Chicago is the largest city in Illinois, with over 2.71 million population. Not just that, it is also the busiest known city for trade and transportation.
With the number of vehicles increasing on the roads of Chicago, the auto accident rate is rising as well. According to the states from the IDOT, the number of death from car accidents has been rising in Chicago over the past few years. Even if someone is lucky enough to go through a car accident without death, the huge medical bills cause enough financial burden and emotional suffering.
If you suffered any type of physical or property damage in Chicago, then you should get professional legal representation from the Chicago Car Accident Lawyer and seek justice and compensation for all your damages.
In the meantime, it’s vital to know what are common causes of car accidents, according to the data released from The Illinois Department of Transportation.
Driving Too Closely
The majority of car accidents in Chicago are rear-ended collisions. As per the report, roughly 27,424 auto collisions took place in 2018, contributing to 28% of the overall car accidents. Among these accidents, 83-84% of collisions resulted in car damages and 12 deaths.
Following too closely to the cars and driving unsafe causes these types of collisions. There should be a safe distance between the tail of the front car and the bumper of the rear car while driving on the highway or any road on the streets.
Regardless of the reason, these collisions are counted as damage, and you can get compensation for the damages by filing a lawsuit against the at-fault driver.
Not Following Traffic Rules
This may surprise you, but half of the auto crashes in Chicago happened due to red-light traffic violations. The negligent driver tries to drive away at the red light, and this violation often results in severe collision between two or more cars.
This scenario is also known as a T-bone collision. If you’ve suffered from the mistake of some other traffic who didn’t stop at the red light and crashed into your car, then you can get well compensated for it.
Environmental Factors
On average, it rains 125 days, and snowfall happens twice a year for a few days in Chicago. The roads and highways become slippery and cause a critical impact on the braking and steering of the driver. Not just that, the environmental factors also affect the visibility of the roads. All these things contribute to a large number of collisions every year in Chicago. According to IDOT’s report, more than 15,000 motor collisions occur due to wet roads and roughly 3,500 due to snowy roads every year.
Drink and Driving
Drinking and driving or driving under the influence is another very common cause of car accidents in Chicago. The contribution of under the influence accidents is small yet alarming. A total of 1,172 alcohol-impaired accidents occurred in 2018 in Chicago, and just 16-18% of them resulted in serious injuries, whereas all others caused property damage.
Over Speeding
Speeding is fun, but at times it results in devastating car accidents. According to the statewide IDOT report, 33.7% of car accidents occurred due to overspeeding in Chicago. Accident due to speed usually results in property damage, but when two car collides at high speed, the results are usually brutal.
Large commercial vehicles
Chicago is a trade hub with thousands of different businesses that use commercial vehicles daily for their products operations. These commercial vehicles accident usually lead to deaths and major injuries. The reason behind that is the huge size of trucks and the impact they create when colliding with smaller cars or other trucks. According to the report, 6,945 truck accidents took place in 2018 in Chicago that resulted in serious injuries.
The truck accident cases are more complicated as compared to car accidents. Fortunately, you can find the best truck accident lawyers in Chicago to help you if you’ve suffered a loss in a truck accident.
Distractions
Distracted driving is not a common cause, and it’s also not listed in the IDOT’s report. However, accidents due to distraction do happen regularly all across Chicago. The usual cause of these accidents is when the driver is new in the place or using a mobile phone during driving.
Conclusion:
Car accidents are often unpredictable. Even if you’re driving safely while following all the traffic rules, you can face severe injuries and physical losses due to another driver’s mistake. But the good thing is there are laws to protect you.
Suppose you suffered from any similar accident where a negligent driver caused the accident. In that case, you can prove the liability and get compensated for all types of damages, including physical injuries, medical bills, emotional trauma, loss of income, etc. However, to prove the liability, investigate the case, and get the right compensation, you may need assistance from the Chicago Car Accident Lawyer.
