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Motor Vehicle Accidents 
Truck driver fatigue causes up to 19 deaths and 560 injuries every year, and it impairs other professional drivers too. However, it isn’t actually the most common cause of large-truck accidents. A federal study of accidents caused by truck operators revealed that 18% of these drivers were sleep-deprived, but 44% were under the influence of over-the-counter or prescription drugs.
On the evening of July 23, 2015, Jill Buck was driving her Honda Pilot home on I-65 near West Lafayette in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. With her in the vehicle were her sons, Aidan and Branson. Shortly before midnight, the mother of five children entered a construction zone located near the SR 43 exit. Buck slowed her vehicle to comply with the posted construction zone speed limit.
Keyless ignition systems are billed as a time-saving device of convenience that can make getting up, and getting out the door a little bit easier. While it’s true they make starting a vehicle easier for consumers, these devices pose considerable safety hazards that should not, and indeed, cannot be ignored.
In early June, Illinois law enforcement responded to a single-car accident. According to the Chicago Tribune, a 73-year-old man was driving the vehicle when it left the road and slammed into a tree. Both the man and his 72-year-old wife, who was in the passenger seat, died as a result of the accident.
One of the greatest hazards on Chicago’s roads is aggressive drivers. Although Illinois currently has no formal aggressive driving laws in place, many of the behaviors that would be covered under that provision are still prohibited because of their increased potential for accidents. A car accident attorney in Chicago may see many aggressive driving accident victims in just a single year.
According to the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, the state of Illinois saw 321 alcohol-related automotive fatalities on its roadways in 2012. Many people try and minimize their risk of involvement in an impaired driving accident by utilizing a designated driver.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, there were 285,477 motor vehicle crashes and 991 fatalities in the state during 2013. Aggressive driving behaviors that lead to road rage have become a major contributor to the rise in collisions.
According to Illinois crash data, there were 142 traffic fatalities involving large trucks in 2013. This number has risen steeply since 2009. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that jackknifing is involved in 10 percent of all fatal truck crashes.
Voice-activated systems in vehicles are very popular. These systems allow Illinois drivers to control the features of their vehicles while keeping both hands on the wheel. A recent cognitive study shows that voice-activated technology is not always safe to operate while driving.
Commercial truck weights are regulated by federal and state limits. Illinois officials set the state’s weight limits on the loads trucks can haul within the borders based on risk reduction. Overweight trucks compromise traffic safety and road conditions and may be a contributing factor in injury or fatality crashes.