Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

Chicago’s Department of Transportation (CDOT) is teaming up with the Chicago Police Department to implement a new nighttime pedestrian accident reduction program. This innovative effort will focus on areas of the city that have had a high number of pedestrian accidents.

Analysis of Chicago nighttime pedestrian accident data for 2005-2007 found four areas of the city with high numbers of accidents: River North, Austin, Wrigleyville, and 79th Street (Ashland to the Dan Ryan Expressway). Several factors were involved in these accidents including speeding, alcohol use, and inattentive drivers. In the Wrigleyville neighborhood, alcohol use and driver inattention were the two main factors in pedestrian accidents. These four areas of the city will be targeted in the nighttime pedestrian accident campaign.

Efforts to reduce the number of nighttime pedestrian accidents include increased speed limit enforcement, education outreach to bars, restaurants and taxi companies, and continuation of the crosswalk enforcement initiative. Undercover police officers posing as pedestrians will be making sure that motorists yield to pedestrians in crosswalks as required by law. Motorists who fail to yield to a pedestrian in crosswalk can face fines from $50 to $500. Pedestrian safety-related improvements include speed humps and curb bumpouts to slow vehicles, pedestrian-countdown signals that let a person know how much time they have to finish crossing the street, and new pavement markings.

A Chicago jury awarded plaintiff, Martha Aguado $227,201 in her case against the City of Chicago for a broken patella she suffered as a pedestrian as a result of falling in a pothole in a crosswalk at Western Ave. and Foster Ave. in the City of Chicago. The plaintiff claimed that a puddle covered up the hole. When the jury was asked whether the condition of the City of Chicago’s crosswalk/sidewalk presented an unreasonable risk of harm on the premises, the jury answered “yes”.

This week Chicago police will begin pulling over drivers who do not yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. Moving-violation ticket fines range up to $500.00. The city will use plainclothes police officers posing as pedestrians at intersections without stop signs to implement the sting operation.

Additionally, legislation has been introduced in the Illinois Senate that will require Illinois drivers not only to yield but to come to a full stop when pedestrians are in a crosswalk. Violators would face a minimum $150.00 fine.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that there have been more than 6,000 auto-pedestrian crashes in Illinois, with more that 3,000 of these accidents occurring annually in the city of Chicago.

An Arlington Heights man was killed today as he walked through a commercial strip near his home. Arthur Tidd was a pedestrian walking across Algonquin road when he was struck by a Jeep Wrangler. The driver stopped after the accident. Rolling Meadows paramedics took Mr. Tidd to Northwest Community Hospital where he died a short time later.

71 pedestrians are killed and 930 are seriously injured every year in Chicago according to a Chicago Suntimes article published today. Nearly one-third of the pedestrian accidents are hit-and-runs.

Anyone who lives in Chicago knows that drivers do not stop at crosswalks in Chicago like they do in other cities. For example, on trips to Santa Fe, Sarasota, and Salt Lake City, I was surprised that drivers actually stop for pedestrians waiting at cross-walks in those cities.

The city of Chicago has been trying to step-up enforcement by operating stings this June in which undercover officers pretend to be a pedestrian using the crosswalk. The police issued 101 warnings to drivers who failed to yield to pedestrians in less than two hours. What is ironic about the Chicago Police trying to enforce laws requiring drivers to yield is that Chicago Police in squad cars almost never yield for pedestrians waiting at cross-walks. Maybe the Chicago Police should lead by example.