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Behaviors Teen Drivers Engage in That Increase the Risk of Car Accidents
In the United States, finally getting your driver’s license is a rite of passage that many teenagers enjoy when they turn 16. Though the feeling of driving without parental supervision is exciting to most teenagers, with great freedom comes great responsibility. Teen drivers can pose a risk to themselves and others because of their inexperience on the road and increased likeliness to participate in dangerous behaviors while they are driving.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 3,200 teen drivers were involved in fatal crashes in 2017. Further, car crashes are still the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. Teens are not the only ones who can be injured in a car accident, however. Often times, the risky behaviors that they engage in also put others on the road at risk. Here are a few dangerous behaviors that could result in a car accident:
Understanding Pedestrian Accident Risk Factors in Illinois
Pedestrian accidents can be some of the most dangerous traffic accidents that can occur. Pedestrians are at more of a risk than other motorists for serious injuries because of the lack of protection that is given to those in motor vehicles. Because of this, pedestrian accidents can turn out deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 6,200 people killed in pedestrian accidents in 2018, an increase of nearly 4 percent from 2017. The NHTSA has focused efforts on reducing pedestrian accidents and have identified certain factors that are commonly present during pedestrian accidents in the U.S. Here are a few things that have been discovered about the risk factors for pedestrian accidents.
Gender Matters
When it comes to pedestrian accidents, males were more likely to be killed in crashes than females. The NHTSA found that more than two-thirds or around 70 percent of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents were men. In fact, the overall male fatality rate for pedestrian accidents for every 100,000 people was 2.60, which is more than double the rate for females, which is around 1.07.
Dealing with a Truck Accident Involving a Drowsy Driver
Accidents involving large trucks, such as semi-trucks or other large vehicles, tend to be extremely serious. Think about it -- when a huge, 40,000-pound truck collides with an average-sized, 4,000-pound vehicle, there is bound to be much more damage to the smaller vehicle. Truck accidents also tend to be deadly for passengers in smaller vehicles. According to the latest data available from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were over 4,700 people killed in truck accidents in 2017. Of those people, nearly 75 percent were occupants of the other motor vehicle involved in the accidents. One of the most commonly cited reasons for truck accidents is driver fatigue, which is highly regulated by the FMCSA.
Hours of Service Regulations
Driving for long periods of time can make anyone tired. When all you do is drive for a living, you can become fatigued quickly, which is why rules were put into place by the FMCSA to prevent drowsy driving by truck drivers. Hours of service regulations are laws that all truck drivers must follow in order to limit the amount of time they spend on the road. If a truck is carrying cargo, a driver:
What Can I Do if a Family Member Was Killed in an Illinois Car Accident?
One of the hardest things we will all have to do at some point in this life is to grieve the death of a loved one. When their death is untimely and preventable, it can be even more heartbreaking for family members. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 37,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2017. Losing a loved one in a car accident can be hard to deal with, especially if the other party was at fault and they were able to walk away from the accident. Fortunately, the state of Illinois allows family members to claim compensation in their loved ones’ name in what is known as a wrongful death claim.
What Is Wrongful Death?
Wrongful death lawsuits are wide-reaching; they can cover a variety of intentional or unintentional actions taken by individuals, a group of people or even companies as a whole. Specifically, the Wrongful Death Act states that wrongful death can be caused by “wrongful act, neglect or default.” Wrongful death acts are also typically acts that would have entitled the deceased to file a personal injury claim if death had not ensued.
Common Injuries After a Motorcycle Accident
If you own a motorcycle, you know how fun and exhilarating riding one can be. Unfortunately, riding a motorcycle can also be very dangerous. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclists are 28 times more likely to be fatally injured in a traffic crash than the occupants of a passenger vehicle. This is due to the inherent vulnerability of motorcycles. Passenger vehicles are made of metal which surrounds the driver and occupants on all sides; motorcyclists are simply just on top of a smaller and much lighter vehicle. Even when motorcycle accidents are not fatal, motorcycles often suffer harsh injuries that can affect you for the rest of your life in some cases.
