Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Some states have taken a new approach to handle the dangers behind teenage driving. New York recently put certain laws into effect that will restrict young drivers in the hope that they will lead to fewer teenage car accidents. According to an article on WIVB.com, the law requires more driving time between when teenagers receive their driver’s permits and their driver’s license. Teenagers must clock 50 hours, certain ones at night time, with only people over 21 in the car with them at the time. This law relies on parents of teenagers to be honest and to respect the reasoning behind the law of trying to make sure teenagers are ready and have practice when they are allowed to be behind the wheel without any supervision. Illinois has been looking into their teenage driving laws, and while Illinois did recently add extended driving time with parents before licensing, many feel that Illinois could use stronger teenage driving rules. Please click here to see the discussion on Illinois driving laws.

The reason that stricter teenage driving rules are so important is because teen drivers are involved in so many tragic car accidents every year. According to the CDC's fact sheet on teen driving, in 2008, nine teenagers between 16 to 19 died daily from injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents. Teen drivers are commonly involved in car crashes because of lack of experience, underestimation of dangerous situations, speeding, and drinking. If states impose stricter laws on teenage drivers, there will be a reduction in these tragic yet preventable automobile accidents among teenagers.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Current Issues , Injuries to Minors and Children , Legislation-Illinois , Legislation-National News

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A new law will go into effect on January 1st in which it will be illegal to text on a cell phone in the state of Illinois. This law includes outlawing texting while at a stop sign or stop light as well as when the vehicle is in motion. According to Review Atlas, hopefully this will reduce the number of car accidents caused by people not paying attention and texting while driving. While the law is directed at all ages, young drivers seem to be most at risk for getting in texting related car accidents and advocates of this law hope that this new law will encourage parents to talk to their teenagers about paying attention while driving. The importance of parents incorporating this advice in a talk about safe driving to their children is that texting can be very dangerous, but the new law may still make it hard to police officers to catch texters while driving. If you would like to read more about this texting ban in Illinois, please click on this link.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Chicago Car Accident , Illinois Accident , Legislation-Illinois

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Effective January 1, 2010, drivers in Illinois won’t be allowed to “compose, send or read an electronic message.” This law will hopefully diminish Illinois automobile accidents.

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Posted In: Legislation-Illinois

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A new ordinance is scheduled to go into effect on January 1st, in which drivers found to be driving without a license or with a suspended license (often as a result of a car accident or other impaired driving incident) will have their car impounded, requiring drivers to pay a $500 fine and a $165 towing fee to get their car back. The supporters of the ordinance say that these fees are intended to deter drivers from driving without a license and that hopefully people will think again before getting into a car without a license. People that are opposing this ordinance feel that just charging offenders and then letting them get right back on the road after paying money does not solve the problem. Regardless of what this ordinance will end up accomplishing, driving without a license is a serious issue and many of these unsafe drivers are responsible for Illinois car accidents and something should be done to try to keep the numbers of unlicensed drivers off the road. If you are interested in finding out more about this ordinance, click on the hyperlink.

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Posted In: Current Issues , Legislation-Illinois

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Illinois law requires that all drivers have car insurance when operating a motor vehicle. In order to be in compliance with this mandatory insurance law, the minimum coverage amounts are as follows: as least $20,000 for the injury or death of one person in a car accident, at least $40,000 for the injury or death of more than one person in a car accident and at least $15,000 for damage to the property of another person in a car accident. Every driver must carry their insurance card in their vehicle and present it to any requesting law enforcement officer. Insurance companies will automatically send an insurance card to their insured and will send a new one when the previous one expires. The Vehicle Renewal Registration Application that all drivers must fill out when renewing their registration each year now has a signature requirement promising that they have current insurance to cover the registration period. Drivers that fail to keep their insurance current, or lack insurance completely, are subject to a $100 reinstatement fee as well as current proof of insurance on the first offense. If it is a repeat offense, the driver is subjected to a four-month suspension period of their license in addition to the punishments of a first time offender. For more information on the mandatory insurance requirements, click here. If you have been injured in a car accident involving an uninsured motorist, the Chicago car accident attorneys at Levin & Perconti may be able to help you seek justice. Call 312-332-2872 for a free consultation with an accident lawyer.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Chicago Car Accident , Current Issues , Illinois Accident , Legislation-Illinois , Tips for Readers

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Due to the large number of car accidents resulting from drivers texting while driving, Illinois House Bill 71 was passed by both houses. If the bill is signed into law by the governor, police can pull over and fine anyone found texting while driving. The bill has certain exceptions for situations such as emergencies, or when the texting can be done hands-free. For more information on this Illinois text ban legislation, click here.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Current Issues , Legislation-Illinois

