Articles Posted in Auto Accident

There is nothing new about delivering food around the Chicago area and the option is increasing in popularity. With many residents foregoing a personal vehicle and with the difficult to predict weather making it hard to know when it is safe to leave home, many who live in the Chicagoland area opt to have their food brought to them. Pizza remains the most popular food to be delivered but other types of restaurants are getting into the game, including those who offer sandwiches.

A local chain, Jimmy John’s, is known across the country for its sub sandwiches that are made and delivered “freaky fast,” a catch phrase used by the restaurant in television, radio, and print advertising. While consumers who are ordering food from Jimmy John’s may appreciate the increased speed at which they receive their purchases, attention is now turning to the safety issues associated with delivering food in a fast manner, something that is being blamed for numerous car accidents in Illinois and around the nation.

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Drivers of General Motors vehicles should take note that their vehicles may be subjected to a new recall. This current recall is related to a potential fire hazard that may be caused by leaking oil, an issue that has been addressed twice before but reportedly unsuccessfully to this point.

General Motors says that 1.4 million vehicles are affected and that the years at issue date back to 1997. Affected models include the Pontiac Grand Prix manufactured between 1997 and 2004, Buick Regal made between 1997 and 2004, the Chevy Lumina made between 1998 and 1999, the Oldsmobile Intrigue made between 1998 and 1999, the Chevy Impala manufactured between 2000 and 2004, and the Chevy Monte Carlo made between 1998 and 2004.
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Not every car accident is considered the same when it comes to the damage that results. While any type of crash can lead to injuries or even death, some forms of collisions are more likely to cause harm than others. Among the crashes that are most likely to turn deadly are rollover car accidents.

A rollover is defined as any crash where a vehicle leaves its wheels, tipping onto its side and/or roof before coming to a rest. Part of the danger with a rollover comes from the fact that vehicles are not designed to roll, meaning that safety features that apply in other forms of crashes may not help rollover victims. For example, while front airbags may deploy and cushion victims in the event of a head-on accident, vehicle do not have airbags that can deploy from a ceiling to protect victims if a car rolls. The lack of safety devices combined with ability of the side and roof of a vehicle to crumple puts drivers and passengers at a greater risk for injuries than many other types of collisions.
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The designs of automobiles are mostly left up to manufacturers who employ everyone from engineers to artists to sculpt a car into form. But while the aesthetics of a motor vehicle are flexible among those who manufacture them, the function of a car is much more controlled. Consumers have demands that must be met when buying a vehicle and a manufacturer would be unwise to deviate from those expectations. For example, a car must run, be able to accelerate and brake, and be able to turn or no sensible consumer would purchase it.

But regulations and guidelines exist and govern all vehicles, meaning that some things are beyond the control of a manufacturer. An example is the presence of seat belts, which are mandatory in all passenger cars and many larger vehicles in America. Many of these requirements exist for safety reasons and are put into place by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), a government-run agency under the Executive Branch. Right now, manufacturers are busy taking the steps necessary to introduce one of the newest requirements that NHTSA has put forth – the addition rear-view visibility systems, or backup cameras.
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Car accidents, like other traffic collision, always occur for a reason. Sometimes it is an error on the part of a driver. Sometimes it is a mistake on the part of a pedestrian. Sometimes a bicyclist may fail to yield the right-of-way. And yet in other instances, fault can still be attributed in a crash but may belong on the shoulders of someone who was not involved like the manufacturer of a faulty tire or a mechanic who performed inadequate repairs to a vehicle.

But what if a roadway is dangerous on its face? What if a design flaw makes an area, an intersection, or a turn so unreasonable that an accident takes place for no other reason? In those instances, it may be the fault of a city, a state, or a municipality that owns, maintains, or otherwise is responsible for the road with the defect. It is even possible that a city engineer who designed the area may be to blame. These instances can be immensely complex and nearly impossible for a typical motorist to sort through so consulting with an experienced attorney may be helpful if you have questions or concerns.
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There is constant pressure on the designers and manufacturers of automobiles to create new safety features that will better the lives of those who drive and improve their ability to operate their vehicles in a safe, reasonable manner. As each new type of technology debuts, its combination with features that came before it leads to vehicles that are safer than those at any time in previous history which has led to fewer fatal collisions across the nation, despite the fact that the population and the overall number of vehicles on the roadways have increased.

