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Pedestrian accidents continue to be a major traffic safety concern for many reasons.  One reason is that various statistics show such accidents to be increasing; as well, pedestrian accidents are cause for concern due to the extent of injuries – many fatal – that usually accompany such accidents.  Various aspects of pedestrian accidents are further discussed on the “Chicago Pedestrian Accidents” page.

As frequently noted on this site (and also seen in many pedestrian accident summaries) many pedestrian accidents occur while people are lawfully trying to cross the street while in a crosswalk. In order to “highlight” such crosswalks – and otherwise draw more attention to them – cities and states have tried to enact various measures.  These measures have included installing “high-visibility” street signs alerting of crosswalks.  Another measure has been to install flashing “beacons” at crosswalks.

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There was a “chain-reaction” car crash Thursday morning (July 20, 2017) on the Edens Expressway in Skokie.

While it is unclear what role – if any – heavy thunderstorms might have played in causing the crash, such storms had been present overnight and in the early morning hours.

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“Self-driving cars” (also referred to as “autonomous cars” ) have potential to significantly decrease car accidents as well as other vehicle accidents.  Many of the benefits would be through the elimination of accidents that are caused by drunk drivers, “drugged drivers,” and distracted drivers.  As well, other driver “errors” would no longer occur.

The Wall Street Journal published an article on June 26, 2017, titled “Can Auto Fatalities Go to Zero?”  The article discusses various aspects of “self-driving cars,” including the potential reduction in traffic accidents as well as when self-driving vehicles may be widely adopted.

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There was a fatal “hit & run” pedestrian accident early Sunday (June 18, 2017) morning in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.

According to Chicago Police, this fatal crash happened at approximately 1:30 a.m., as a man was crossing the street in the 2000 block of West Division Street.  At that time, the man was hit by a Toyota Camry that was reportedly speeding east on Division.  The driver of the Camry did not stop after the collision and fled the accident scene.

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Pedestrian accidents continue to be a significant traffic safety concern in the Chicago area, as well as nationally.  Such pedestrian accidents are increasing.  There have been various stated reasons for this increase.  One reason cited is the increase in distracted driving, as well as “distracted” walkers.

Further adding to concerns for pedestrian safety is that many pedestrian accident happen while people are walking in areas that are supposed to be “safe.”  As discussed often on this site – both on the “Chicago Pedestrian Accidents” page as well as discussed in many individual posts discussing pedestrian accidents – many people who are hit by vehicles are walking in crosswalks at the time of the accident.  As well, there are many other accidents – some fatal – which happen as a pedestrian is walking on a sidewalk when they are hit by a vehicle that has left the roadway.

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There was a fatal car crash early Sunday morning (May 28, 2017) in Chicago’s South Deering neighborhood.

According to information provided by the Chicago Police Department, the accident happened as a car with two women occupants was traveling southbound at approximately 4:45 a.m. in the 10300 block of South Commercial Avenue.

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Pedestrian accidents continue to be a significant traffic safety concern in the Chicago area, as well as nationally.  Such pedestrian accidents are increasing, and there have been various stated reasons for this increase.  One reason cited is the increase in distracted driving, as well as “distracted” walkers.

As seen in the pedestrian accidents that have been discussed on this site (in posts found under the “pedestrian accidents” category, as well as further discussed on the “Chicago Pedestrian Accidents” page) such accidents in the Chicago area often involve serious accident injuries.  Many such accidents have been fatal.

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On this site “drugged driving” – also called drug-impaired driving – has been discussed in various posts, including highlighting a recent study regarding such impaired driving in the May 7 post titled “‘Drugged Driving’ Report.”

There are many reasons why driving while impaired because of drug use is notable.  As mentioned previously, there have been many recent Chicago-area accidents in which the driver has been under the influence of drugs.  As well, the frequency of such accidents is notably high and has been increasing.  As such, from a traffic safety perspective, such “drugged driving” has become a serious issue.

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“Distracted Driving” remains among the top causes for Illinois traffic accidents.  There are many types of activities that can constitute distracted driving.  As seen on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Distracted Driving page, the NHTSA definition is the following:

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system—anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.

Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.

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