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A recent study shows that text messaging while driving is very dangerous and more likely to lead to car accidents than previously suspected. The study showed that the risk was up to 23 times greater that a car accident would occur while texting than it was while not texting. The danger is due to the fact that the drivers get distracted and take their eyes of the road, which can lead to car crashes. Fourteen states currently ban text-messaging while driving, because of the dangers of texting while driving. For more information on this recent study, click here.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Legislation-Illinois , Legislation-National News

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More information has been found in connection with a fatal car accident in which a police officer was going over a hundred miles an hour and crossed a median slamming into a passenger vehicle in November of 2007. The car accident killed two sisters and injured two other sisters. The family of the sisters who were injured in the car accident have filed a personal injury suit against the police officer, claiming negligence. There is a Act that grants immunities to state employees for mistakes made while performing official duties. The attorney for the girl’s family claims that since the accident occurred while the officer was talking on the phone, emailing and driving at excessive speeds, the officer cannot claim that he is entitled to protection from this Immunity Act. This issue is still pending in this case, and the police officer has criminal charges for the death of the two girls and injuries of the two others pending. For more information on this car accident suit, click here.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Illinois Accident , Legislation-Illinois , Verdicts and Settlements

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A teenage girl was killed in a car accident that the authorities believe to be a result of her text messaging while driving. The teenage girl was driving in a Chicago suburb and lost control of her vehicle because she was attempting to text while driving. The police are saying that texting while driving is even more dangerous than trying to change the radio while driving. The General Assembly of Illinois is trying to pass a bill that would make text messaging while driving illegal, as a result of the increased car accidents resulting from text messaging while driving. Current Illinois law makes talking on the phone and texting illegal while driving for anyone under the age of nineteen. For more information on this car accident, click here.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Illinois Accident , Injuries to Minors and Children , Legislation-Illinois

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According to an article on Mystateline.com, over 25% of reported car accidents are caused by distracted drivers. One of the ways that many drivers are distracted is by text messaging while driving. This dangerous practice takes drivers' eyes and minds off the road and can have devastating consequences.

Recently, the Illinois state House passed new legislation that bans people from texting while driving in Illinois. Those who are caught texting while driving will receive tickets and repeat offenders can end up in jail. The new rule will help to decrease the number of car accidents in Illinois. To read more about the new legislation banning text messaging while driving, follow the link.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Chicago Car Accident , Current Issues , Illinois Accident , Legislation-Illinois

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New policies in Illinois have been put into place to protect police and drivers from future car accidents. A lawsuit is currently pending against an Illinois State Police trooper who caused a fatal car accident last year in Rockford, IL. The police officer attempted to make a U-turn after witnessing a vehicle drive through a red light. As the policeman made the turn, his car collided with an SUV. The front-seat passenger sustained fatal injuries as a result of this collision. The new policies aim to prevent accidents like this from occurring.

Under previous Illinois law, police vehicles were permitted to go against traffic signals such as stoplights and stop signs with no speed limitations. A new code system was implemented in late 2008, giving police guidelines for how to react, depending on the severity of the situation.

Follow the link to read more about how these policies can prevent future car accidents.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Legislation-Illinois , SUV/Van Accident

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Motorists convicted of drunken driving in Illinois will have to blow into device to prove their sobriety every time they get behind the wheel come January 1, 2009. If the driver fails to blow into the device their car will not start. The restriction is part of a new law that is a huge Illinois crackdown on drunk drivers. The measure is one of the strictest in the nation and is aimed at first-time offenders convicted of driving under the influence. Those convicted will have 14 days to get a breath-alcohol ignition-interlock device installed in their vehicle’s dash. If the driver has a blood-alcohol content above .024 the engine won’t start. Those with multiple DUI convictions previously could have been ordered to install the device. This legislation could affect as many as 40,000 offenders a year. Sponsors responded to a concern from Mothers Against Drunk Driving that alcohol-related crashes and arrests had stopped declining in recent years, thus the group argued that technology could be used to get more drunken drivers of the roads. Last year in Illinois, there were 508 deaths from car crashes involving alcohol. Other states who have implemented this legislation have found a decrease in their alcohol-related traffic fatal car crashes. To read the full story, click here.

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Posted In: Legislation-Illinois

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Under Illinois law, adults who willfully provide alcohol to persons under 18 years of age are civilly liable for death or injuries caused by a minor’s intoxication. If a child was killed in a car crash because he was intoxicated, the adults who served the child would still be liable if a wrongful death lawsuit was filed.

Of course criminal repercussions accompany this conduct too, illustrated by the recent jury verdict in Lake County finding a Deerfield couple guilty of allowing underage drinking in their basement last October where two of the guests were killed in a car accident after leaving the couple’s home.

Yesterday, two Cook county parents were cited for permitting a minor to become intoxicated. The parents would have also been responsible for any death or injury that came as a result of their serving these minor’s alcohol.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident , Current Issues , Legislation-Illinois

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