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Illinois Considers Third Class of Motorcycle License
For the past three years, there has been a consistent increase in the number of motorcycle accident fatalities in the state of Illinois. The number of deaths has caused officials to seriously consider adding a third class of motorcycle license to the two classes of licenses that Illinois now offers.
Currently, when a person applies for a motorcycle license, they have two options to test for. The first is for cycles which have an engine less than 150 cubic centimeters. Engines these sizes are typically found in scooters and off-road bikes. The second class is for cycles with engines larger than 150 cubic centimeters.
The problem, proponents of a third license class say, is that motorcycle manufactures keep designing bikes with larger and larger engines, with enough power to hit speeds of up to 140 miles per hour. A novice rider, who passed their licensing test riding a smaller engine motorcycle, goes and purchases one of these more powerful bikes and ends up not being able to handle them. This often leads to accidents–and too often those accidents are deadly.
Car Accidents vs. Trucking Accidents: How They Differ
The number of motor vehicle accidents that occur each year has reached the millions. According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2009, over 13 million passenger accidents have occurred in the past decade, half a million which involved large trucks.
All motor vehicle accidents share a few similarities, but a collision involving a commercial truck differs from that involving an automobile based on a variety of factors. Both can be traumatic to all parties involved and result in:
- Personal injuries;
- Damage to the vehicle or vehicles;
- Medical costs; and
- Post-accident stress and follow-up care.
However, financial liability and driver responsibility when comparing trucking and car accidents are not the same. A motorist involved in a car accident with one or more cars exchanges insurance information between drivers to file a claim. When a trucking accident occurs, both the commercial driver and the trucking company may be held liable for damages. In either case, pertinent data must be collected including:
NHTSA: Dangers of 15-Passenger Vans
One of the most popular modes of transportation for youth sports groups, church groups, and other organizations is the 15-passenger van. Many families or groups of friends will also rent these large vehicles when traveling together, rather than using separate vehicles. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns that these vehicles can be dangerous.
According to the NHTSA, overloaded 15-passenger vans have a greater risk of being involved in a rollover accident, and many of these accidents can be fatal. Overloading the van also makes it unstable when driving, which also increases the risk of other types of traffic accidents.
Past testing conducted by the NHTSA revealed that the more occupants in the van, the greater the risk of a roll-over, even in a single-vehicle crash. In fact, a van carrying 10 occupants has a three times higher risk of rolling over than a van carrying five occupants.
Caution to Drivers: Collisions Caused by Deer on the Rise in Winter Months
During this time of year car crashes involving deer are more common. The Illinois Department of Transportation documented 426 deer-related motor vehicle accidents in Cook County in 2013 with over 15,000 total accidents affecting the state. This, in addition to wintry weather conditions and holiday travel, has caused an increase in car accidents over previous years.
Deer that jump out into the road can cause rear-end accidents or other types of collisions on the road due to drivers trying to move out of the way. Motorists should abide by the following safety tips:
- Drive with caution particularly at dusk and dawn when deer activity is high;
- Reduce speed near wooded areas and fields;
- Watch for deer traveling together, one deer may indicate more to follow; and
- Avoid swerving, if possible.
Watch Out for That Icy Walkway: Seniors Especially Susceptible to Slip and Fall Injuries
Every year, over 1.5 million older Americans visit hospital emergency rooms for treatment of injuries they sustain from slips or falls. For seniors, falls are the number one cause of injury death, hospital admission for traumas, and bone fractures. The most common fractures from falls are hips, pelvis, spine, arm, hand, and ankle.
The most serious type of fracture for seniors is a hip fracture. Many seniors who receive a hip injury from a fall never fully recover and lost their ability to live independently, often needling long-term care.
A recent study by the researchers from the University of Massachusetts found that seniors are more likely to suffer a slip or fall while they are walking on order to do routine errands, rather than when they are walking for exercise. The study points out what a catch-22 this is for older people as walking is good exercise and helps them maintain balance and muscle strength, yet 63 percent of falls are caused by walking.
Truck Drivers Carry Special Responsibility When on the Road
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 9,739 reported tractor-trailer crashes in 2012, which resulted in 94 fatalities and over 2,000 injuries. Due to the size and cargo weight of tractor-trailers, truck drivers have specific safety regulations they must follow when on the road.
