Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog

A recent school bus accident in Illinois injured 13 kids on the Liberty High School volleyball team, according to Daily Herald. The driver of the bus has been cited for the accident. The accident happened just before 8:00 a.m. on Route 3 at Washington Street in Grayslake, Illinois.

Eleven of the players were transported to various local hospitals. Two additional students and the drivers of the vehicles were treated at the scene.

It all happened when the bus driver failed to yield when making a left-hand turn. He is scheduled to be in court in Round Lake Beach on November 23, according to officers.

Our Chicago bus accident attorneys understand that children across the country ride the big yellow school bus to and from school every day. These same buses are used to travel to sporting events and other school-related activities as well. We trust that drivers and the buses are safe for passengers and for motorists traveling among the fleet. Drivers, school districts and busing companies are responsible for the safety of students.

“District 128 is pleased to report that all of the students and the coach involved in this morning’s bus accident in Grayslake have been treated and released from area medical facilities and that no one suffered serious injuries,” said Director of Communications Mary Todoric.

Every year, there are more than 20 million students ride school buses to get to and from school, sporting events and other school-related activities. On the 450,000 school buses that travel through the U.S., too many people are injured in preventable accidents. About 12,000 kids are injured every year because of school bus accidents. Since 1990, there have been nearly 1,500 fatalities resulting from bus accidents in the U.S.

School bus statistics:

-Nearly 400 million people ride the bus every year.

-All these riders travel 30 billion passenger miles. Motorcoach riders make up about 950 million of these miles.

-In addition to the 450,000 school buses, there are about 30,000 commercial buses in the U.S. used for charters, tours, regular route services and special operations.

-The U.S. is the home of approximately 4,000 motorcoach companies.

Unfortunately, many school buses and commercial buses across the U.S. don't have seat belts.

If you're involved in an accident while riding on a school bus or a commercial bus, you may be able to file a claim against the busing company or against the school district or other responsible parties. You can experience more than physical pain from injuries sustained in a bus accident. You may be able to collect compensation for medical expenses, emotion distress and for pain and suffering.

Keeping your child safe is one of the most important jobs as a parent. We'd like to believe that this is the most important job for school districts and bus drivers as well.

Continue reading " Illinois Bus Accident Injures 13 High School Volleyball Players " »

Illinois is making headlines again when it comes to teen driving safety! Our Chicago car accident attorneys would like to congratulate Illinois resident Judy Webber-Jones for being one of the winners of the National Safety Council's (NSC) 3rd Annual Teen Driving Safety Leadership Award.

This award is supported by safe driving advocates around the county, the NSC and the General Motors Foundation. The leadership award was presented to supplement National Teen Driver Safety Week, which takes place every year in October.

This award is presented to those who the NSC feels dedicate their time to reducing the risks of teen car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere and to saving lives on our roadways. Car accidents continue to be the number one killer of teens in the U.S. This cause of death takes more lives than the next three top killers combined for that young age group.

The NSC also awarded Kaylen Larson from Minnesota with this prestigious award.

“They have worked in ways that NSC believes have the strongest impact, such as engaging with elected officials and educating teens about the benefits of Graduated Driver Licensing – a method proven to reduce teen driver crashes,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council.

Weber-Jones knows much about the dangers that these young drivers face on our roadways. She was a driver's education teacher for over 25 years. She was recognized for her creation of a safety campaign that helped teens in the area and around the country to learn beneficial and lifesaving driving skills. That's not all though. Judy was also able to get a bill passed in Illinois that prohibits all drivers from using any kind of cell phone in a construction or in a schools zone.

Judy was able to increase fines for drivers who were busted speeding. For nearly three years she works alongside Rep. Bill Black and Gloria and Chuck Wilhelm to pass Matt's Law. This is a law that was created for Wilhelm’s son who was killed in a car accident with a distracted driver. Matt's Law prohibits drivers from text massaging behind the wheel in Illinois. She also conducts seminars and lectures about safe driving habits.

