It took quite a while, but winter weather has finally hit Chicago and most of the Midwest. Six inches of snow hit the ground last week, quickly melted away, and another batch fell yesterday and last night. Driving in the snow and ice can be treacherous and - - if not careful - - can lead to a serious car accident. The Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) website provided a comprehensive checklist for drivers to be aware of when driving through ice and snow. Below is the list of tips.

The UK Telegraph reported this week that recent studies performed by Cardiff University and the Young Marmalade insurance company showed that driving with a cold or flu can be just as hazardous as drinking alcohol and driving.

A small scale trial was performed which showed that drivers that had a cold or the flu had much slower reaction times and breaking became much more frequent. It needs to be pointed out that neither Young Marmalade or Cardiff University provided any statistics or numbers that resulted from their study. Also, apparently the slower reaction times were not a result of cold medicine but rather a lack of sleep, which made sick drivers less aware. 

The findings back up work done by Cardiff University Common Cold Unit which showed that those with colds and flu suffered from poor reaction times and alertness and were a third more likely to hit the roadside curb.

Halfords Winter Driving Expert Mark Dolphin said: "We want our customers to stay safe. You shouldn't drive if you are not feeling well. The best place to be when you have flu or a heavy cold is at home, but if you really must go out, get someone else to take you and avoid driving.

This is an interesting study that I think has some merit, but I think I would like to see more concrete statistics and a more widespread study that tests a larger control group.

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

A somewhat controversial traffic law that passed the Illinois legislator over the summer came into effect on January 1, 2012. The new law requires all back seat passengers wear a seat belt. The new law gives police officers the ability to pull a vehicle over if they view the any passenger not wearing their seat belt.

The Chicago Sun Times reported this week that a Cook County watchdog group, led by Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard, found that the County was has been hiding multiple flaws in trucks so that they will pass inspection. Many of the practices used by the County highway department include: installing new tires on snow truck during inspections and then having them removed; not supplying each truck with a fire extinguisher; and vehicles used for repairing potholes not having an up-to-date vehicle inspection sticker.

I wrote last week about the drastic increase of drivers who texted behind the wheel.The National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA) administration found these text and drive results among U.S. drivers through various studies.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released some startling news last week about texting and driving. According to several different studies performed by the NHTSA, drivers who have texted on their phones while behind the wheel increased by 50% over the past year.

The NHTSA takes an annual snapshot of drivers' behavior by staking out selected stoplights and intersections to count people using cell phones and hand-held Web devices that allow them to text, view directions, check emails, surf the Internet, or play games. At any given time, just under 1 percent of drivers were texting or manipulating hand-held devices.  The activity increased to 0.9 percent of drivers in 2010, up from 0.6 percent the year before.

In a separate telephone survey of drivers, 18 percent said they've sent texts or emails while at the wheel. That number jumps to half among younger drivers, ages 21 to 24.The survey also found that most drivers will answer a cell phone call while driving and most will continue to drive while they talk. NHTSA surveyed 6,000 drivers ages 18 or older in the national poll conducted a year ago and released Thursday.

"What's clear from all of the information we have is that driver distraction continues to be a major problem," NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said.

This is somewhat disheartening news considering the amount of effort state and federal legislators have done to enact bans on texting in driving the past few years. It is illegal to text and drive in the city of Chicago along with a statewide ban in Illinois.  I have said this before but, it seems to be more apparent than ever, that people in the U.S. are reacting in a snail like pace to adapt to the new texting and driving laws. This is similar to the way this country reacted to seatbelt laws in the 1960s.  I guess people do not realize just how dangerous it is to text and drive.  Maybe local and state legislators need to consider stiffer penalties, especially if a the texting causes a car accident involving personal injury or property damage.

If you or someone you love has been involved in a serious car accident or truck accident in Illinois, 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.

If you live in Chicago you realize that winter is upon us as the high temperatures are only going to reach the mid 30s all week and possibly only 27 on Friday. Light snow is also in the upcoming forecast.  The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is gearing up for the winter season and their website provides several tips for Illinois motorists to help them avoid car crashes during dangerous conditions:

-don't crowd the snow plow
-drive slow when approaching intersections to avoid black ice
-keeping the gas tank at least two-thirds full to help prevent the fuel line from freezing
-carry an emergency "car care kit" containing jumper cables, flares or reflectors, windshield washer fluid, a -small ice scraper, traction material, blankets, non-perishable food and a first aid kit

"Illinois State Police districts are coordinating road safety plans with the tollway and IDOT to ensure that our traffic enforcement priorities include safe driving, safe roads and safe access for all citizens during the winter months," ISP Division of Operations Mark Piccoli said in a release.

