New York. And they rank 6th most congested world wide.

This numbers are pretty somber considering traffic numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels. Regardless, the Illinois Department of Tranportation head, Omer Osman, is optimistic that changes can be made to help reduce congestion. He told reporters recently that the state also plans to add two lanes to I-55 from I-294 to downtown Chicago, among other work on the expressway. Funding for these projects is expected to come from the recently passed federal infrastructure bill.

Osmen does not believe widening the roads is the final answer: “Anyone that thinks just widening a road by a lane is going to solve all of our traffic problems, that’s not realistic,” he said. “There’s not one kind of silver bullet.”

Those of us who live in Chicago are hopeful the completion of the Jane Byrne interchange (where 1-90/94 meets I-290), will hopefully aleviate alot of the downtown traffic. The construction is expected to be “substantially” completed some time in 2022.

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

Reminder: Chicago’s Overnight Winter Parking Ban Starts This Week

Date
Posted by

The City of Chicago’s department of transportation announced that the overnight parking ban on certain busy streets began on December 1 and runs through April 1, 2022. The parking ban is enforced regardless of whether it snows. Cars cannot be parked in these designated areas from 3:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and covers 107 miles of main streets around the city.

Violators of the parking ban will be towed and face a minimum $150 towing fee, a $60 ticket, and a storage fee of $25 per day. Vehicles in violation of the ban will be towed to Pounds 2 (10301 S. Doty Ave.) or 6 (701 N. Sacramento).

The pupose of this ban is fairly obvious, as it allows snow plows to make their way through and clear all of the main streets around Chicago without obstruction.

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

National Safety Council Provides Halloween Safety Tips

Date
Posted by

It is Halloween weekend, and cities and towns will be packed with traffic and trick or treaters over the next few days. Chicago is well known to enjoy the Halloween holiday. The Saturday night before halloween is a popular night for the bars and house parties. Sunday is the main trick or treating night but I’m certain there will be kids out and about Saturday as well.

Luckily the National Safety Council (“NSC”) published safety tips for parents and for drivers as we head into the busy weekend. They recommend the following:

  • Use flashlights, glow sticks, and reflective tape on costumes so you are visible in the dark.
  • Stay on sidewalks, cross at designated intersections, and stay in well-lit areas.
  • Alcohol-based hand sanitizer should be carried and used frequently.
  • Candy collected during trick-or-treating should not be consumed until after handwashing. As always, a parent/guardian should check all candy to make sure it is wrapped and discard any unwrapped candy.
  • Wear a cloth mask instead of plastic, latex, or silicone. A costume mask, such as those worn for Halloween, is not a substitute for a face covering.

The one thing that I can add to this list is for people who will be out and about Saturday and night and they know they will be drinking. Please do not drive. Take a rideshare or the CTA to travel to and from your party or the bars. There will be more kids out and about than a normal Saturday. So if you are going out, call that Uber.

If you or a loved one has 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.

NHTSA Reported Higher Traffic Deaths In 2020 Despite Pandemic

Date
Posted by

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) reported some disturbing numbers regarding 2020 traffic deaths. The administration reported an estimated 38,680 traffic fatalities in 2020, which was the highest number since 2007. It also reflects a  7.2 percent as compared to the 36,096 fatalities reported in 2019.

These numbers are so disturbing because there were so many less motorists on the road in 2020 due to the pandemic. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2020 decreased by about 430.2 billion miles, or about a 13.2-percent decrease.  If there were fewer drivers on the road, why was it so much more dangerous to drive?

According to the NHTSA report driving patterns and behaviors changed significantly, and that drivers who remained on the roads engaged in more risky behavior, including speeding, failing to wear seat belts, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Traffic data indicates that average speeds increased throughout the year, and examples of extreme speeds became more common, while the evidence also shows that fewer people involved in crashes used their seat belts.

My unscientific opinion is that drivers felt more emboldened to partake in the above risky behaviors because no one else was out on the roads. Or, certain drivers may have believed that with fewer drivers around them, there would be less police out looking for speeders. Whatever the reason for this behavior, it is a worrisome trend. All the numbers and statistics I have posted over last several years tended to point the finger at distracted driving as the main cause of increased fatalities. The NHTSA believes 2020 that it was more than distracted driving. It was clearly outright reckless speeding and drinking and driving. Let’s all hope that 2020 was an anomaly and drivers begin using more basic caution like wearing seatbelts, putting their phones down and driving a reasonable speed.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago injury lawyers at the Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Chicago Traffic Surges Past Pre-Pandemic Levels

Date
Posted by

According to multiple news outlets, including NBC 5, traffic congestion has finally reached and now surpassed pre-pandemic levels in the Chicagoland area. If you live in or around Chicago, I am certain you have noticed the increase of traffic levels that started over the summer. Although, I do not believe that the downtown loop is back to it’s pre-pandemic levels, I do believe that traffic in the surrounding highways are back to “normal” and the data backs this up.