Organizations Judy has worked with to help push safe driving habits:

-Andy Pilgrim Foundation

-Illinois Teen Safe Driving coalition

-Shriners Hospitals for Children

-State Farm Foundation

-The Allstate Foundation

-Illinois Department of Transportation

-Illinois Secretary of State’s office

-Families Against Chronic Excessive Speed

Teen drivers are at serious risks for car accidents because of their driving inexperience. Providing young drivers with a thorough driving education is one of the best tools we can deploy to keep them safe on our roadways.

Both of the winners will be recognized and presented with their awards during the NSC Defensive Driving Awards Banquet. This event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 29th in Philadelphia.

Continue reading " NSC Recognizes Illinois Resident for Efforts in the Fight against Teen Car Accident in Chicago " »

Red-light cameras may be used for more than just catching drivers who drive through red lights. If Mayor Rahm Emanuel gets his way, the City of Chicago could use these cameras in the sky to bust speeding drivers in school zones, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Administrators believe that this kind of enforcement would help to keep children safe and would help prevent car accidents in Chicago. But critics of the technology say it's just another way for the cash-strapped city to reel in some dough.

Our Chicago car accident attorneys understand that speeding contributes to far too many fatal accidents on our roadways. Speeding is especially dangerous when done through school zones and through residential zones with young pedestrians.

Officials claim that this strategy would help everyone to get the best of both worlds as City Hall, who is already on a tight budget, can earn extra cash while helping to keep pedestrians safe. Not everyone's buying it.

"The jury is still out on whether the red-light cameras are effective in terms of safety. ... So then it really becomes a revenue-raising tool, rather than a public safety tool, and I think there are more honest ways of raising money," said Ald. Joe Moore, 49th.

The transportation commissioner, Gabe Klein, is backing Emanuel's request for the cameras. Currently, Chicago has a number of red-light cameras scattered throughout the city, but they're not able to catch speedy drivers --only those who run red lights.

To allow these cameras able to catch speeding drivers, all officials would have to do is install a strip on the roadway to calibrate a vehicle's speed as they travel through an intersection. These devices will be able to provide an accurate speed reading that is concrete enough to hold up in court.

Klein says that the idea of the cameras isn't to bust a lot of speeders, write a bunch of tickets and collect the fees and fines; it's about getting people to slow down in the areas that are dangerous.

The proposal was recently presented by Michael Madigan of Chicago, the Democratic House Speaker. He says that these cameras would only be used in areas where safety measures need to be heightened, including college and university campuses, park districts and other school zones.

Before these cameras could be installed and used, officials would be required to install cautionary signs to warn drivers about the monitoring of their speed.

Emanuel's administration is pushing this proposal hard. City officials are armed with a plethora of information to back up their request. Through countless accident reports, the administration concluded that pedestrian accidents in Chicago are most commonly cause by a motorists who fails to yield. A pedestrian's risks of death increases nearly 10 times when a car is traveling just 10 mph over a 20-mph speed limit.

Back in 2003, red-light cameras hit Chicago after Mayor Richard Daley approved the measure. In 2008, they generated about $45 million in ticket fines. In 2009, nearly 800,000 drivers in the city were ticketed by these cameras.

Ald. Edward Burke questions their deterrent effect however. With so many tickets he wondered, are these cameras really stopping anyone from flying through these intersections?

Klein hasn't put an exact number on how many cameras the administration would like to see used to catch speedy drivers. But he reiterated that the money collected from these lawbreakers would be used to help fund infrastructure and transportation safety projects.

No one's sure how Springfield will feel about the proposal. Back in 2010, Springfield lawmakers passed a weak reform package that made it easier for drivers to appeal red-light camera tickets after local government received several complaints about the eyes in the sky.

If this proposal gets signed into law, it would be effective on July 1st of 2012.

