Chicago Car Accident Blog

Subscribe
Visit Blog
By: The Bryant Law Group, LLC

Blog Authors

Aaron Bryant

Latest from Chicago Car Accident Blog

The Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) announced last week through press release that they are going to be installing what are called “traffic calming” infrastructure into various busy intersections around the city. Traffic calming infrasructure includes rubber speed bumps, vertical posts, and hardened centerlines at intersections that encourage drivers to take turns at safer speeds, prevent drivers from taking a diagonal path through the crosswalk, and improve drivers’ visibility of people crossing the street.

The intersections that will have these safety measures installed include:

  • N. Ashland Ave. & W. Wilson Ave.
  • N. Ashland Ave. & W. Sunnyside Ave.
  • N. Ashland

…
Continue Reading Chicago Department Of Transportation To Implement Traffic Calming Insfrastructure

The last two Chicago mayors have preached over and over the importance of traffic safety in our city. That includes safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrains. Previous mayor, Rahm Emanuel, launched “Vision Zero,” whose main goal was to have zero pedestrian traffic deaths within ten years. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has continued to push the “Vision Zero” plan since taking over. Despite all the talk and planning to make our streets safer for everyone, pedestrian and traffic deaths have increased over the last few years in both Illinois and Chicago.

The Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”), is hopeing to end that…
Continue Reading Chicago Department of Transportation Announces Safety Changes to Busy Intersections

CBS 2 Chicago reported last week that a unique type of taxi could be coming to the Chicagoland area very soon. eVTOL, which is an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is a variety of VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft that uses electric power to hover, take and land, vertically is going to be tested in Chicago in the next week. eVTOL’s have not been approved by Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”), so the compan implementing the project will be using helicopters during the test run.

A company called Eve is overseeing the test run, which will provide air taxis (helicoptors)…
Continue Reading Air Taxis Coming To Chicago?

Traffic levels are slowly edging back to pre-pandemic levels. Unfortunately, traffic deaths around the country and in Illinois have risen sharply as well. The Chicago Sun Times reported yestderday that there were 280 traffic fatalities during the first quarter of the year, a 24% jump from the same time in 2021.T There were 584 traffic fatalities through the first six months of 2022. That’s an 8% increase compared to the first half of 2021 and a 32% jump from 2020. The NHTSA won’t finalize counts until the end of the year.

According to the article and to the National Safety…
Continue Reading Illinois Traffic Deaths Up From This Time Last Year

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced last week the recall of 245,030 Model Year 2020-2022 Hyundai Palisade vehicles and  36,417 Model Year 2020-2022 Kia Telluride vehicles regarding a potential fire hazard due to a component added by some dealerships.

An accessory tow hitch sold through dealerships may allow moisture into the harness module, causing a short circuit. In some cases, an electrical short can cause a vehicle fire while driving or while parked and turned off.

Luckily, to date, there have been no report of fires, injuries or deaths. The NHTSA is also recommending all of these…
Continue Reading Hyundai And Kia SUVs Recalled For Potential Fire Hazard

The school year has started for a majority of school districts around the country. The Chicago Public Schools started back today. There will be thousands of school buses on the roads, shuttling kids to an from their schools. With the increased amount of people on the roads this time of year, it is important to consider the safety issues that go along with so many children being on or close to busy roadways.

(“NHTSA”) listed several safety tips on their website for parents and for drivers to consider regarding school buses.

For drivers:

Safety Starts at the Bus Stop

Your…
Continue Reading NHTSA Issues School Bus Safety Tips

Multiple police departments and county sheriff’s offices will be implementing the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled” campaign to curb drunk driving over Labor Day weekend. The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign runs from Aug. 19 through the early morning hours of Sept. 6. During this period, law enforcement will be stepping up efforts focused on impaired, unbuckled and distracted drivers.

