Category Archives: Traffic Safety
Fun With Physics! Join Us For A Free Lecture On Improving Traffic Safety
Renowned Physicist To Give Talk “Why Drivers Run Red Lights”
Sure, even if it’s been a few years since you cracked a book for your last physics class, you’re still invited.
We absolutely promise, you won’t need a slide rule or a calculator to attend a special lecture on traffic safety with physicist and traffic safety expert Brian Ceccarelli next Monday, June 18th at 7 PM.
“Why Drivers Run Red Lights,” is the title of Ceccarelli’s talk, co-sponsored by The Expired Meter and the Red Light Camera Doctor, where Ceccarelli will use his physics background to explain his theories on why the current methods of determining yellow light timing intervals may be causing unnecessary traffic accidents.
“I’m going to make a little physicist out of everyone in about 15 minutes,” chuckled Ceccarelli when asked if people would need an advanced degree in mathematics, science or engineering to attend his lecture.
May Is Motorcycle Awareness Month
Watch out for motorcycles.
That’s what the Illinois Department of Transportation and local motorcycle rider groups are asking car drivers to do. As the weather gets warmer and more motorcycles are on the road, drivers of four wheeled vehicles need to be more attentive of the two wheeled types.
The state launched their “Start Seeing Motorcycles” campaign this week in conjunction with Motorcycle Awareness Month in attempt to promote the idea of improving traffic safety for both motorcycles and cars.
What If Motorists Had To Pass Their Driving Test While Texting?
Most drivers know texting while operating a motor vehicle is dangerous.
Despite the risk, some drivers still do it anyways.
In order to demonstrate how dangerous the practice is, Responsible Young Drivers, a Belgian non-profit punked a bunch of young drivers looking to qualify for their first driver’s license.
Tuesday Is Crossing Guard Appreciation Day
Believe it or don’t.
May 1st is Crossing Guard Appreciation Day in the State of Illinois.
No. Seriously. No kidding.
Since 2005, Illinois has been recognizing the important work of getting kids to school safely each day by designating the first day of May annually to encourage people to show appreciation for their local crossing guards.
“They put their lives at stake every day for our kids and are some of the bravest, most crucial resources for making walking and biking to school safe,” says Ethan Spotts, a spokesperson for the Active Transportation Alliance, a local group that promotes biking, walking and alternative transportation choices.
Sun-Times: Chicagoland’s 20 Most Dangerous Intersections
While a list of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s most dangerous intersections pinpoints spots all over the greater Chicagoland area, the number one spot is reserved of course, by Chicago.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the intersection at Stony Island Avenue at South Chicago Avenue is area’s most prolific producer of vehicle crashes with a total of 63 in 2010.
The newspaper makes the case that this particular intersection is extraordinarily confusing. Most drivers who have experienced this busy multi-roadway confluence would concur.
The article quotes DePaul University transportation scholar, Professor Joseph Schwieterman.
The Most Dangerous Bumper Sticker Ever
“Honk if you want to see my tits”?
This bumper sticker is a traffic safety hazard.
While only speculation, it’s our educated guess this car could be causing innumerable car crashes as it travels the streets of Chicago.
At the very least it’s increasing noise pollution with all the honking it’s causing.
Slow Down! It’s Work Zone Awareness Week
With road construction projects sprouting up all over Chicago and the State of Illinois, local agencies have announced their participation in National Work Zone Awareness Week.
Both the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois Tollway Authority and a handful of other groups have launched the Embrace the Orange Campaign to reduce traffic related crashes, injuries and deaths in road work zones.
Work Zone Awareness Week began Monday, April 23rd and runs through Friday.
IDOT says there are an average of over 7,000 work zone crashes in Illinois each year. Last year, 24 people died in work zones statewide. Of the 24, one victim was a pedestrian, two were construction workers, and 21 were drivers or vehicle passengers.The goal is to reduce work zone deaths to zero.
Trib: City Crash Statistics Faulty, Erroneous
First responders on the scene of a River North car crash
Chock full of errors.
That’s essentially the takeaway from a Chicago Tribune story published Monday that reveals how unreliable Chicago crash data is or at the very least, has been.
The Tribune compared crash data for Chicago from the Illinois Department of Transportation against crash data from the City of Chicago itself.
In many cases, usually the most crucial areas of measurement, the two entities were at odds.
According to the Trib report, the root of the problem comes from errors in how crash reports are filed. The story says an IDOT audit of Chicago’s procedure shows 30% of crash reports filed by Chicago police officers were erroneous with 70% of the reports missing critical information.
Tax Day A Dangerous Day To Drive
Make sure you’re extra careful driving tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 17th is tax day and beyond the obvious stress of having to file your 1040 forms today, it’s also a very dangerous day to be behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.
According to Canadian researchers who published research in the Journal of American Medical Association last week, the likelihood of being killed in a car crash on tax day is slightly higher than other days in April.
Illinois Teen Driver Deaths Jump First Half Of 2011
After 15 years of dramatically declining deaths of teen drivers, preliminary numbers in a just released report for the first half of 2011 seem to indicate a mild reversal of that trend nationally but a startling jump in teen driver fatalities in Illinois.
The Governors Highway Safety Association is reporting traffic deaths for 16 and 17 year-old drivers have risen 11%, jumping from 211 for the first six months of 2011 compared to 190 for the same period in 2010.
“If this trend continued in the second half of 2011, it will mark a reversal of longstanding yearly declines in teen driver deaths, especially among 16-year-olds,” states the GHSA report.