Continue reading " Emanuel Proposes Cameras to Bust Speedy Drivers to Reduce Risks of Car Accidents in Chicago " »

A girl was seriously injured in a recent Illinois teen car accident, according to The Herald-News. A teen driver was in his pickup truck when he slammed into the female pedestrian who was walking along Bell and McEvilly Roads in Minooka where there are no sidewalks. The girl was taken to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet and then later to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

“The crash is being investigated and no charges have been filed at this time,” said Police Chief Justin Meyer.

Our Chicago car accident attorneys understand the dangers that teens face on our roadways and the dangers they present to other travelers. For this reason, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a new study to determine exactly what these dangers are and effective ways to reduce them. The new study determined that teen drivers are roughly 50 percent more likely to get into an accident in the first 30 days of driving than they were after having a year of unsupervised driving experience. And nearly twice as likely as they are after two years behind the wheel.

The recent study looked at teen drivers in North Carolina and noted the three most common driver errors among newly-licensed drivers:

-Failing to reduce speed.

-Driver inattention.

-Failing to yield.

In the first month of a teen's driving career, these three causes of accidents accounted for nearly 60 percent of traffic accidents in which teen drivers were at least partially responsible.

Researchers also studied various types of accidents in correlation with how long a driver had been licensed. The study concluded that the number of accidents that were experienced at fast-traveling speeds reduced as the driver gained more experience and time behind the wheel.

The study required the installation of in-car cameras to peek in on teen drivers as they were learning to drive with parents and guardians and then for six months without supervision. Researchers concluded that teens who obtained a learner's permit drove most of their time on routine trips on familiar roads in simple driving conditions. Once a driver could travel without supervision, that's when the mistakes started happening. The study concluded that these drivers experienced a number of close calls as a result of simple driving mistakes, which they attribute to driver inexperience.

In addition to the inexperience-related mistakes, teens oftentimes committed the following:

-Texting while driving.

-Horseplay and other interactions with passengers.

-Red-light running.

According to Kissinger, this study reiterates the fact that parents need to stay involved in their young driver's habits behind the wheel.

The AAA study continues to push the following suggestions to parents:

-Allow plenty of driving practice time. More experience behind the wheel may be your child's best protection against a traffic accident.

-Limit passengers. The risks for teen car accidents multiply when other teen passengers are present in the vehicle. Set limits with your teen driver and enforce them!

-Limit nighttime driving. In these driving conditions, a teen's risk for an accident increases because of the extreme reduction in visibility.

-Stick to your parent-teen driving contract! Make sure your contract covers driving rules for cities, highways, interstates, weather conditions, curfews and passenger limitations.

Continue reading " AAA Studies Teen Driver Risks to help Reduce Risks of Car Accidents in Illinois, Nation " »

Our Chicago car accident attorneys have recently discussed the unfortunate number of impaired-driving accidents that our area sees every year. Many innocent motorists are killed because of the irresponsible decisions of others.

To help reduce the risks of these accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is working with vehicle manufacturers to create features that can test your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) before you're able to turn on your car. The NHTSA has partnered up with The Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS) and the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) to help make this vision a reality, according to Market Watch.

This device would not only help to prevent drunk driving-related car accidents in Illinois, but it has the potential to save lives on roadways around the world. To help with production of this device, the NHTSA has awarded TruTouch Technologies and Takata with more than $2 million in funding.

As the end of the year draws near and the holiday season approaches, we can assume from the trends of recent statistics that we will see an increasing number of alcohol-related accidents. Technology like this would be able to prevent these accidents and fatalities.

"As a company solely dedicated to automotive safety, we are excited with the contract from DADSS/ACTS to develop the TruTouch sensors for use in automotive, commercial vehicle and heavy equipment applications," says Kirk Morris, Vice President of Business Development of TK Holdings Inc.

Morris goes on to say that he wants to see a product that is able to test driver's BAC level without doing so in an intrusive way.

The TruTouch technology is a system that is able to detect a person's level of intoxication by just using infrared light. To test your BAC, all you have to do is touch your finger near or on one of the system's sensors. It's them able to analyze the alcohol concentration in a person's body.