Motorcycle Accident Injuries
The type of injuries that result from a motorcycle accident depends on a few different factors. Obviously, the nature and type of accident will play a role in determining the severity of the injuries. Also, what the motorcyclist was wearing at the time of the accident can also affect the severity of the injuries. Typically, a person who is wearing proper motorcycling gear such as a helmet, long pants, and a jacket usually suffer less than those who do not wear protective gear. Here are a few of the most common motorcycle accident injuries:
Holding the Trucking Company Liable for an Illinois Truck Accident
If you have ever traveled along any of the thousands of miles of highway in the United States, you have almost certainly shared the road with a semi-truck or big rig at some point. According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were more than 1.5 million for-hire and private trucking companies in the country with more than 36 million trucks being used for business purposes. Truck accidents are unfortunately not uncommon; the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported nearly 5,000 fatal truck crashes and around 116,000 crashes causing injury in 2017. While truck drivers are almost always responsible for a portion of the blame in accidents, trucking companies can also be held responsible in some cases. Here are a few ways trucking companies might be responsible for truck accidents:
Not Maintaining or Servicing the Truck
Rear-End Collisions: Who Is at Fault?
One of the most common types of car crashes in the United States is rear-end collisions. Rear-end collisions may not seem very dangerous, but they can cause extensive damage to your vehicle and injuries ranging from whiplash to broken bones and even death in some situations. In most cases, it is fairly easy to determine who is at fault in a rear-end collision. In other cases, assigning responsibility for the accident is not so easy. If you are in any type of car accident, it is important to seek legal advice as soon as possible.
Determining Fault
Securing legal representation is crucial after a rear-end collision. It can get very expensive very quickly for needed repairs on your vehicle and medical bills and/or lost wages from your injuries. You and your attorney will discuss what happened during the accident and determine if the other person is liable for the damages you have sustained. Basically, there are three different options when it comes to assigning fault in a rear-end collision:
Watch Out for These Delayed Symptoms After an Illinois Car
Each year, thousands of people die in fatal car accidents in the United States. According to data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 37,000 people were killed in traffic accidents and nearly 3 million more people were injured in 2017. Being in a car accident is a frightening and traumatizing experience. Those who are lucky enough to walk away from a car accident can suffer serious, life-altering injuries that can affect their quality of life. These injuries do not always show up right away; it can day takes, weeks or even months for a car accident injury to fully manifest itself. If you have been in a car accident, you should keep an eye out for these common delayed symptoms:
- Headaches: It is not uncommon for a person to develop persistent headaches days after the crash took place. While it is common for headaches to be a delayed symptom of a concussion or whiplash, it can also be a sign of a more serious problem, such as a blood clot in the brain or a critical injury to the neck or brain.
Avoid Making These Mistakes During Your Illinois Personal Injury Case
Filing and winning a personal injury case is no easy feat. There are many legal steps you must go through, paperwork that must be filled out, meetings with your attorney, doctor’s visits, court appearances; the list goes on. After all the time and effort you put into succeeding in a personal injury lawsuit, the last thing you would want to do is to ruin it by somehow decreasing your credibility or having your case thrown out completely, yet it is not uncommon for this to happen. Even just a simple slip of the tongue can affect the outcome of your personal injury case. If you are pursuing compensation for an injury, make sure you do not make these common mistakes.
Not Following Doctor’s Orders or Attending Appointments
Right after you are injured, you should get emergency medical attention if necessary, but you should at least visit a doctor to begin a record of medical treatment. Your doctor will give you a plan of action for your recovery and it is important that you follow his or her instructions. Your medical records will be used in your case and ignoring the doctor’s orders or skipping appointments can make it seem like you may not be as injured as you say you are.
How Is Fault Determined in Illinois Car Accidents?
One of the great dangers that plague today’s world for a majority of Americans is car crashes. The latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that the leading cause of death in 2016 for children who were 10 and 11 years old and young adults ages 16 to 22 was motor vehicle crashes. Nearly 7.3 million police-reported traffic accidents occurred in 2016, injuring more than 3 million people and killing nearly 37,500 people. Getting into any car accident is a serious matter, even if nobody was hurt. Apportioning fault is a big part of ensuring you get the compensation you deserve from any damages to your vehicle or injuries you sustain from a car accident. But how is fault determined in these cases?
Violation of a Traffic Law
One of the easiest ways to determine who is at fault for a car accident is whether or not either party violated a traffic law. Every person on the road has a duty to follow all traffic laws and to refrain from actions that endanger others on the road. If it can be proven that one party violated a traffic law and that violation led to the collision, that party may be held liable for the damages from the accident.
Quinn Law Group, LLC
847-232-7180
350 S. Northwest Highway, Suite 300, Park Ridge, IL 60068
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