Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accident

City officials are stopping at nothing to help educate residents about the risks of pedestrian accidents in Chicago. Recently Chicago officials launched a new safety campaign, which includes a lot of dummies.

Officials lined Wacker Drive downtown from Wells Street to Michigan Avenue with more than 30 mannequins to represent the number of pedestrians who were killed on our city’s roadways in 2010.Officials are also pushing a bill to permit traffic cameras to catch speeding drivers, according to the Chicago Tribune. This campaign includes safety messages plastered on the city’s sidewalks, stickers inside taxicabs urging passengers to reports any driver with unsafe habits behind the wheel and flags for pedestrians to carry while crossing the street to help increase their visibility.

Our Chicago pedestrian accident attorneys understand how big of a problem pedestrian accidents in the city are. It is estimated that about 80 percent of car-pedestrian accidents in the city happen at intersections and most commonly involve pedestrians who use the walk signal. The top cause for these fatal accidents in our area is when drivers fail to yield. According to a recently released study from the city, taxi drivers were involved in nearly 30 percent of the city’s pedestrian accidents and nearly 35 percent of all pedestrian accidents in high-crash corridors downtown. Only about 2 percent of these accidents happened outside the central business district.

“You’ll notice that some of it is sort of hard-hitting, some of it may even be a little bit shocking,” said Chicago Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein.

The mannequins that stood along Wacker Drive wore shirts that read, “One of 32 pedestrians killed last year in Chicago.”

The city is coming on strong with a plan. Officials are looking to bring the number of fatal pedestrian accidents down to zero by 2020. If more than 30 pedestrian fatalities weren’t enough in 2010, there were approximately 3,000 pedestrians injured in traffic-related crashes across the city.

From 2005 to 2009, there were nearly 17,500 accidents that involved more than 18,350 pedestrians in Chicago. Chicago hit a 16-year low with 34 pedestrian deaths in 2009. That number was down from nearly 90 fatalities in 1994.

The new pedestrian safety campaign was made possible by nearly $550,000 in funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is being conducted by the city’s Police Department and the Department of Transportation.

In addition to the outdoor campaigning, the city also launched a new website chicagopedestrianplan.org.

Pedestrian safety messages have also been place on trash bins, bus shelters and sidewalks around the city. Officials are also looking into ways to reach senior citizens, schools and taxi drivers.

Officers are going undercover to catch motorists who aren’t grasping the message. Local officers will be dressing up as civilians and will be patrolling popular intersections in search of drivers who don’t yield to pedestrians. Drivers who are busted will be ticketed and will receive a fine anywhere from $50 to $500. According to Illinois state law, vehicles must stop for pedestrians.
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Back in 1997, the very first Walk to School Day was launched in Chicago. It was called ‘National Walk Our Children to School Day.’ During this first event, our city joined students, parents, law enforcement officers, school personnel and city officials on our students’ walk to school.

Since then, the event has turned into International Walk to School Day and countries across the world are now participating. In 2002 more than 3 million people participated and in 2005 legislation was passed to award states with federal grants to help reduce the risk of pedestrian accidents.Our Chicago pedestrian accident attorneys invite residents to participate in this year’s event which will be held on October 5th. All day, parents, students, law enforcement, school employees and government officials will be walking to help raise awareness about the need for pedestrian-safe roadways for walkers of all ages. This event is also used to encourage our young ones to get out and get active as well as to encourage more to walk to reduce roadways traffic. There will a number of events and walks throughout the state to celebrate the occasion.

Pedestrian accidents in Illinois and elsewhere took the lives of more than 1,300 child pedestrians under the age of 15 in 2009. Another 179,000 young pedestrians were injured in these accidents, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Schools in Chicago that will be participating in this year’s events include:

-Disney Ii Magnet School
-Peterson Elementary School

-Philip Rogers Elementary School

-Sauganash Elementary School

-St. John Berchmans School

-Sutherland School

Since the start of the program, nearly 11,500 schools in all 50 states have received federal funding through the 2005 legislation. The event went ‘international’ back in 2000. Event organizers believe that 2010 was the largest celebration of the event and the campaign as nearly 4,000 events were registered through the website. Many more unregistered events were also held.

