Illinois Injury Law Blog

The winners of the 2011 Operation Teen Safe Driving Program were recently announced by Ford Motor Company Fund, The Allstate Foundation, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig and Secretary of State Jesse White.

Winners were chosen based on their imagination and creativity in creating educational programs aimed at their peers on the hazards of unsafe driving.

Our Chicago accident lawyers congratulate the winners and hope that peers educating peers decreases Chicago car accidents involving teen drivers.

Teen fatalities from car accidents have seen a decline since establishing Operation Teen Safe Driving Program in 2007. Statewide 105 high schools were chosen to participate in this program, which is modeled after the Ford Driving Skills for Life teen safety program.

"We applaud the continued creativity, determination, devotion and hard work of Illinois high school students in helping make our roadways and communities safer for all," said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig. "Operation Teen Safe Driving offers a unique and extremely successful peer-to-peer program that directly impacts teen drivers statewide. The effective partnership between high schools, traffic safety advocates and private and public entities allow the program to continually expand its reach and connect with tens of thousands of young drivers on an annual basis."

Effective January 1, 2008, the Graduated Driver Licensing law was introduced by Secretary of State White. This law is a licensing process that provides teens with more supervised time behind the wheel, limits distractions inside the car and rewards safe driving by advancement through each stage in order to obtain their license.

"When I established the Teen Driver Safety Task Force the goal was to improve Illinois’ graduated driver licensing (GDL) law and, even more importantly, to save lives," said Secretary of State Jesse White. "I am encouraged that teen driving deaths have dropped by 50 percent since the law took effect January 1, 2008. This law, in conjunction with the Operation Teen Safe Driving initiative, is having the intended impact on teen driving safety. My congratulations to the winners as well as to all schools that participated in this important program. Working together, we can save more lives and make Illinois roads safer for all of us."

Click here to view a complete list of the winning schools.

Continue reading " Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Congratulate Teen Safe Driving Winners " »

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is concerned over the flow rate testing methods of pool and spa drain covers used by some laboratories. Drain covers must meet compliance standards of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act).

Strict flow rating standards are essential in preventing deadly drain entrapment.

Our Chicago personal injury lawyers understand the life changing consequences of encountering a defective product. In this case an enjoyable dip in a pool or spa could turn deadly due to a drain entrapment. Illinois winters are tough on pools and spas -- drains are far from the only hazard. Thorough inspections should be conducted as part of your spring start-up process to reduce the risk of serious or fatal injuries.

Drain entrapment occurs when the powerful suction from the filter pulls a swimmers clothing, hair, jewelry, or even a body part against or into the pool drain. The suction is so strong it forms a lock, which holds the swimmer to the drain, making it almost impossible to free the swimmer. Small children have been disemboweled when they have sat on drains.

Over 17,000 pages of data are being reviewed by CPSC from three of the laboratories that test pool and spa drain covers. The info they are looking at pertains to the testing procedures done on the drain covers, what cover types were tested and the test results.

CPSC is attempting to alert the public by Memorial Day weekend on the type of drain covers that were improperly tested.

Before opening up your pool or spa this season contact your pool/spa manufacturer and determine the type of drain cover you have. Single main drain systems, common with wading pools and shallow kiddie pools, are the type of systems that most run the risk of a potential drain entrapment hazard.

Several years ago the P&SS Act went into effect after the tragic death of Virginia Graeme Baker. She was a 9-year-old who was good at swimming; she got caught in a spa drain and died. This Act requires anti-entrapment drain covers on public spas and pools. These drain covers don't fit flush to the bottom of the pool. Their raised design makes it nearly impossible to be sucked onto the drain when all of the holes are covered at once.

Residential pool owners should have this type of cover as well or turn their filters off when anyone is in the pool.

Continue reading " Spring Time means Pool Maintenance and Inspection Time to avoid Illinois Pool Accidents " »

April is now considered National Distracted Driving Awareness Month according to the National Safety Council.

