Car Accidents on Chicago Highways

Traffic congestion in Chicago continues to cause delays and auto accidents.

Peak traffic hours mean bumper-to-bumper traffic on a daily basis. Traffic jams lead to delays, thereby increasing the probability of car accidents. Car accidents happen because of a number of reasons. Collisions are caused by speeding vehicles, distracted drivers, and bad driving habits such as illegal lane changing and driving under the influence.

Highway Hazards and Alarming Statistics

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), there were 83,559 people involved in car accidents on Illinois interstate highways in 2014. The department reported 127 fatalities and 12 motorcycle accident fatalities. Even though there is not a region by region breakdown of the data, a significant number of accidents are known to have taken place on interstate highways.

Overspeeding

All highways have a set speed limit. The speed limit is usually over 50 mph and motorists often exceed the 50 mph speed limit on highways. Any accidents or collisions that occur on highways often result in serious and life-threatening injuries.

Distracted Driving

Cell phones, navigation systems, music systems and other electronic gadgets are the most common distractions for drivers. Cell phones top the list of distractions for motorists. When a driver’s attention is divided, accidents are caused.

Driving Habits

Dangerous driving habits such as abrubt lane changing, jumping signals, or taking illegal shortcuts are habits that may seem to get you to your destination faster; however, such habits put passengers and other motorists at risk.

Driving Under the Influence

Driving under the influence renders a driver incapable of making quick and accurate judgements. Driving under the influence of alcohol, prescription medication, and recreational drugs causes some of the most serious accidents and often results in fatalities.