This system has been proven to provide an accurate reading within just a few seconds. The feature also has a biometric system built into it so that no one is able to tamper with it. The companies hope that this technology will be accepted by drivers worldwide so that we can all see safer roadways. The product requires no operator assistance and requires no training for users.

In-car technology continues to advance. Drunk driving accidents are 100 percent preventable and if it takes a vehicle-safety feature to help prevent them, then so be it. It's clear that impaired drivers aren't going to hand over their keys any time soon.

According to the NHTSA, there were nearly 11,000 people killed in drunk driving car accidents in the U.S. in 2009. These accidents accounted for nearly a third of all traffic fatalities during the year. During this time, Illinois witnessed nearly 400 alcohol-related traffic accidents.

Continue reading " NHTSA Funding Technologies to Prevent Drunk Driving Car Accidents in Illinois, Nation " »

A recent car accident in Jasper County on Interstate 65 in Indiana surprised a Chicago resident as she sat on the side of the road with her disabled vehicle. The Chicago driver told officers that she pulled the car over because smoke started seeping out from underneath the hood. According to officers, the accident happened when a passing semi-truck struck the disabled vehicle and caught on fire.

Our Chicago car accident attorneys understand that sometimes vehicle malfunctions happen and there's nothing we can do to completely prevent them. There is a way though that we can handle these situations to help keep everyone in the vehicle safe. There are certain safety tips that motorists should remember and exercise if they're ever stuck on the side of the road with a disabled vehicle.

The accident report stated that the Chicago driver and the 24-year-old passenger got out of the vehicle after they pulled it off to the side of the road. As the two were out examining the engine, a tractor-trailer merged over from the right-hand side of the roadway and hit the disabled car.

Since the two were standing in front of the car when the semi hit, they were injured. One motorist received a number of skull fractures and a gash on his head. The other motorist was thrown into a nearby ditch and suffered from a broken leg.

The driver of the semi told officers that he didn't see the disabled vehicle because there were no hazard lights activated.

The police report went on to state that the semi struck the vehicle, swerved to the left, flew into the median and struck the barrier cables. The fire started when the semi collided with the cables. The driver was able to escape the truck safely.

Both of the injured motorists were transported to Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Crown Point.

Follow these safety tips provided by Pep Boys if your car breaks down:

-Try to pull the car over as far away from traffic as possible. If there's an emergency lane, use it. If there's a grassy area near the lane, use that.

-If you're stopped because you've got a flat tire and there's no safe place to pull over, drive on the rim until you find a place. Ruining a rim is much less significant than losing a life.

-Make sure you always have warning devices with you, including triangles and flares. These should be placed a good distance from your car. The rule of thumb says that you should have three warning devices, placed at 25, 50 and 100 yards from your vehicle.

-Activate your hazard lights.

-Always travel with a cell phone.

-If your car is not stopped in a safe area, get out of the vehicle and move away from it. Otherwise remain inside with the doors locked and passengers buckled.

-If you have to walk to a phone, make sure all vehicle occupants walk together.

-Open the hood on your car.

-Tie a white cloth to your antenna.

-If someone asks you if you need help, remain in your car with the doors locked and ask them to call for help.

-Keep water, nonperishable food items and warm clothing in your car for scenarios like this one.

Continue reading " Disabled Cars Oftentimes lead to Car Accidents in Chicago " »

For reasons that can only be speculated about, Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes seem to hear about more and more hit-and-run accidents. The Illinois two pedestrian accidents discussed below are eerily similar. Both occurred on the same day in July and both involved SUV drivers swerving into pedestrians.

In one case, last weekend two people ran the Chicago Marathon in memory of an 18-year-old woman from the Northwest suburbs that was killed July 22 by a driver that fled the scene of the accident, NBC News is reporting.