The Lake County sheriff’s department recommended the following tips for drivers who may be out and about or headed to parties over the next couple weekends:

•Before the party starts, remember to designate a sober driver, and…
Continue Reading “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Campaign Returns To Illinois For Labor Day Weekend

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), 9,650 people died in motor vehicle accidents in the first 3 months of this year. This is a 7% increase over the year before. It is also the highest first quarter since 2002.

No doubt the ending of covid restrictions has contributed to these rising numbers as more people are out on the roads. People drove about 40 billion more miles in the first quarter than a year earlier, a 5.6% increase, the NHTSA said. But the rate of traffic deaths per 100 million miles traveled also increased during the quarter…
Continue Reading U.S. Traffic Deaths Continue to Rise In 2022

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) announced this week that 4moms, the manufacter of multiple baby rockers and swings have been recalled after a recent baby death. The 4moms s MamaRoo Baby Swing — versions 1.0 through 4.0 — and RockaRoo Baby Rockers have all been recalled.

“When the swing or rocker is not in use, their restraint straps can dangle below the seat and non-occupant crawling infants can become entangled in the straps, posing a strangulation hazard,” The CPSC stated.

4moms hads this today about the recent recall: “4moms has received two reports of entanglement incidents involving infants who…
Continue Reading Popular Baby Swings and Rockers Recalled

Illinois Governer JB Pritzker announced at a press conference today that over $36 billion will be dedication to the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”). The funding comes from the bipartison federal infrastructure bill that based the U.S. House and Senate last year.

Pritzker is named this infrastructure plan “Rebuild Illinois The money will be used for highway reconstruction and bridge improvements, along with safety and system modernizations.

Below is a general breakdown where the money will be going:

  • $25.4 billion for Illinois’ roads and bridges.
  • $1.4 billion for major rail projects and added Grade Crossing Protection projects.
  • $150 million for aeronautic

…
Continue Reading Illinois Governor Announces $36.4 Billion Investment In Transportation Infrastructure

We are in the dog days of summer. Those with kids have no doupt been regulars at their local pools and ,if lucky, visited beaches. Swimming is one of the most popular summer activities for kids. It’s such a normal and regular activity, that we as parents can often forget the basic safety precautions we should take. This is especially true with young children who have not had formal swimming lessons yet. Below are some important safety tips from the American Red Cross. These are precautions that we should all take into consideration regardless of whether at a home pool…
Continue Reading Summer Pool And Swim Safety Tips

We are in the heart of summer vacation and there a lot of motorists out on the road. Numbers are indicating that the country is inching closer to pre-pandemic levels of travel.

A car accident or a truck accident can be a very stressful moment for many people. It’s improtant to keep your cool and think rationally if you have been involvedin a car crash. Below is a comprehensive list of things you should and should not do if you are involved in a traffic accident.

• Do get names, addresses, license plate and phone numbers of those…
Continue Reading Tips To Remember When Involved In A Traffic Accident

The Chicago city council voted down an ammendment to the speed camera tickets which would have raised the threshold from 6 mph over to 10 mph. The measure lost 26 to 18. If caught on camera driving 6 mph over the limit will bring you a $35 ticket. 10 mph or over will bring a $100 ticket. These speed camera tickets are considered non-moving violations and will not add points to your drivers license.

Opponents to the 6 mph ticket threshold argued that they were simply a cash cow for the city. Estimates put the revenue for these tickets at…
Continue Reading Chicago Speed Camera Ticket To Remain At 6 MPH

If you live in the West Loop or were out and about there last weekend, you were probably startled to see the huge crowds of people and vehicles congregating. Those cars were drag racing and drifting (often referred to donuts). Video clips played on the local news showed how close these vehicles were to striking a pedestrian. That and the incredibly loud noises caused a lot of complaints from West Loop neighbors and business owners.

42nd Ward Alderman, Brendan Reilly, looked to hopefully put an end to this issue. He sponsored a bill, which passed today, which allows police to…
Continue Reading Chicago City Council Passes Ordinance To Curb Drag Racing