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Motorcycle Accidents: Tips for Motorcyclists Driving on Wet Roads
Anyone who owns a motorcycle will tell you that one of the best things about riding is being in the open air – feeling the sunshine on your face, smelling the trees and flowers – without being confined like you when you drive a car. A motorcycle driver can also attest to the one of the downfalls of riding a bike – the dangerous conditions that arise when that bright sun is suddenly blocked by storm clouds and a downpour begins.
For drivers who do find themselves in that predicament – and if you ride you can be guaranteed it will happen to you sooner or later – there are steps you can take to help ensure that you make it safely home, despite the bad weather.
One of the most important safety tips for driving a motorcycle in wet weather is to remember that no matter how expensive and high-performance the tires on your bike are, there will be a significant decrease in the amount of traction they are able to maintain on the wet road. It is also important to remember that the braking distance of the bike increases on wet roads. The best thing to do is to slow down the speed of your bike. You should also try to maintain as upright a position of the bike as you can, even as you navigate around corners.
How to Mitigate Chances of Pedestrian Injury or Death
Pedestrian deaths, despite recent initiatives undertaken across several major American cities encouraging drivers to be more aware of non-car users on the road, still remain a serious issue in the U.S. In 2012, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 5,000 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes and another estimated 76,000 pedestrians were injured. This boils down to one pedestrian death caused by cars every two hours nationwide, and one injury ever seven minutes. While the onus for most pedestrian-related crashes falls to the driver of the car, there are several things that pedestrians can do to help mitigate the chance of such an accident. Following traffic laws is clearly the easiest among them.
A common traffic law that is easy to forget to follow pertains to jaywalking and the use of crosswalks. In 2011, according to the University of Illinois, Illinois legislators passed a law requiring all drivers to stop when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, not merely yield. After decades of yielding, of course, it will take more than five years for all Illinois drivers to adapt to regulations. As such, pedestrians should remove ear buds or stop using a cell phone when crossing the street — even in a crosswalk. Pedestrians, however, can be ticketed if they cross they street without using a crosswalk in Illinois.
Increased Risk of Drunk Driving Accident on Independence Day
Due to an increased rate of drunk drivers on the road, the 4th of July is one of the deadliest holidays.
In 2012, Americans imbibed roughly 68 million cases of beer on Independence Day weekend. Not only is the Fourth stereotypically a weekend for afternoon parties, it is also a weekend in which many people go on vacation or a short road trip. These combined factors make the likelihood of getting into an accident with a drunk driver all the more likely. July 4th is the worst day of the year when it comes to fatal car accidents. Between 2007 and 2001, 40 percent of all highway fatalities were attributed to an alcohol-related crash that occurred on the 4th of July.
In order to mitigate the risk of drunk drivers, many states use sobriety checkpoints. Illinois is one of the 38 states in the U.S. that performs sobriety checkpoints on drivers, a practice that has different justifications for its legality depending on state rulings. Authority for such checkpoints in Illinois is found under federal law, given the state’s interpretation of the Constitution. There are only 12 states, then, that do not conduct them—Texas, for example, prohibits sobriety checkpoints based on its interpretation of the Constitution. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) estimates that the state of Illinois conducts several hundred of these checkpoints every year, and Independence Day weekend is surely one of them.
Teen Driver Tips for Parents
Do you have a teen that is now driving? National statistics show that motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers in this country. In fact, one study found that more teens are killed in vehicle accidents than they are by homicide or suicide. In 2012, 2,439 teens died in auto accidents, 1,927 teens died as a result of homicide, and 1,863 teens took their own lives.
And almost as many teen passengers are being killed in crashes as teen drivers. Tragically, more than half of those victims were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.
The summer months increase the risk to young drivers because they usually spend more time driving than they do during the school year. However, there are steps that parents can take to make sure their teen drivers are safe on the road.
- Teach your teen basic vehicle maintenance, such as the vehicle fluids and tire pressure. Properly maintaining the brake fluid, coolant, oil, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, and washing fluid helps prevent vehicles from breaking down.
Mental Conditions Caused by Car Accidents
If you have been in a debilitating car accident, especially one in which you were not at fault, you may suffer long-lasting health effects that are more than simply physical injuries. Mental anguish, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), and phobias are sometimes experienced by survivors of serious car accidents, and these conditions can have devastating effects on a person’s livelihood and ability to pursue life as before. If conditions persist for longer than a year and carry the diagnosis of a health professional, you may actually also be able to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits as well — though it is not an easy process to qualify and retain these benefits. Alternatively, you may be able to recuperate some of the costs of mental treatments, lost time at work, and reimbursement for pain and suffering through a personal injury lawsuit after a car accident in which you were not at fault.