The victim was a pedestrian who was struck and killed by a swerving SUV as she walked with a group of people on Church Street near Lake Zurich High School. Two of her friends sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Unfortunately the at fault driver fled the accident scene and has still not been caught. There is currently a $5,000 reward being offered by the Lake County Crime Stoppers and the Lake Zurich Police Department.

The marathon runners hope to increase the offered reward by asking people to donate one dollar per mile. They have a goal of raising another $5,000-$10,000.

Anyone with information regarding this accident is encouraged to contact Lake Zurich police investigations at (847) 719-1695.

In another incident, a 24-year-old man from Glenview has been charged for his alleged role in a hit-and-run accident back in July, according to Trib Local. The arrest was made on October 9 and charges include leaving the scene of a personal injury accident. A judge set bond at $30,000 and the defendant is due back in court on October 26.

The collision also occurred on July 22 in the area of Country and Locust Lanes in Glenview. Two pedestrians were walking North on Country when they heard a vehicle coming up behind them. They turned around and saw a gray SUV swerving towards them. The automobile hit one of them, a 54 year old woman. The driver then fled the scene, heading northbound on Country Lane.

The injured pedestrian was taken by ambulance to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with non-life threatening injuries, according to investigating officers.

Surprisingly, the arrest was only made after the at fault driver made what is being reported as an "unsolicited appearance" at the Glenview Police Department.

We can only guess as to why the drivers in the above accidents fled the scene. Some believe that with a poor economy, more and more motorists are driving without insurance, which in turn leads to a greater likelihood of leaving the scene. However, in the to accidents discussed above, many might speculate that drugs or alcohol were involved. In both cases the drivers swerved into innocent pedestrians for reasons unknown and then left without assisting the victims. The repercussions of a DUI and possibly other serious charges could have been incentive enough to flee.

Sadly, in most hit-and-run cases the offending motorist is never caught by police. This type of crash is not a rare occurrence and attorneys at Abels & Annes handle hit-and-run claims a regular basis.

Continue reading " July 22 Illinois hit-and-run pedestrian accidents result in charges in one case and a reward offer in another " »

Since the beginning of the economic downturn, authorities are seeing fewer drunk driving accidents in Illinois and elsewhere, according to FOX News. A recently released federal study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), surveyed more than 450,000 people and reported the lowest recorded number of drunk driving incidents since 1993.

The survey reported that we've seen a 30 percent drop since 2006, which was the peak period of these incidents.

According to the CDC there were 112 million drunk driving episodes last year. Many experts believe that the economy was a large contributor to this dip. Still 112 million drunk drivers on our roads is a far cry from clear sailing.

Our Chicago drunk driving accident attorneys understand that we could potentially see a whole lot more drunk driving accidents in the state with the holiday season approaching. Many residents and visitors head out over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's to visit friends and family members. Unfortunately, a lot of these gatherings involve alcohol. And a lot of these events can turn deadly when it's time to call it a night and many of these impaired individuals get into their vehicles to drive home.

One important finding in the survey is that there was not a significant drop in the amount of alcohol that Americans were drinking. According to the survey's results, nearly 2 percent of the country's population reported to have driven at least once while intoxicated in the last 30 days.

“The four million adults who drink and drive each year put everyone on the road at risk,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, CDC director.

Other findings in the CDC's survey:

-Men accounted for more than 80 percent of the country's drinking and driving accidents.

-Men ages 21- to 34-years-old accounted for more than 30 percent of all drinking and driving accidents even though in 2010 these individuals made up approximately 10 percent of the country's population.

-Binge drinkers are much more likely to drive after drinking.

-In the U.S., residents of the Midwest region were the most likely to drink and drive as they reported the most confessions.

According to the CDC, there were nearly 11,000 people who were killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents in 2009. These incidents accounted for roughly a third of all roadway fatalities during that year.

During the holiday season, we can expect to see more DUI checkpoints and more patrolling officers on our roadways to help combat the problem. We're asking all residents to celebrate responsibly throughout the rest of the year.

