Tag Archives: Illinois accident attorneys

New Illinois Traffic Technology Will Warn Drivers Of Traffic Risks

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The llinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology announced last month that they are introducing a GPS technology that will warn drivers of emergency vehicles on the road. The technology is aimed to promote Scott’s Law or the “Move Over Law” which requires Illinois drivers to o slow down and change lanes when approaching stationary emergency vehicles, including law enforcement, highway maintenance vehicles with flashing lights in use and any other stationary vehicle with its hazard lights activated.

The GPS technology called, HAAS Alert, will allow Illinois state police to send safety alerts to some Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, RAM and Volkswagen vehicles. The alerts will notify drivers of the vehicles of state police activity ahead of them on the road and that hey need to slow down and move over. The digital alerts are delivered via navigation apps and vehicle infotainment systems.

The partnership with HAAS Alert builds on a state police partnership with Google Public Sector and Move Over crash alerts in Waze and Google Maps, expanding real-time, GPS-based alerts to more drivers, according to state police. Through the alert system, Illinois State Police compiles information about a crash or other potential traffic hazard and sends it to HAAS Alert, which distributes it to select vehicles via Safety Cloud. Drivers approaching the noted location will see a police icon and an alert to slow down and move over, according to state police.

This is an impressive technological development by the Illinois State Police. We have seen over the last 10 to 15 years how technology, specifically smart phones, can distract drivers and lead to traffic accidents. Here, the state police are using technology to their advantage and giving drivers fair warning that there are issues on the road ahead of them. It will provide them the opportunity to slow down and pull over to the other lane. This will hopefully lead to less traffic accident, but also protect first responders from the dangers of oncoming traffic. This was the whole purpose of Scott’s law.

If you or a lvoed one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago traffic accident, then call Illinois accident attorneys at the Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Winter Driving Tips Provided By IDOT

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Winter in Chicago is hear and with it comes slick roads, snow, ice and fog. These conditions can limit visibility and make driving much more dangerous. The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) issued some valuable winter weather driving tips that will hopefully make your time behind the wheel much safer.

IDOT suggests drivers follow these rules and tips:

  • Always wear a seat belt. It’s the law in Illinois.
  • Slow down. Slower speeds, slower acceleration, slower steering and slower braking all are required in winter driving conditions.
  • Drop it and drive. Put down the handheld devices – it, too, is the law in Illinois.
  • Don’t crowd the plow. A snowplow operator’s field of vision is restricted. You may see them, but they may not see you.
  • Avoid using cruise control in snow and ice.
  • Watch out for black ice on roads that appear clear but can be treacherous.
  • Be especially careful approaching intersections, ramps, bridges and shady areas. All are prone to icing.
  • Do not travel during bad weather unless absolutely necessary. If you do have to make a trip, check the forecast and make sure someone is aware of your travel route. Consider taking public transportation if it is an option.
  • Prepare an emergency kit that contains jumper cables, flares or reflectors, windshield washer fluid, a small ice scraper, traction material, blankets, non-perishable food and a first-aid kit.
  • Carry a cell phone and a car charger in case of emergency.
  • Follow Scott’s Law. Slow down and move over for stopped emergency, construction and maintenance vehicles.

This list is a pretty exhaustive list, but should probably be followed year round. The suggestion that often gets overlooked is putting down your phone. If you need to use your phone for directions and you don’t have a screen that your phone can connect to, I highly recommend placing it on a stand so that you can easily follow the directions without taking your eye off the road. Of course, if you do have to use the phone, it is always safer to pull over to make that call or send that text or email.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call the Illinois accident attorneys at the Bryant Law Group, LLC. for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website by clicking www.blgchicago.com.

Illinois State Police Partake In Traffic Safety Enforcement Along I-57

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According to Southern Illinois Now news outlet, the Illinois State Police (“ISP”) announced the results of the their traffic safety enforcement program that took place on I-57 from October 2 through October 7. The program covered I-57 from northern Champaign county all the way down to the southern tip of the state.

During this enforcement period the  599 speeding citations, 484 speeding warnings, 198 motor carrier safety inspections, 16 Move Over ‘Scott’s Law’ Citations, six criminal arrests and 46 suspended, revoked, no driver’s license citations.

More importantly there were zero (0) traffic fatalities and only five (5) car accidents reported. The Patrol officers from Troops 7, 9, and 10 with assistance from ISP center and south Special Operations Group’s Fatal Four team saturated the interstate, enforcing Illinois Vehicle Code violations, especially speeding.

State Police say speeding is a contributing factor in nearly one-third of all fatality crashes.  Officers also focused on Motor Carrier Safety Inspections for commercial motor vehicles.  Over a quarter of all fatal crashes involving large trucks occur on the Interstate highways.

The purpose of this operation was to encourage safer driving and decrease aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors. The program seemed to have work. The question will be whether intensive operations like this will affect drivers when the ISP is not out on full force.

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