Woman wearing seatbelt

Illinois Drivers: Make Sure Your Backseat Riders Buckle Up in 2012

In an earlier post, we outlined a number of new Illinois laws that recently went into effect with the start of 2012. One of those laws requires that everyone in a vehicle buckle up, including backseat riders. Previously, backseat riders over 18 were exempt from the requirement to use a seatbelt, but effective January 1, […]

Amtrak train on railroad tracks

Illinois Court Considers Liability of Truck Driver for Amtrak Accident

In March of 1999, in Bourbonnais, Illinois, an Amtrak passenger train collided with a semi-tractor trailer driven by John Stokes, causing a serious accident that resulted in many deaths. A number of lawsuits followed and, recently, in Dowe v. Birmingham Steel Corporation, Nos. 1-09-1997, 1-09-2006, the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, considered liability for […]

Bicyclists on the road with vehicles

U.S. Car Accident Map and Chicago Bicycle Accident Map

According to the Guardian UK Datablog, there were 369,269 deaths on U.S. roadways between 2001 and 2009. The accidents that caused these deaths involved cars, trucks, cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. It’s such a large figure that it’s difficult to wrap your mind around it. Although these tragic losses are nearly incomprehensible, the Datablog offers an […]

Speed camera

Chicago to install speeding cameras

Last week, we discussed the safety issues presented when municipalities outsource the maintenance of red light cameras and in the past, we’ve discussed the continuing debate about the efficacy of red light cameras. Now, in Chicago, there are concerns regarding the new proposal to install speed cameras at Chicago intersections located near schools and city […]