On June 12, 2017, Chicago Mayor Emanuel introduced a plan aimed at completely eliminating traffic fatalities in the City of Chicago by 2026. The Chicago personal injury lawyers of Zneimer and Zneimer applaud the ambitious goals of the plan.
Following principles of the International Vision Zero movement, the Mayor has directed City department agencies to develop an action plan that based on traffic crash data. Vision Zero plans have also been adopted in many European cities, such as Stockholm, Berlin and Rotterdam along with many American cities such as Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Seattle.
Part of the focus of the movement is to treat traffic injuries and fatalities as a pressing public health problem. The Mayor’s office points that more than 2,000 people are killed or seriously injured in Chicago every year. Chicago personal injury attorney Peter Zneimer can attest to the devastating impact a serious injury or death related to a traffic accident can have on a person and his or her family. The loss of income and the medical bills that result from an injury victim injuries are bad enough. Many victims are left with life altering disabilities that they must bear for the rest of their lives.
Specifically to Chicago, the CDOT used crash data to idntify 43 High Crash Corridors. Traffic engineering improvement are then planned for these corridors. Such improvement can include pedestrian islands which have been shown to aid pedestrian safety.
The Chicago Vision Zero Plan has stated four main goals:
1. Invest in Communities that are most affected by severe traffic crashes.
2. Work to change behaviors and perceptions to build a culture of safety.
3. Make streets safer for all users.
4. Encourage and implement policies and technologies that create safer vehicles and safer professional drivers.
The lawyers of Zneimer and Zneimer support these goals and applaud the effort to make our streets safer for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.