According to Transportation for America, there were nearly 2,000 people killed in traffic-related pedestrian accidents from 2000 to 2009 in Illinois. These accidents cost the state more than $7 billion. Illinois ranks right in the middle for pedestrian-safe roadways in our country, sitting at 27th out of all 50 states.

Parents are urged to get out there and join their little ones on the way to school on October 5th. Remember to continue to talk with your child about safe-pedestrian habits. These skills can be used for the rest of their life and may be able to help prevent them from being the victim of a fatal pedestrian accident. Getting out walking also can help them to get healthy, gain self-confidence and become more independent and responsible.
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An 86-year-old was killed in a recent pedestrian accident in Chicago on Sheridan Road. The taxi driver that hit the woman had been cited nearly 10 times by Chicago police for a number of traffic violations including crashing into the back of an unmarked police car, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Eight of the charges have been dropped. Another driver, as reports indicate, had been stopped by local officers nearly 20 times since 2008. One of these stops was the result of a pedestrian-car accident that sent the pedestrian flying. Police report that 16 of the charges and citations have been dropped.These types of accidents that are taking out local pedestrians are not only being caused by cab drivers. Speeding drivers are killing pedestrians left and right. According to a recent study that was conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the results of a pedestrian accident are almost directly related to the speed that the vehicle was traveling at the time of impact.

This study aimed to provide solutions for the increasing frequency of pedestrian accidents across the county. The study concluded that in order to improve pedestrian safety, the best bet for officials is to start limiting the speed at which motorists can travel along pedestrian-packed roadways. Officials are urged to keep speeds to levels that are unlikely to harm a pedestrian in the event of an accident.

Our Chicago pedestrian accident lawyers note this study also concluded that officials should create a physical separation of vehicles and pedestrians in places where the volume of both is relatively high and the need for fast-moving traffic is paramount.

Researchers also demand that experts create a better vehicle-based system to help vehicles detect pedestrians and a better way to either warn the driver or to brake automatically when a collision is about to happen. Until more can be done to prevent these accidents, motorists are asked to keep a watchful eye out for our walking travelers. All drivers are asked to abide by all speed limits, look for pedestrians when traveling through the city, double check for pedestrians when making turns at intersections and always yield to the right-of-way for these vulnerable travelers.

According to a recent study of pedestrian-vehicle accidents in Chicago, researchers concluded that 1 in 4 downtown accidents involved a taxi driver. These accidents should be no surprise to residents, as taxi drivers oftentimes zip through highly congested areas.

To help reduce these accidents, the city tightened its policy to state that once a driver receives three convictions within a year time period, they’re subjected to license revocation. But at study by the Tribune found such charges are dismissed about two-thirds of the time. Until we can get the court system to stop dismissing these charges, this rule is virtually useless.

According to AAA, there were approximately 4,000 pedestrians killed on U.S. roadways in 2009. There were nearly 60,000 pedestrians injured in these types of accidents. Since it has been concluded that the risks that a pedestrian faces in an accident are directly related to the speed at which the vehicle was traveling at impact, the AAA recommends that all local governments lower and strictly enforce speed limits in areas where pedestrians and motor-vehicle traffic mingle.

Like we said before, there’s no guarantee that our local officials will take this information into consideration and look into reducing traffic speeds in areas congested with pedestrians. To help prevent serious injury, death or legal issues, drivers are asked to remain aware and alert at the wheel and to curb distractions in order to focus complete attention on the task at hand — driving.
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Officers are still on the lookout for a driver that recently struck two elderly females. The Illinois pedestrian accident happened as the women were heading to get their hair done at a salon in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood.

One of the women was killed in the accident, according to the Chicago Tribune. It was her 82nd birthday. The other woman remains in the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park RidgeOfficers have distributed fliers near West Lawrence Avenue, which is where the accident took place. The hospitalized victim described the vehicle involved in the fatal accident as a black or dark blue pickup truck, possibly a Ford F-150. She said it had gray bottom panels. Officers were able to locate some video surveillance and discovered that the described truck was driven by a male. The truck also had a ladder in the back. Anyone who has information is asked to call officers at 312-745-4521.