Last year IDOT spent $84.6 million on snow removal, and for this winter season they have 1,732 pieces of equipment and 3,960 employees to keep routes clear.

You can check road conditions by calling 1-800-452-IDOT, or online at www.gettingaroundillinois.com and clicking on the winter road conditions icon.

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 for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.

 

I saw an interesting article recently on autoconverse.com, which discussed Ford Motor Company's ventures into anti-drowsy driving technologies. Ford plans on implement two different types of technology into various 2012 models including the Explorer.

The first type of technology is a camera system mounted behind your rear view mirror, which analyzes road markings to help you steer in your own lane in case you doze off while driving. The second is a watches for certain signals such as swerving and provides a visual signal on the dashboard accompanied by a chime suggesting it’s time to stop for coffee.

These are important advances in vehicle technology as studies show the dangers of nodding off while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration car crash data estimates that about one in six (16.5 percent) deadly crashes, one in eight crashes resulting in occupant hospitalization and one in fourteen crashes in which a vehicle was towed involve a driver who is drowsy.

I wonder if the trucking industry will start implementing these types alert systems into their vehicles? Or better yet, will they make this type of technology a requirement in all tractor trailers?

If you or somone you love has been seriously injured in a Chicago trucking accident or Chicago car crash, then call Chicago car accident attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation  at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicag.com.

The Chicago Tribune reported this week that Chicago Mayor, Rham Emanuel, is pushing forward with full steam a state law that would allow cameras to catch drivers speeding through school areas and other spots with high pedestrian traffic. The proposal, which has already passed the state Senate, would allow the city to issue $100 tickets if caught speeding on camera.

Mayor Emanuel has stated that the only reason for the fast action on this measure is to protect pedestrians,  "my goal is only one thing, the safety of our kids."

Despite the the noble stated purpose by Emanuel and his administration, there are numerous critics asking the question as to whether these cameras are necessary.  Multiple sceptics wonder if speeding is the actual cause for most vehicle-pedestrian accidents in Chicago.

Arguing for cameras, Emanuel has stressed statistics from a recent federally funded pedestrian study showing that over the five-year period  (2005-2009), there were 861 crashes near schools that involved school-age children and occurred roughly around arrival and dismissal times. Those car crashes resulted in three deaths and 115 serious injuries, according to the study.

The report, however, did not analyze whether speeding was a contributing factor to those vechicle accidents, making it difficult to project how many might have been avoided if speed cameras had been in place.

Chicago officials acknowledge they have no studies that correlate speeding with car accidents involving children. Instead, they point to a body of federal reports showing that speeding contributes to a significant number of crashes, and the peril to pedestrians increases the faster cars go.  

So the question remains (as with the red light cameras installed a few years ago), will the speeding cameras actually make the streets of Chicago safer? Are these pedestrian accidents occurring because of speeders, or are they due to other factors such texting and driving, drinking and driving or other distracted driving factors.

Other critics have mentioned that since the cameras are only being installed in the city, they cost will be bourn upon those who can least afford it.  Also, is this another example of Chicago acting as Big Brother and intruding into the lives of its' residents?

It will be interested to see after the law passes and the cameras are installed whether pedestrian accidents in these areas actually goes down.

If you or someone you love has been involved in a Chicago car accident or a Chicago vehicle-pedestrian accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-5988-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.

USA Today reported this week about the dangers of driving during the month of November - - for one specific reason - - the high number of deer that wander out to roads. For those who grew or live in rural areas, they are familiar with large amount of deer that pop out of the woods this time of year. late October through early December is mating season for North American deer, reports Rob Found, a biologist from the University of Alberta, in Edmonton.  "Males are so focused on mating, they're not thinking straight," Found says. "They're looking for mates and for other males to fight."

This can be very dangerous for people driving at night, and sadly could have been the cause of a serious truck accident that killed seven people in Indiana last week.

For the fifth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a driver is most likely to run into a deer, State Farm reports. The other states in the top 10 are Iowa, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wyoming.  State Farm reports that the number of deer/car collisions has actually decreased the past three years, likely because of the economy and people driving fewer miles.  However, over the five-year period 2005-09, 1,017 people died in vehicle-animal collisions, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In a 2004 study, IIHS found that 60% of people who died in such crashes in automobiles were not wearing seat belts.

The questions remains as to the best way to avoid these types of car crashes.  Professor Found performed a study which showed a dramatic decrease in the number of accidents in areas that have warning signs posted regarding possible dear crossings. The study showed that collisions dropped from 139 cases the previous year to 78 citywide once the signs were in place.  "Our study showed that warning signs really do reduce deer-vehicle collisions," Found says.

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 for a free consultation at 312-588-3384. Or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.