It is necessary for truck drivers to check for defective equipment and faulty brakes before starting their shifts. They must have adequate experience driving a commercial truck and abide by the limitations that have been implemented regarding the amount of drive time they are allowed per week.
Federal regulations have been put into place to help prevent the number of trucking accidents that occur every year. The rules require drivers to:
- Not exceed a maximum of 70 hours of drive time per work week, a decrease from the previously approved 82 hours;
FDA Warns about Unknown Dangers to Babies from Keep-Sake Ultrasounds
One of the most popular items that many parents-to-be have jumped on purchasing are prenatal portraits, also called “keepsake ultrasounds.” Commercial keepsake ultrasound businesses have opened up across the country. These photos are different from the ultrasounds usually done during a medical exam because the images are in 3-D or 4-D format. One of the more popular ways to get a prenatal portrait done is by hosting or attending an ultrasound party.
These events are like many other “parties” one might have, just like makeup, cookware, or candle, complete with friends and snacks. Except the “demonstrator” here brings an ultrasound machine and most of the guests are pregnant. But just how safe are these keepsake ultrasounds and what harm could they be doing to unborn babies?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning to expectant parents that these medically unnecessary ultrasounds may actually be dangerous. While a normal, doctor prescribed ultrasound typically takes 15 minutes to obtain the photos needed for medical diagnosis, keep-sake ultrasounds often run up to an hour in order for the technician to obtain good photos of the baby’s face. One of the main concerns, according to the FDA, is that there has been little to no studies done which have determined what the long-term effect of a sustained exposure to the ultrasound has on an unborn child.
Dog Bites Can Cause Serious Injury
It can seem unfathomable to an animal lover that his or her beloved companion might be capable of inflicting life-changing harm. Many dogs, of course, will live out their lives without ever placing a person in any danger. Others, however, may attack without warning causing serious and potentially fatal injuries to an unsuspecting individual. Dog bites may also result in the animal’s owner being held liable for any and all injuries sustained as a result.
Dangerous Breeds
Research compiled from the United States and Canada by Merritt Clifton, editor of Animals 24-7, indicated that in the last 30 years, a large majority of dog bites and attacks are inflicted by a single category of breeds known as molosser dogs. This group of animals, which includes pit bulls, rottweilers, mastiffs, boxers, and sharpeis, was responsible for more than 85 percent of all attacks causing bodily harm. Particularly striking is the fact that such breeds constitute less than 10 percent of the total dog population.
Texting and Driving Laws Do Not Eliminate All Accidents
When the nation attempted to crack down on drinking and driving, a national ad campaign was launched to raise awareness about the problem. In 1980, for example, the year that Candy Lightner founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), there were estimated to be more than 21,000 Americans killed in drunk driving accidents. Today, that number has decreased by almost 50 percent.
With social evolution and technological advances, of course, come new challenges. Today’s greatest driving safety challenge may not have to do with intoxicating substances, but with devices ubiquitous in our everyday lives. Texting and driving has become one of the greatest new road safety challenges of the 21st century. And many states have launched campaigns—in the tradition of MADD way back in 1980—to combat this.
In 2014, Illinois put into effect a new law that not only banned texting and driving, but represented one of the strictest measures in the country against the use of handheld mobile devices while driving. NBC Chicago reports that statistics gathered soon after the law was put into place showed that the crackdown was having an effect—depending on where you lived. Evanston, Illinois, was one area in which the new law seemed to have a strong impact. Police there reported that more than $100,000 had been collected for the city based on tickets given for handheld device use infractions; more than 500 in the first few months of the new law.
What You Need to Know about Dog Bite Lawsuits
Getting sued over a dog bite is one of the most costly experiences a pet owner can go through. According to the Insurance Information Institute, as reported by Forbes, the average cost of a dog bite lawsuit is more than $26,000. While the number of insurance claims have dropped nearly 5 percent since 2010, the costs associated with the lawsuit have steeply risen. In fact, according to a separate report from the Insurance Information Institute, dog bites accounted for more than 30 percent of all homeowners insurance liability claim dollars paid out in 2011, costing consumers nearly $479 million that year. In that time period, the average claim was up 12.3 percent from the previous year, to more than $29,000.
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9631 W. 153rd St., Suite 32, Orland Park, IL 60462
708-966-2408