TrafficCarma, a mobile app that analyzes real-time traffic information and commuter data, found that during the late morning hours, 10 a.m. to noon, vehicle volumes rose as much as 31% compared to before the pandemic. Both the 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. hours saw significant increases during the five weeks that began in August, with traffic volumes up by at least 21% each week. Traffic in the 9 a.m. hour also exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with weekly increases ranging between 11% and 19%. During the first week of August, which started on the second of the month, traffic volumes during the 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. hours were down by at least 10% each hour compared to the onset of the pandemic. For the 7 a.m. hour, the volumes had decreased by as much as 23%.

Although the Delta variant has spread rapidly across the country (including Illinois) that has not kept people home. People are out and about and back to commuting to work and elsewhere at record levels. Although, the study does not provide details, I believe that a portion of this traffic is from summer travelers and, of course, schools opening back up in person.

I am going to continue to track these numbers, and will be interested to see if the number of traffic accidents increases along with the amount of traffic.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago accident attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Illinois Governor Signs Prejudgment Interest Act

Date
Posted by

Earlier this month, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 72, also known as the “prejudgment interest act.” The new law, which goes into effect on July 1, 2021, adds 6% yearly interest to any verdicts entered on personal injury or wrongful death cases. The Illinois Senate previously passesd a similar bill that awarded 9% interest, but was vetoed by the governor. He asked that the parties compromise, and SB 72 was passed and the governor eventually signed the bill.

There are some important issues and caveats that must be pointed out. First, the prejudgement interest will only be added if there is a verdict is entered on the case. Second, the interest only begins to accrue once the lawsuit has been filed. The new law provides that for claims that occurred before the effective date, prejudgment interest shall begin on the date the action is filed or the effective date of the bill (July 1, 2021), whichever is later. So if my firm filed a new personal injury lawsuit on June 10 of this year (coincidentally we did), then the prejudgment interest clock does not start until July 1. If we file a different lawsuit after July 1, the interest clock begins accruing on the date of filing as it is the later date.

Also, it’s important to point out that the Act allows defendants the opportunity to reduce prejudgment interest through early settlement offers. The value of settlement offers made within the first 12 months of the filing of a lawsuit are to be credited against the judgment amount rendered at trial before calculating prejudgment interest, and if that settlement offer meets or exceeds the judgment, no prejudgment interest will apply. Finally, the proposed law will not apply to lawsuits filed against the state, a local unit of government, a school district, community college district or any other governmental entity.

Obviously as a personal injury lawyer, I am very happy with this bill and proud of the Plaintiff’s bar that worked so hard to get this bill passed and signed into law. I also believe the law has teeth for larger cases where there are little or no offers on the table during the first year of litigation. I think we could see this bill push insurance companies and defendants into making better settlement offers on cases. It will take a year or two before we see how this bill starts affecting Illinois injury cases.

If you or a loved one were seriously injured in Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyers at The Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

April Is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Date
Posted by

The Illinois State Police are are partnering with over 200 law enforcement agencies around the state this month to promote traffic safety and bring awareness to distracted driving. April is distracted driving awareness month around the country, and the Illinois State Police’s initiative this year is called “drop it and drive.” That is, put down your phone and focus on the road.

he 200 law enforcement agencies will be doing nothing but focusing on distracted driving. These special officer details that will on a grant through the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”).

26,000 people died in U.S. crashes involving a distracted driver between 2012 and 2019. That is an incredible number, which has continued to rise since the advent of the smart phone. I will be interested to see what the number of tickets issued are during the month of April and whether this special initiative will actually decrease the number of distracted driving traffic accidents.

Everyone who has a smart phone knows how tempting it is to pick up your phone while in traffic to check an email or a text. Even a few seconds of looking into your phone can be incredibly dangerous. Along with the Illinois State Police, we encourage you to avoid that temptation and put your phone away while driving.

If you or a loved one has 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.