Personal Injury Damages: Calculating Pain and Suffering for a Car Accident
When you are calculating the cost of a car accident, it involves more than just the damage to the car, existing infrastructure, even health incidents — pain and suffering clauses in lawsuits involving car accidents frequently result in large swaths of payouts for car accident victims.
When a person experiences a debilitating car accident for which he or she was not at fault, he or she will often have severe medical bills, physical therapy costs, and check-up financial responsibilities. These, like physical damage done to the vehicle itself, are fairly black and white costs. Hospitals will submit proof of payment or treatment to insurance companies, and doctors can provide written explanations of how long treatments are expected to last with projected cost analysis. But there are costs associated with car accidents that are much more a shade of grey as well.
Hit-and-Run Accidents on the Rise
In late July, a 54-year-old Tinley Park woman was struck and killed in hit-and-run accident just after midnight. The woman, a pedestrian, was not immediately killed, but later succumbed to injuries in a nearby hospital. Her story is not uncommon. While several other types of common contributing factors to motor vehicle accidents have continued to decline—such as drinking and driving—the instances of hit-and-runs have actually continued to increase in recent years.
Data from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration shows that the number of fatal hit-and-run accidents has increased from 1,274 in 2009 to 1,393 in 2010, to 1,449 in 2011. In the same period, there was an almost 14 percent increase in the number of fatalities which occurred in these accidents, meaning that not only are hit-and-runs becoming more common, they are becoming more severe as well.
Motorcycle Accidents: How to Avoid Them
It is no shock that there are more motorcycle fatalities and injuries per number of accidents than those experienced by drivers or passengers in motor vehicles. Because motorcycle riders lack an enclosed space, accidents are usually more severe. This is exacerbated by the fact that a significant number of motorcycles have high performance capacities, meaning that they can drive at high speeds — this is further exacerbated by the fact that many motorcyclists are using the bike for a joy ride, rather than for function. This can often mean that motorcyclists are more reckless.
Although there are not set comparative numbers, by some estimates that per mile traveled in 2013, there were 26 times the number of motorcycle deaths than fatalities in motor vehicles. While motorcycle deaths declined between the early 1980s and 1998, they have been steadily increasing in numbers since 1998. This could be because there are simply more motorcyclists on the road — but either way, motorcycle deaths made up nearly 15 percent of all roadway crashes in 2013 and were double the number of deaths in 1997.
Pet Containments for Vehicles: How Safe Is Your Pet in a Car Crash?
For many dog-owners, their dog is not just a pet, but is considered a member of the family. Many of us take our dogs on vacations and other family outings. Cats, too, may need to be in a family vehicle, for the necessary vet visit or if the family is moving. Although some models of vehicles now offer pet-containment options, one of the most popular ways to transport a pet in a vehicle is by pet carrier. Consumers purchase these items thinking they are keeping their pet safe, especially in the event of a motor vehicle accident. But just how much protection do these pet carriers actually offer? A recent study asked just that question and its results may disturb pet owners who thought they were doing their best in protecting their dog or cat.
The study was completed by the Center for Pet Safety (CPS), and sponsored by Subaru of America. The study examined eight carriers and four crates to determine how effective they are in a crash. In the event of a crash, these pet-containment products should do several things in order to protect the animal inside and any people who are in the vehicle. If the carrier does not remain secure at its connection points in a crash, then it can become a projectile, injuring the animal inside or hitting anyone in the vehicle.
Which Is Safer in a Car Crash: Front or Back Seat?
How many times have when you were younger did you or your siblings yell, “shotgun” when jumping into the car with one of your parents. There was always that argument over who was going to get to ride in the front seat, getting full access to the car radio. Over the years, however, auto safety recommendations have advised that children should remain in the back seat until they are at least 12 years of age in order to remain safe in the event of a car accident.
But a new investigation by Consumer Reports reveals that riding shotgun just may be safer than riding in the backseat. The reason for this, the investigation found, is that there has been a lot of focus on making the front seat safer, which has cut down dramatically the number of fatalities and injuries which occur during vehicle wrecks. However, this has left rear seat safety technology lagging. In fact, in vehicles which were manufactured after 2006, a person sitting in the rear seat has almost a 50 percent more chance of getting killed in a vehicle crash than a person sitting in the front passenger seat. This percent holds true even after the factors such as gender and age are considered.
Contact a Lake County Vehicle Accident Attorney Who is Ready to Help You
If you or a member of your family has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact our office. Call 847-662-3303 to set up a free initial consultation at one of our four convenient locations. There is no risk because we only collect fees if you collect compensation. With offices in Libertyville, Waukegan, Richmond, and Chicago, we represent clients in Lake County, Cook County, DuPage County, and McHenry County.
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