Today, more and more manufacturers are offering forward collision prevention systems in the cars they design as a way to eliminate accidents before they occur. Also called collision mitigating systems, forward crash warning systems, or precrash alert systems, these advances work through radar, lasers, and/or cameras to monitor changing traffic conditions and to take action if a collision is imminent. In some systems, collision prevention will detect a car or other object is in front of a vehicle and will alert a driver to the presence of that hazard if it becomes too close. Through a visual or auditory alert, a driver who may not have been paying attention to the road can be alerted that action is needed immediately to prevent a car accident. In other systems, collision prevention will act on its own and apply the brakes or alter the steering of the car when it detects a forward accident is about to occur.
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In recent years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has warned American motorists about inherent dangers associated with 15 passenger vans, but public opinion has not shifted to reflect these concerns. In fact, the settings in which 15 passenger vans are used lead riders to accept that mode of transportation with little complaint as these vehicles are the chosen mode of transit for many school sports teams, church groups, company outings and other group travel.

Fifteen passenger vans have appeal to small groups because they can enable a large number of people to travel together without the need for using a larger, more expensive vehicle. Plus a driver with a standard license can operate a 15 passenger van and therefore driving duties can be shared among a number of adults including parents and chaperones, eliminating the need to hire a driver or contract with a carrier company.
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In recent years, experts have presented the promising news that deaths on American roadways continue to decrease – though not as fast or as significantly as anyone would like. However, a new study reveals that while deaths overall may be falling, it depends on your socioeconomic position as to whether you face a decreased risk of an auto fatality or whether you may actually face an increased risk of harm.

The data comes from the National Center for Health Studies and suggests that poor, less educated drivers are at a greater risk of death caused by a car accident than are drivers with greater educations and more money. Though this outcome is clear, the reasons behind it are murkier. One primary cause for this disparity seems to be the vehicles themselves that are driven by members of different classes. As newer safety features debut, they tend to be included only on higher end vehicles that are marketed to drivers with greater resources and on average, it takes approximately 30 years for those features to reach 95 percent pervasiveness on all cars on American streets. This means that though blind spot warnings, front impact alerts, and automatic brakes are being deployed in the newest vehicles at the upper end of the market, it may take decades for those at the bottom of the auto ownership spectrum to own cars with those safety aids. Currently, an average vehicle lasts for 11.5 years in this country with the poorest drivers being the most likely to own the oldest vehicles.
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There are hundreds of factors that can lead to a car accident in the greater Chicago area, many of which will combine with one another to be blamed for the collision. Whether it is a speeding motorist, a driver who fails to yield the right-of-way, or even poor weather conditions, car accidents can happen in the blink of an eye and often with little warning.

Though there are several common fact patterns that lead to impacts, there is always the possibility that something very unique or even bizarre will occur and cause a collision. Reports out of Indiana indicate that a very strange series of events combined on Friday and that it may be just luck that no one was seriously injured.
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The average consumer might not notice the subtle changes in automobiles from year to year as engineers tweak and redesign various components, yet those changes are present and they can make a big difference in the functionality of any vehicle. Some alterations are cosmetic or designed with comfort in mind – a sleeker body, a driver’s seat with greater back support, etc. – but others affect the safety of passengers in the event of a collision.

These safety-related features often get less publicity and less discussion in popular culture than those that appeal to aesthetics because a typical driver is unwilling to believe that she could be involved in a car accident. Even though the average motorist experiences three collisions in his or her lifetime, there is still a reluctance to believe that a crash is possible until after one occurs. As a result, some drivers give little attention to the safety features of their vehicle until after an accident, other type of incident, or even a near-impact takes place.
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