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A “dangerous intersection” is a term commonly used to describe an intersection that has many accidents.  There can be many factors that can contribute to an intersection having many accidents. One such factor is if the intersection experiences a high volume of traffic, especially if there is insufficient traffic control devices given the traffic experienced at the intersection.

On this site there are numerous posts discussing the concept of “dangerous intersections” as well as various intersections in Chicago that some consider to be “dangerous intersections.”

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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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There was a fatal accident Friday morning (May 27, 2016) in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood in which a 7-year-old girl was struck and killed by a tractor.  At the time of the accident the girl was attempting to cross the street with her mother.

According to the Chicago Police Department, the accident happened at approximately 7:50 a.m. in the 6500 block of South Ashland Avenue.  At that time, as the girl was walking across the street with her mother, they were struck by a tractor that was traveling south on Ashland and was pulling mowing equipment.

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In various posts in this site, the high level of Chicago traffic and associated congestion and long travel times are discussed.  Among these posts are the following:

“Chicago Has Second Highest Traffic Commuting Times”

“Chicago Area Ranked #2 In Nation For Worst Traffic Congestion”

A recent study now indicates that Chicago has the worst “traffic bottleneck” in the United States.

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Traffic congestion can be measured in a number of ways, as can commute times.  However one chooses to measure such traffic congestion, Chicago and the Chicago area ranks very highly in congestion and commute times.

A past post, that dated October 6, 2011 (“Chicago Area Ranked #2 In Nation For Worst Traffic Congestion“) highlighted the issue.

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Today, there was a fatal plane crash in Manhattan Township in southern Will County, Illinois.

Details on the cause of the accident are limited at this time.

Larry Diffley, 74, of Bemidji, Minnesota, died in the accident.

The two-engine plane crashed in a soybean field shortly before 3:00 p.m. The accident occurred about a half-mile from Gougar and Offner roads.

The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) has said the plane was a Hawker Beechcraft BE-58, owned by Bemidji Aviation Services of Minnesota.

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The 2011 Urban Mobility Report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, ranks areas by a number of criteria with regard to traffic congestion.

As seen in the report section detailing the Chicago area’s traffic mobility (pdf) :

  • Rush-hour drivers in the greater Chicago area paid the highest congestion cost in the U.S. again last year, averaging $1,568 in lost time and wasted fuel for each motorist stuck in heavy traffic (seen as “Cost per Peak Auto Commuter”)
  • Each automobile driver in the Chicago region wasted an average of 71 additional hours because of congestion delays, as seen in the “Delay per Peak Auto Commuter (pers-hrs). This total is second to the Washington metro area, which is at 74 hours.

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