Law Enforcement Steps Up Efforts to Reduce Risks of Drunk Driving Accidents in Illinois this Holiday Weekend

Drunk drivers are the target of a new campaign headed by a number of local police departments and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). The campaign, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” will include a two-week enforcement effort consisting of roughly 350 sheriff's offices and police departments across the state. The enforcement efforts will continue through the first week of September in an attempt to bust drunk drivers before they cause a potentially fatal car accident in Illinois.

“Impaired driving is a serious crime plaguing our society, and affecting the lives of innocent, law abiding motorists on a regular basis,” said Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider.

Our Chicago drunk driving accident attorneys understand how dangerous these drivers are and how important it is to set up tough efforts to stop them. Through this new campaign, enforcement agencies throughout the state are prepared to take on these careless and reckless drivers.

Officials are also looking to crackdown on drivers that are not wearing a seat belt.

Through the enforcement period, the state of Illinois will conduct more than 200 roadside safe driving checkpoints. There will be hundreds of seat belt and intoxicated driving saturation patrols.

According to IDOT, both impaired driving and drivers not wearing a seat belt are a big problem that officials witness mainly during the evening hours. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that drivers are at the most risk for a car accident during 12:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. in the state of Illinois. This time period also reports the lowest seat belt usage and the highest percentage of drunk drivers.

“Violating these laws can result in fines and possible jail time and will be treated as criminal acts by the police and court system,” said ISP Director Hiram Grau.

Illinois accident statistics conclude that there are more than 300 fatalities each year that result from traffic accidents that involve an impaired driver. Hundreds more are injured in the incidents.

During the 2010 Labor Day weekend, which is calculated from 6:00 p.m. from the Friday before the holiday to 11:59 p.m. of Labor Day, more than 10 people were killed in traffic accidents. One of these deaths involved an intoxicated driver. Nearly 800 people were injured on our roadways during the 2010 holiday weekend. There have been roughly 70 deaths from traffic accidents from 2006 to 2010 on holiday weekends. Nearly 40 percent of the fatalities were caused by car accidents that involved an impaired driver.

Local police ask that you help with the efforts by doing the following if you suspect that a driver is drunk:

-Take note of the make, model and color of the vehicle that the alleged intoxicated driver is operating.

-Call local authorities with the information. Include the location of the vehicle and the direction it's traveling. If possible, give them the license plate number but don't get too close to the vehicle to get it. If you can see the driver, provide officials with that information, too.

-Back off. Don't try to stop the driver. Doing so can put you and your vehicle's occupants in a compromising situation. Leave the rest of the job in the hands of officers.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident with a drunk driver, the personal injury attorneys and wrongful death lawyers at Abels & Annes offer free and confidential appointments to discuss your rights. Call (866) 99-ABELS. There is no fee unless you win.

More Blog Entries:

Two Children Injured in a Three-Car Accident in Illinois, Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, August 16, 2011

Proposed Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Legislation Aims to Reduce Car Accidents in Chicago and Elsewhere, Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, August 4, 2011

Chicago Car Accident Lawyer

Obama Administration steps up action against unsafe trucking companies … for now

According to published reports, in the last two years, the Obama Administration has issued as many imminent hazard orders placing unsafe bus and truck companies out of service as in the previous decade combined.

If a truck is considered “out of service,” it means that there are safety violations that are so dangerous, that the truck would need to be towed away for immediate repair if it were stopped by a police officer.

As part of the administration’s effort to better enforce commercial trucking safety and prevent truck accidents,  it has cracked down on unsafe carriers through surprise inspections, full compliance reviews and enforcement actions.

Here are the statistics:

Between 2000 and 2009, the FMCSA issued a total of 14 imminent hazard orders placing unsafe motor carriers out of service (and taking them off the roads). In the last two years, the FMCSA has already issued another 14 imminent hazard orders to take carriers that pose an immediate risk to passengers off the road.

For much of the previous Bush Administration, the only ones holding deliberately reckless trucking companies accountable were the truck accident lawyers using the civil justice system.

This news from the Obama Administration is encouraging. It’s a great start to stopping trucking companies who knowingly break federal safety rules in order to push their bottom line. These trucking companies are hiring dangerous truck drivers with previous accidents, failing to maintain their fleets and pushing their truckers (who are not properly trained) to drive past legal time limits.

But there are countless trucking companies who are still engaging in this illegal behavior, causing truck accidents — and getting away with it.

How is this happening?

There are many ways for these problems to go undetected. For example, the FMSCA says it has performed surprise inspections to catch unsafe motor carriers. But what about “Road Check,” which is announced months ahead of time, giving trucking companies time to take their worst trucks off the road and put their best foot forward? Take a look at our blog on the subject: Is that truck driving behind you dangerously out of service?

The problem of dangerous trucking companies breaking laws and causing serious — preventable— truck accidents in even worse in Michigan.