If you think you've spotted a drunk driver on our roadways, the Illinois State Police ask that you give the nearest State Police Headquarters a call. Make sure you have the location of the vehicle and the direction it's traveling, a description of the driver if possible and the make, model and color of the vehicle. Officers would appreciate the license plate number, but ask that you stay away from the vehicle to avoid an accident.

Continue reading " Fewer Chicago Drunk Driving Accidents Good News, But Awareness Key Heading into the Holiday Season " »

It's Drive Safely Work Week (DSWW) and driving on the job as well as getting to and from work safely is everybody's business.

The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation to help reduce the risks of on-the-job injuries resulting from distracted driving car accidents in Illinois and elsewhere. This year's campaign slogan is "Focus 360." With work-related motor-vehicle accidents up this year in Illinois, employees across the state are asked to join in.

Our Chicago workers' compensation attorneys ask that everyone get involved in this week-long campaign. You don't have to be the driver to participate. Distractions can come from passengers, pedestrians and cyclists as well and we can all do our part to help prevent these accidents. While many view distractions as an unacceptable driving behavior, most of us are guilty of not keeping our full attention on the road at all times. We need to start practicing what we preach to help keep everyone safe on our roadways.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, motor-vehicle accidents accounted for about 2 out of every 5 fatal work accidents in 2010. These accidents include cars, trucks, off-road tractors, pedestrians, railways, water vehicles and aircraft.

There were more than 70 fatal work-related transportation accidents in Illinois in 2010. Transportation accidents at work accounted for more fatalities than assaults, violent acts, contact with objects and equipment, falls, fires, explosions and exposure to harmful substances or environments. Our state witnessed nearly 50 more work-related fatalities in 2010 than we did in 2009.

This event is held every October and is used to provide an opportunity for employers and companies to focus on safe driving habits and to help them to enact a cell phone policy in the workplace. Everyone needs to take this matter seriously as these accidents are in fact preventable.

Companies and employers are able to reach about half of the entire world's population. Employers' support in the fight against distracted driving is critical if we want to make a difference.

The campaign offers the following to employers at all stages of the effort:

-Provides materials to help employers to create a cell phone policy kit in the workplace.

-Resources to help employers enforce their current cell phone policy.

-Help employers to educate drivers about distracted driving habits even if they don't wish to enact a policy.

According to distraction.gov, there were approximately 5,500 people who were killed in the U.S. because of car accidents that involved a distracted driver in 2009. These accidents accounted for about 20 percent of all fatal traffic accidents. About 1,000 of these deaths were the result of a driver who was distracted by a cell phone during the time of the accident. Cell phone use while driving makes a driver four times as likely to be involved in a serious traffic accident.

These accidents are preventable and with the proper participation and effort from residents, we can all do our part to help reduce the number of fatal accidents resulting from the irresponsible behavior.

Continue reading " Drive Safely Work Week Aims to Prevent Work-Related Car Accidents in Illinois, Nation " »

For the third year in a row the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is asking that all drivers put down the distractions during the "Heads Up Driving Week" campaign.

This year's event is taking place from October 2nd to the 8th. During this time, and throughout the rest of the year, drivers should place their full attention on the roadway to help prevent distracted-driving car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere.

AAA asks that you give it a whirl for just a week to see if your driving abilities improve. While you're at it, ask your friends and family members to try it too!

Our Chicago car accident attorneys understand that there are about 8,000 accidents that occur every day because of distracted drivers. All of these traffic crashes are preventable with a little more attention. Distracted driving doesn't only include the use of a cell phone. It can also mean eating, applying makeup, listening to music too loudly and interacting with passengers while driving. Numerous studies have been conducted on this dangerous driving behavior and the conclusions have all been the same -- distractions increase you risks for a fatal accident.

Distracted driving facts:

-More than a million people have been killed because of car accidents in U.S. in the last 25 years. Nearly 34,000 of these lives were lost in 2010.

-Studies reveal that drivers spend more than half of their driving time engaging in a distracting behavior.