Our Chicago car accident attorneys frequently report about the dangers of distracted driving -- which remains a leading cause of Illinois car accidents.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 410-2 last month in passing the inaugural National Distracted Driving Awareness Month introduced by Rep. Betsy Markey as a resolution to the death of 9-year-old Erica Forney who was killed by a distracted driver in November of 2008.

NSC and FocusDriven, a cell-free driving advocate group, are asking motorists in Illinois and all over the country to put down their cell phone while driving during the month of April and beyond. They want drivers to promise to silence, turn off or put their phones in the trunk or glove compartment during the entire month of April. Eliminating the distraction completely will keep drivers from having the urge to respond to a text alert or phone call while behind the wheel. Cell phones are the leading cause of distraction in vehicle crashes. It is estimated that 1.6 million crashes occur each year from a driver talking or texting on a cell phone while driving.

"If drivers can go one month without using their phones while driving, they will find out – as many of us have – work still gets done," said Jennifer Smith, FocusDriven president.

One additional request is that drivers put a temporary voicemail greeting on their phone that alerts callers that they are driving.

"Many drivers realize most of the calls they thought were so important, really aren’t. It is our hope drivers will decide to make the change permanently," states Smith. "Doing so will make our roadways safer for everyone."

Businesses and large corporations that supply employees with wireless communication devices should take this opportunity to implement policies for cell phone use while driving.

Employees should feel relieved of responding to work calls or emails while they are driving if they know that it is against company policy. Many companies have found that work productivity has not decreased after executing cell phone policies for their workers.

In order to help businesses protect their employees, the NSC provides many resources, which include a free Cell Phone Policy Kit. Click the link for more information or a downloadable version of the kit.

Continue reading " Distracted Driving Month to Reduce Risk of Chicago Car Accidents " »

As parents, we have a growing concern of keeping our children safe. When it comes to newborns, it’s a parents' responsibility to do their homework when it comes to purchasing consumer products that could potentially cause injuries to children in Chicago.

The Illinois personal injury lawyers at VanPopering Law offices report that cribs are generally at the top of the list for defective products -- often recalled by manufactures for their safety hazards.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Crib Information Center is available to parents as a resource to remain updated on the latest nursery product recalls. Over 11 million recalls have been reported since 2007 on cribs, bassinets, and play yards. Nurseries are meant to be a safe place for infants since that is where they spend much of their time. Maintaining a safe environment for your young child is of utmost importance.

The CPSC offers a few suggestions to parents when it comes to nursery safety. Parents should never place pillows or blankets in the crib with an infant as they may pose a suffocation risk. In this difficult economy, parents may want to accept hand-me-downs to avoid the initial hit of high costs for newborns. That being said, never accept a used crib that is over 10 years old or that has been broken. Safety standards are continually improving and most older cribs don't meet current standards that are in place.

Broken slats or loosened hardware can lead to entrapment or strangulation. Parents should never place a crib near a window with blind cords or a baby monitor cord. Dangling cords are another easy way for a baby to become entangled and choke to death. If you purchase a crib for your infant you should first make sure it hasn't been recalled. Assembling the crib is critical and should only be done with step-by-step instructions by the manufacturer. Failure to assemble the crib correctly can lead to collapse.

Baby center offers the following suggestions when purchasing a crib for your infant:

-First and foremost, look for the Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association certification which signifies the product was tested for quality and safety.

-The slats on the crib should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart.

-The interior of the crib should be at least 51 ¾ inches long by 27 ¾ inches wide.

-Make sure your crib has an adjustable mattress height for when the baby starts to sit and the mattress needs lowered.

-Shake the crib at the store to test the stability.

-Some cribs are now being made versatile so that they can be turned into a toddler bed or children's bench. In an effort to save some money in the future this can be tempting but make sure the crib functions in the right capacity for what your needs are.

Continue reading " Crib Safety Critical to Preventing Infant Injury in Chicago " »