Chicago Alderman are considering passing a law prohibiting drivers from text messaging or surfing the internet while driving on Chicago streets. The proposal is backed by Mayor Richard Daley.
Woman Dies After Car Struck By Truck In Dolton
A woman was killed in Dolton, Illinois near the Bishop Ford Freeway in a trucking accident when her car was struck by a Mack Truck.
The woman, Zina Kidd, was attempting to make a left turn when her vehicle was struck. The driver of the truck was given a ticket for failure to reduce speed to avoid another vehicle.
Young Boy Bit By Pit Bull in Chicago
A four year old boy was bit by a pit bull in his own backyard and is in critical condition the Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday.
The boy was in his own back yard at 3500 block of West Cortland when a pit bull that was being kept in the same building as where he lived attacked him.
The boy was listed in critical condition at Memorial Hospital.
71 Pedestrians Killed Each Year In Chicago
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.
Bicyclist Deaths Raise Safety Concerns
Anyone who drives in Chicago probably has noticed that there are more bicyclists sharing the roadway with automobiles than ever before. Unfortunately, there seem to also be more bicyclist accidents than ever before. One cannot help to be moved by the white painted bicycles that stand as memorials at the sites where bicyclists have been killed in an accident.
Safety measures need to be taken by both bicyclists and car drivers alike to avoid accidents. A few common sense recommendations for bicyclists are:
– Obey traffic rules
Bicyclist Dies in North Side Chicago Crash
A bicyclist was stuck by a car and killed Thursday evening on Lake shore Drive on the North Side of Chicago. This wrongful death occurred while the man was riding a bicycle in the 3300 block of North Lake Shore Drive at about 5:45 p.m. when he was hit by a car. The man died en route to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Dog Bites Child, 11, on Southwest Side of Chicago
A child was seriously injured Thursday afternoon as a result of a dog bite, the Chicago Suntimes reported.
The pit bull ran out of an alley at about 12:45 pm near the intersection of South Western Avenue and 57th Street and bit the 11 year old boy on his neck and legs. The boy was taken in serious condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
As is standard procedure, the dog was brought to Animal Care and Control where it will be quarantined for 10 days.
Weird Traffic Facts about Drivers, Accidents, and Driving
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
Chicago Texters Get Hit By Cars
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.