Chicago Car Accident Attorneys Blog

Despite government efforts to educate the public that distracted driving is dangerous, almost 9 out of 10 teen motorists continue to multi-task while operating a motor vehicle. Seventeen magazine and AAA recently issued findings from a new survey of 1,999 teens in the 16 to 19 age group:

• 84% of them know that distracted driving increase their car crash risk
• 86% continue to drive while distracted, engaging in behavior such as eating, fiddling with the radio, putting on making, talking on the cell phone, and text messaging.
• Over 1/3 of participants admitted that they’ve almost been involved in car accidents because of distracted driving.
• Texting teen drivers send about 23 text messages each month.
• The highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in deadly motor vehicle collisions belong to the under 20 age group.

Considering that traffic accidents are already the number one cause of teen driver deaths, the fact that many teen motorists continue to text and engage in other distracted driving habits while operating a motor vehicle is bad news. Our Chicago car accident lawyers has seen the kinds of catastrophic crashes that can occur because someone was distracted while driving. We understand how devastating it can be to know that your life has been irrevocably altered because another motorist was busy multitasking and failed to see you in your vehicle.

According to the NHTSA, distracted drivers have a four times grater risk of becoming involved in a traffic crash than drivers who aren’t distracted. Texting increases a motorist’s crash risk by over 20 times.

Meantime, the federal government continues its quest to make people comprehend the dangers of distracted driving. Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the date for this year’s National Distracted Driving Summit. The event is scheduled to begin on September 21 and will involve transportation officials, law enforcement, safety advocates, researchers, industry representatives, and victims.

86 Percent of Teens have Driven While Distracted, According to AAA and Seventeen Magazine Survey, AAA, August 2, 2010

Teens, driving and texting are a bad mix, Los Angeles Times, August 2, 2010

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Second National Distracted Driving Summit, NHTSA, July 27, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving, NHTSA

Teen Drivers, CDC

Continue reading "Nearly 90% of Teen Drivers Engage in Distracted Driving, Say AAA & Seventeen Magazine Survey" »

19-year-old Young J. Kim has pleaded guilty to texting while driving and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident in the Illinois cell phone accident that killed an 84-year-old Chicago pedestrian.

Perfecto Perez was crossing the street in downtown Urbana when he was fatally struck by Kim. At the time of the Illinois traffic accident, Perez was wearing dark clothing and not in a crosswalk.

Chicago Car Accidents
While it can be hard to resist the urge to text while driving at the very moment the text message appears in your Inbox, refraining from doing so can save lives. Motorists should not engage in distracted driving, which takes their eyes and attention off the road. Texting also requires that a driver take at least one if not both hands off the steering wheel—one to hold the PDA or phone and another to open the message/compose one—and this can make it hard for the motorist to respond appropriately or safely during an emergency situation. It also is illegal in Illinois to text while driving a motor vehicle.

Road and Travel Magazine offers suggestions on how you can avoid the temptations of talking on the phone and/or texting while driving, including:

• Pull of the road if you are going to text
• Use a hands-free cell phone
• If your conversation is emotionally charged or stressful, get off the phone until you’ve arrived at your destination

Teen pleads guilty in fatal accident involving texting, News-Gazette.com, July 23, 2010

Teach Teens Dangers of Texting While Driving, Road and Travel.com

Related Web Resources:
Cellphone laws, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Distracted Driving, National Safety Council

Continue reading "Champaign, Illinois Teenager Was Texting When He Fatally Struck Chicago Pedestrian with His Car" »

A man who was injured during an Illinois cell phone accident is suing for personal injury. Corey G. Ritnour says that he got hurt on June 9, 2009 when he was rear-ended by Sophia E. Rawlings while she talked on her cell phone.

The Illinois car crash took place on Horseshoe Lake Road in Pontoon as Ritnour was getting ready to turn left. Ritnour is seeking car accident compensation for his pain and suffering, lost wages, medical expenses, decreased earning capacity, diminished enjoyment of a normal life, and disability.

He is accusing Rawlings of not keeping her car in control, driving too fast, not reducing her speed, and neglecting to keep a proper lookout.

He is seeking over $50,000 plus other relief.

Cell Phone Driving Accidents
Talking on a cell phone while driving inevitably distracts a driver and prevents him/her from paying attention to the road and traffic. The motorist’s ability to react quickly is delayed, brain activity associated with driving goes down significantly, and the risk of becoming involved in a traffic accident goes up by at least four times. Unfortunately, it is now no longer surprising to find out that someone got hurt because a motorist was texting or talking on a phone while operating a motor vehicle.

Just like drunk driving, distracted driving is a senseless way to unintentionally destroy another person’s life. A distracted driver can end up in prison while also becoming the defendant of a Chicago, Illinois car crash lawsuit or wrongful death complaint. Fortunately, the federal government and the state of Illinois are taking steps to discourage distracted driving.

Driver using cell phone caused rear-end accident, suit claims, The Record, March 31, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Cellphones and Driving, Insurance Information Institute

Distracted Driving, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

19-year-old Kimisha M. Moore is charged with aggravated reckless conduct for her alleged role in the Chicago car accident that left an Illinois State Trooper with serious injuries on Saturday night. Police say that Moore was looking at her cell phone when she accidentally struck the trooper, who was standing in the express lane’s right shoulder on I-94.

According to Chicago police, the trooper had stopped a vehicle on the Dan Ryan’s Expressway when a Toyota hit her. The trooper sustained a head injury and leg injuries from the Chicago cell phone accident and went into surgery at a Cook County hospital. Following the procedure, she was transferred to the ICU where she was in “stable” condition on Sunday morning.

Moore also received citations for failure to reduce speed, improper lane usage, violating Scott’s Law, and operating an uninsured vehicle.

Our Chicago, Illinois car accident lawyers cannot stress enough that distracted driving is dangerous and can kill people. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that over 500,000 people every year sustain injuries because drivers were not paying attention to the road. Cell phone use and texting have rapidly become two of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving.

Teenagers are one demographic who are especially at high-risk of getting into a distracted driving accident. Not only are they more easily distracted than their adult counterparts, but also they are more likely to text or use a cell phone while driving. They also lack the experience that older drivers have when it comes to preventing car accidents as they are about to happen.

Driver distracted by phone when she hit trooper on Dan Ryan: prosecutor, Chicago Sun-TImes, March 1, 2010

Woman Who Hit State Trooper Was Using Cell Phone, NBC4, March 1, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Scott's Law Brochure, Illinois State Police

Distraction.gov

Continue reading "Chicago, Illinois Cell Phone Accident: Teen Was Looking at Phone When She Hit State Police Trooper on Dan Ryan Expressway" »