The National Transportation Safety Board has released its list of the 10 areas in which it will be focusing its advocacy in 2014. The list includes the areas the NTSB most wants to address to reduce transportation accidents. Three of the areas of focus which are likely to involve changes by the general public are: eliminating […]
Car Accidents
Snow And Ice Contribute To Unsafe Driving
The winter driving season contains many hazards for drivers. Driving too fast and tailgating are behaviors that frequently lead to car accidents when bad weather strikes. Another concerning behavior is on display many mornings during colder months: drivers who do not fully clear their windshields of ice before getting out on the roads. The failure to properly […]
Is Talking On A Cell Phone While Driving Dangerous?
The new ban on the use of hand-held cell phones by Illinois drivers has raised several interesting questions about the dangers of distracted driving. A new study has confirmed many of the dangers of distracted driving while producing a single surprising result: Talking on a cell phone while driving may not greatly affect the risk of crashing. […]
New Cell Phone Laws Now In Place In Illinois
January 1, 2014 marked the first day of the Illinois ban on hand-held cell phone use by drivers. The ban is intended to combat car accidents caused by distracted driving. The law has been criticized by some for arbitrarily separating hand-held cell phone use from the use of hands-free devices. Some studies have indicated that there is […]
Comparing Illinois Drivers Nationwide
A national survey comparing drivers from all 50 states ranked Illinois drivers number 22, in terms of safety. The survey used several different factors, including car accident fatalities per 100 million miles driven, to identify which drivers were the worst. Louisiana drivers ranked as the least safe in the country while the safest drivers were found in […]
Holiday Stress May Cause Car Accidents
Frustration is not an aid to safe driving. Along with bad weather and an increased incidence of drinking and driving, the holiday season brings out highly frustrated drivers who are more prone to car accidents. Recent studies have identified a sharp increase in car accidents in the days immediately preceding Christmas. Large numbers of people converge […]
Winter Driving Safety Campaign
Holidays lead to an increase in traffic volume. The ice and snow that accompany winters in Illinois lead to treacherous driving conditions and car accidents. The Illinois Department of Transportation is working with Illinois State Police and Illinois Tollway to put forth a safety campaign to help drivers deal with the dangers of winter driving. The […]
Illinois Troopers Target Dangerous Holiday Driving Practices
On November 26, 2012, Illinois State Trooper Kyle Deatherage was doing his job. He was in the process of conducting a traffic stop when he was struck and killed by a passing vehicle. In remembrance of this tragic accident, Illinois law enforcement personnel are conducting 24 consecutive hours of patrols seeking impaired drivers. The program, known as […]
More Drivers Using Smart Phones While Driving
State Farm released its yearly report on distracted driving this week. The report compiles information about dangerous driving behaviors that may contribute to serious car accidents. The report identified a growing tendency among drivers to use cell phones to access the internet while behind the wheel. The increase may be related to a sharp increase in […]
Decrease In Teen Car Accident Fatalities
The Illinois Secretary of State recently credited a sharp drop in teen driving deaths to changes made to the Graduated Driver Licensing program in 2008. In 2007, Illinois saw car accidents claim the lives of 144 teen drivers. In 2012, that number dropped to 58 deaths. The GDL program was strengthened to help young drivers acclimate to […]
Tired Drivers Face Sharply Elevated Risk Of Car Accidents
Studies into the impact of sleep apnea on those who suffer the condition revealed a substantial connection to motor vehicle accidents. An Australian study demonstrated that the victims of sleep apnea have car accident rates roughly three times that of the general population. Sleep apnea is far from the only cause of exhaustion among drivers, but it […]
National Teen Driver Safety Week Kicks Off
October 20-26 is National Teen Driver Safety Week. In conjunction with the safety initiatives of the week, the National Safety Council has released a list of things for parents to be aware of in helping keep their teen drivers safe. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, car accidents are the leading cause of […]
Understanding The Risk Of Distracted Driving
Illinois is among the large majority of states to have enacted a ban against texting and driving. Legislation forbidding the practice is one means of combating the number of serious car accidents involving this form of distracted driving. It is not enough to stop the practice, however. It is important to gain the public’s acceptance that texting […]
How To Combat Distracted Driving
The increased popularity of cell phones, text messaging and portable electronic gadgets has increased the potential for drivers to become distracted. In response to the rise in distracted driving accidents, automakers and the makers of phones and cell phone applications have offered potential technological solutions to the problem. While additional gadgets and apps may help combat […]
Safety Leader Defends Proposal To Lower Limit For Drunk Driving
The National Transportation Safety Board voted unanimously in support of a proposal to lower blood alcohol limits for drunk driving from .08 to .05 last May. The group contended that adoption of a lower standard would save between 500 and 800 lives every year by reducing drunk driving car accidents. Since that proposal, no state has […]
Study Finds Texting Common Among Distracted Drivers
The use of personal electronic devices has coincided with an increase in the number of accidents attributed to distracted driving. The connection between texting and car accidents has led to texting bans in 41 states, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. A recent study conducted in the first state to pass a texting ban, Washington, showed […]
Chicago Far From Safest Driving City In America
Allstate America recently released its annual report of America’s Best Drivers. In that report, it uses car collision data to rank the 200 largest cities in America in terms of safe driving. The drivers in Chicago placed 150th out of 200. The size of the city is clearly an issue, however. Among cities with populations greater than one […]
Traffic Fatality Data Shows Improvement In 2013
Early numbers show that traffic fatalities will likely drop in 2013. After a steady decrease in deadly traffic accidents from 2005 to 2011, fatal crashes rose in 2012. Preliminary data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration led the organization to predict a 4.4 percent drop in fatalities compared to 2012. While some of that can […]
Will Increased Speed Limit Lead To More Accidents?
The speed limit on rural interstates in Illinois will be raised to 70 miles per hour next year. Critics of the change suggest that increased speed will inevitably lead to an increase in car accidents. A representative of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said that increased speed limits lead to people driving faster, which means […]
Safe Driving In Congested Areas – Part Two
For some, driving in traffic is a regular occurrence. For others, driving in cities or during rush hour is a nerve-wracking and unusual event. Regardless of your level of familiarity with city driving, there are several things you need to keep in mind to reduce the likelihood of a car accident. Driving in heavy traffic requires […]