As we recently discussed on our Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, there are roughly 3,000 pedestrians involved in traffic accidents in Chicago every year. About 80 percent of these accidents happen at intersections when pedestrians are crossing the street. A majority of the recorded accidents occur when motor vehicles are making a turn at these intersections.

Illinois hit-and-run pedestrian-vehicle accidents are unfortunately a common occurrence as well. There have been about 18,000 pedestrians involved in the approximate 17,000 incidents recorded from 2005 to 2009. More than 30 pedestrians were killed in the Chicago area because of these types of accidents, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

Elderly pedestrians are at highest risk. As the weather deteriorates and we prepare for the busy holiday season, please take an extra moment and watch for pedestrians — particularly the young and the old.

Illinois State University Police offer these safety tips to pedestrians:

-Pedestrians are required to yield to the right-of-way to drivers.

-Pedestrians must obey walk lights and traffic signals.

-When crossing a street at a place other than an intersection, pedestrians are required to give the right-of-way to drivers.

-Pedestrians are asked to use a pedestrian crossing or a pedestrian tunnel when one is available.

-Pedestrians are to always walk on a sidewalk. If no sidewalk is available, pedestrians should walk on the shoulder next to the road. Stay as far away from traffic as possible.

-Always walk facing oncoming traffic.

-Make eye contact with drivers when crossing a street.

-Hitchhiking is illegal in the state of Illinois and is punishable by up to $2,500 and a jail sentence of up to a year.

-Walkers and joggers should be traveling along paths when available. On public roadways, these individuals are asked to choose well-lighted, wide roads with wide shoulders.

-Pedestrians are required to obey all bridge and railroad gates.

-Keep looking left and right when crossing the road.

-Always be predictable. Walk where sidewalks are provided whenever possible.

-Make is easy for driver to see you. Always wear light-colored clothing and reflective materials when traveling at night.
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According to Transportation For America, the metro region of Chicago has more than 8 million travelers. In 2000, nearly 10 percent of this population was urban seniors that were 65-years-old and older and had poor access to transit.

Another 61 percent of suburban and exurban seniors faced poor access. What’s even worse is, the total number of seniors with poor access is expected to increase by more than 153,500 by 2015. During this time, a significant portion of the metro area will experience a greater density of seniors with poor transit access.According to a 2001 survey, conducted by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, of residents ages 43- to 57-years old, nearly 80 percent believed they will see no “serious limits on their activity until after age 70” and almost 50 percent believe that they will remain “active and going strong over age 80.” Many of these residents don’t believe that they face any risks for a pedestrian accident in Chicago.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys bring this up because these residents who are 65-years-old and older and live in a community with poor or non-existent public transportation services could be more likely to be involved in a pedestrian accident with a motor vehicle. Despite the elderly population’s desire to hang on to their independence, the truth is that many of these residents will gradually experience diminishing eye site, fading hearing and the inability to quickly react to dangerous situations.

The number of residents in this age group who live in these areas with poor transit access, is expected to grow rapidly as the baby boomer generation ages.

The recent report “Aging in Place, Stuck without Options” by Transportation For America ranks some of the busiest metro areas by the percentage of seniors with poor access to public transportation.

This report looks to inform the public about the serious and dangerous issues that our elderly populations will face in these metro areas. This is especially important in cash-strapped states with little to no funding for pedestrian safety. The report believes that local governments will be forced to request federal support for assistance in meeting the city’s needs and the needs of its elderly population. As Congress prepares to adopt a new, long-term transportation authorization, this report helps to break down policies to help ensure that aging Americans can remain mobile, active and independent.

The current baby boomer generation is the largest retiring generation of all time. It consists of more than 77 million people that were born between 1946 and 1964. Baby boomers are a unique population because they came of age during the unprecedented economic expansion that followed World War II. This is a time period that helped fuel the rise of new suburban communities and increased residents’ reliance on the motor vehicle. This was also during a time that the Federal Government initiated the largest project in U.S. history with the construction of the Interstate Highway system.

As the American life expectancy continue to increase, the largest U.S. generation will also be the oldest. With these numbers, a large share of these residents will find that their ability to navigate by vehicle diminishes or disappears over time.
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