In our state, we have no punitive damages. So trucking companies are able to hire the worst truckers who have caused accidents in other states and “grass hop” here until they cause another accident. The truck companies then must only pay the insurance policy limits. Many of these truckers are on drugs and drinking. They face no civil penalties for hurting and killing people in Michigan truck crashes.

This is why it came at no surprise to me that the FMSCA reported that in June of 2011, the DOT issued an imminent hazard order to a Michigan trucking company found to be transporting passengers in luggage compartments.

Imagine that.

Also, in the past four months, the FMCSA has issued eight out-of-service orders. FMCSA issued these orders immediately following safety investigations that found the carriers and/or the drivers to be in such substantial non-compliance with federal safety regulations as to pose an imminent hazard to public safety. One of these out-of-service orders was issued to a truck company based in Michigan.

Next week, I’ll blog more about the Obama administration and truck inspections.

- Steven Gursten is a partner of Michigan Auto Law and one of the top truck lawyers in the country. He is past president of the American Association for Justice Truck Accident Litigation Group, and has received the top-reported jury verdict in Michigan for truck accidents. Steve was named a Michigan Lawyers Weekly Leader in the Law for his work to promote national truck safety.

Related information to protect yourself:

Obama, FMCSA surrender to trucking industry - again

Things to know after a Michigan truck accident

Michigan truck accident FAQs

Michigan Auto Law exclusively handles car accident, truck accident and motorcycle accident cases throughout the entire state of Michigan. We have offices in Farmington Hills, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Detroit to better serve you. Call (800) 777-0028 for a free consultation with one of our truck accident lawyers.

Kansas City Auto Accident Blog

Obama Administration steps up action against unsafe trucking companies … for now

According to published reports, in the last two years, the Obama Administration has issued as many imminent hazard orders placing unsafe bus and truck companies out of service as in the previous decade combined.

If a truck is considered “out of service,” it means that there are safety violations that are so dangerous, that the truck would need to be towed away for immediate repair if it were stopped by a police officer.

As part of the administration’s effort to better enforce commercial trucking safety and prevent truck accidents,  it has cracked down on unsafe carriers through surprise inspections, full compliance reviews and enforcement actions.

Here are the statistics:

Between 2000 and 2009, the FMCSA issued a total of 14 imminent hazard orders placing unsafe motor carriers out of service (and taking them off the roads). In the last two years, the FMCSA has already issued another 14 imminent hazard orders to take carriers that pose an immediate risk to passengers off the road.

For much of the previous Bush Administration, the only ones holding deliberately reckless trucking companies accountable were the truck accident lawyers using the civil justice system.

This news from the Obama Administration is encouraging. It’s a great start to stopping trucking companies who knowingly break federal safety rules in order to push their bottom line. These trucking companies are hiring dangerous truck drivers with previous accidents, failing to maintain their fleets and pushing their truckers (who are not properly trained) to drive past legal time limits.

But there are countless trucking companies who are still engaging in this illegal behavior, causing truck accidents — and getting away with it.

How is this happening?

There are many ways for these problems to go undetected. For example, the FMSCA says it has performed surprise inspections to catch unsafe motor carriers. But what about “Road Check,” which is announced months ahead of time, giving trucking companies time to take their worst trucks off the road and put their best foot forward? Take a look at our blog on the subject: Is that truck driving behind you dangerously out of service?

The problem of dangerous trucking companies breaking laws and causing serious — preventable— truck accidents in even worse in Michigan.

In our state, we have no punitive damages. So trucking companies are able to hire the worst truckers who have caused accidents in other states and “grass hop” here until they cause another accident. The truck companies then must only pay the insurance policy limits. Many of these truckers are on drugs and drinking. They face no civil penalties for hurting and killing people in Michigan truck crashes.

This is why it came at no surprise to me that the FMSCA reported that in June of 2011, the DOT issued an imminent hazard order to a Michigan trucking company found to be transporting passengers in luggage compartments.

Imagine that.

Also, in the past four months, the FMCSA has issued eight out-of-service orders. FMCSA issued these orders immediately following safety investigations that found the carriers and/or the drivers to be in such substantial non-compliance with federal safety regulations as to pose an imminent hazard to public safety. One of these out-of-service orders was issued to a truck company based in Michigan.

Next week, I’ll blog more about the Obama administration and truck inspections.

- Steven Gursten is a partner of Michigan Auto Law and one of the top truck lawyers in the country. He is past president of the American Association for Justice Truck Accident Litigation Group, and has received the top-reported jury verdict in Michigan for truck accidents. Steve was named a Michigan Lawyers Weekly Leader in the Law for his work to promote national truck safety.

Related information to protect yourself:

Obama, FMCSA surrender to trucking industry - again

Things to know after a Michigan truck accident

Michigan truck accident FAQs

Michigan Auto Law exclusively handles car accident, truck accident and motorcycle accident cases throughout the entire state of Michigan. We have offices in Farmington Hills, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Detroit to better serve you. Call (800) 777-0028 for a free consultation with one of our truck accident lawyers.

Michigan Auto Lawyers