-You are four times more likely to be involved in a car accident when engaging in distractions.

-Distractions can also include rubbernecking, eating, smoking and playing with the radio and they are just as dangerous as playing with a hand-held communication device.

-The number one reported distraction has been other passengers. Children are four times as distracting as adults and infants are at least 8 times as distracting.

According to a recent survey, more than 90 percent of drivers think that emailing and texting behind the wheel is unacceptable. Nearly 90 percent say that they support law prohibiting reading, typing or sending text messages while driving. Even with these viewpoints though, roughly a third of surveyed drivers reported that they had engaged in the dangerous driving behavior at least once in the last month.

It's no secret that each of us have a lot on our plate and a lot to get done before the end of the day. But we need to keep a car accident off that list. Drivers should focus all of their attention on the roadway when behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. These types of accidents are completely preventable and only take a little discipline and a little responsibility to avoid. Please participate in the week-long campaign and urge your loved ones to get involved as well. Paying more attention behind the wheel can help to save lives on our roadways. Get involved!

Continue reading " Heads Up Driving Week Aims to Help Prevent Distracted Driving-Related Car Accidents in Illinois, Nation " »

“You want a mix of country driving and urban driving, with different kinds of roads, with different kinds of weather," said Diana Horton of the Tri-County Driving School based in Kane County.

She's talking about young drivers and their experience through the Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) program in Illinois. This program is used to help educate teens to drive though a number of stages. The program aims to reduce the risks of teen car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere.

Our Chicago teen car accident attorneys understand that teens who participate in a GDL program typically experience a 26 percent decrease in the number of teen driving accidents. Unfortunately, CNN reports that older teen drivers are not seeing the same decrease -- another reason why parents should remain involved in their teen's driving through high school and even college.

The GDL program in Illinois, according to Cyber Drive Illinois:

15-year-old drivers, Permit Phase:
-Must be enrolled in a driver education course that has been approved by the DOT.
-May not drive from Sunday through Thursday between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
-May not drive on Friday and Saturday from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
-Must pass a written and a vision exam.
-Must hold this permit for at least nine months.
-Must complete at least 50 hours of practice driving time with a licensed supervising adult.
-Can only have one front seat passenger and the number of seat belts in the back seat.
-All vehicle occupants under 19 must wear a seat belt.
-Drivers may not use a cell phone.

16- and 17-years-old, Initial Licensing Phase:
-A parent must certify that the driver has completed 50 hours of supervised driving.
-A parent must be present to obtain this license from the DMV.
-Must have completed the driver education course.
-May not drive from Sunday through Thursday between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
-May not drive on Friday and Saturday from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
-Cannot have a traffic conviction with six months before applying for next license.
-All vehicle occupants under 19 must wear a seat belt.
-Can only have one passenger under the age of 20 at a time.
-Cannot use a cell phone while driving.

18- through 20-years-old, Full Licensing Phase:
-No previous restrictions pertain to this driving phase.
-Cell phone use by drivers under the age of 19 is prohibited.

Researchers are finding that it is when drivers complete the restricted phases of this system that they face an increased risk for a serious car accident. Many believe it's because they're finally handed total freedom behind the wheel and are oftentimes overwhelmed.

"The expectation was that older [teen] drivers wouldn't be affected much one way or the other, so this is a new thing to think about," says Anne McCartt, Ph.D., vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

According to The Beacon-News, there were nearly 150 teenagers killed in Illinois as a result of a traffic accident in 2007. Secretary of State Jesse White says that the number of teens that died in 2009 was half that, at less than 75. He continues to stick by his GDL program, saying that the recent increase in the restrictions within the GDL program has helped to drop this number.

Safe driving advocates continue to worry about our young drivers after they graduate from this program. Regardless, parents and guardians need to stay involved in their young driver's time behind the wheel. Keep safe driving as a frequent topic of conversation within your household.

Continue reading " GDL Program Risks for Car Accidents in Illinois for Graduated Drivers? " »