An Arlington Heights man was killed today as he walked through a commercial strip near his home. Arthur Tidd was a pedestrian walking across Algonquin road when he was struck by a Jeep Wrangler. The driver stopped after the accident. Rolling Meadows paramedics took Mr. Tidd to Northwest Community Hospital where he died a short time later.
71 pedestrians are killed and 930 are seriously injured every year in Chicago according to a Chicago Suntimes article published today. Nearly one-third of the pedestrian accidents are hit-and-runs.
Anyone who lives in Chicago knows that drivers do not stop at crosswalks in Chicago like they do in other cities. For example, on trips to Santa Fe, Sarasota, and Salt Lake City, I was surprised that drivers actually stop for pedestrians waiting at cross-walks in those cities.
The city of Chicago has been trying to step-up enforcement by operating stings this June in which undercover officers pretend to be a pedestrian using the crosswalk. The police issued 101 warnings to drivers who failed to yield to pedestrians in less than two hours. What is ironic about the Chicago Police trying to enforce laws requiring drivers to yield is that Chicago Police in squad cars almost never yield for pedestrians waiting at cross-walks. Maybe the Chicago Police should lead by example.
In his new book "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do" Tom Vanderbilt uncovered a lot of surprising information by digging into driving studies. For example:
- Drivers honk less on weekends.
- Pedestrians on cell phones take longer to cross the street, and look at traffic less often
- More people are killed legally in crosswalks than jaywalking.
- Half of all traffic fatalities happen at impact speeds of less than 35 mph.
- 350 people die every year entering the freeway the wrong way; at least 50 are killed by cars in driveways
- "Children at Play" signs do not reduce speed or accidents
- Car drivers drive closer to helmeted cyclists (and further from cyclists who appear to be
women).
Northwestern Memorial Hospital emergency room in Chicago sees about one pedestrian accident victim a day because they or someone else was walking and texting at the same time according to Dr. James Adams, the hospital's chair of emergency medicine.
Distracted texters fall down stairs, run into objects, and it is not unheard of for bicycle riders and rollerbladers to end up in the emergency room after crashing while texting.
Facial injuries are common since a texter is typically using both hands to text and is less likely to break his or her fall with their hands according to Dr. Adams.
Source: Monifa Thomas, Chicago Sun-Times, July 28, 2008
