Safe Driving Tips

Hidden Dangers of Construction Zones

October 28, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The holidays are approaching. If you’ve spent any time in the Woodfield Mall area recently, you would know that there is a lot of road construction going on, making an already heavy-traffic area even more congested, especially on the weekends when the shopping faithful are out in full force. If that isn’t frustrating enough, you may have also heard about the driver who crashed his car into the mall and drove around a bit before being taken into custody by police. It just goes to show that there are some things in life that you can’t control, like the actions of others. When it comes to traffic safety there are things you can look out for that will hopefully make your next trip to the mall safer and more bearable.

Avoid Road Rage

Everyone has seen people lose their cool while driving. Maybe you’re guilty of it yourself. Remember, even if people can see your hand signals, they likely can’t hear what words you are screaming at them. If you have kids in the car, they will certainly hear them. Sometimes hand gestures are appropriate while driving, like waiving thank you to another motorist who lets you merge in front of them, or letting someone else know you are waiting to let them through. However, expressing your disdain for someone probably won’t help them learn any kind of lesson and will only cause your own blood pressure to rise. The best bet is to try and stay calm. Focusing your attention on one guy you think might be a jerk can leave you at risk of getting distracted and might make you miss other hazards. It’s much better to keep your cool and keep your attention focused on avoiding collisions.

Look for Construction Vehicles

There are all kinds of dump trucks, backhoes, pickup trucks, and other heavy machinery roaming around construction areas. Sometimes they leave the coned-off sections of the road and meander through traffic. If you’re not looking, suddenly a bulldozer can jump out in front of you. It’s worth it to scan the portions of the road that are blocked off to normal traffic as you look forward in anticipation of other vehicles maneuvering in front of you. Often times, workers will signal to drivers to let them know when a work vehicle is attempting to cross or enter the road. It would be a mistake to always rely on that. You can’t expect everyone else to always do safe and reasonable things, but you can take steps to help ensure your own safety. This is one of them.

Take Your Time

Eventually, we all get where we’re going. It’s best to plan for the worst and take your time. This is especially true for shopping trips. The value of your life and limbs far exceeds any stuff you can buy. If you put things into perspective, parking spots are not worth fighting over. Merging ahead of that one guy who has been irritating you since the last stop sign isn’t worth it. Plus, (parents will get this one), if you are less stressed out from your perilous journey to the mall, you are less likely to lose it when your child inevitably begs you to buy another worthless piece of plastic they will forget about five minutes after returning home. You may show up a little later, but you’ll glide through the mall, sipping your latte, skillfully deflecting your kids’ outright obnoxious demands to get them more stuff they don’t need. Take solace in knowing that even if you have to sit in the car longer you can always drop a few quarters into one of those mall massage chairs and let those automated rollers knead the frustration away.

Lightfoot’s Blitz Days Serve as a Reminder of the Dangers of Potholes on our Roads

October 3, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As a way to curb the number of accidents and amount of damage done to vehicles before the winter season arrives, Chicago Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) have announced they will be conducting “Blitz Days” each Saturday between the months of September and October. The Blitz Days serve as an attempt to get road crews out and on the streets before the weather gets too harsh. In the meantime, the city is asking that motorists drive slow around crews to ensure both pedestrian and driver safety.

This certainly isn’t the first time we have heard of the city conducting work such as this. In a city the size of Chicago and with a harsh winter quickly approaching and ready to tear the roads apart, it’s an absolute necessity to ensure road safety. The city already announced in a press release on September 6^th that “this year to data, CDOT has filled nearly 527,000 potholes throughout the city’s 50 wards.” When taking this large number into consideration, its worth the reminder that Chicago was also previously ranked third in the nation in terms of total number of hours spent in traffic, resulting in roughly $1,300 wasted annually per commuter. Cited by the 2019 Urban Mobility Report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the Institute found a multitude of factors to play a critical role in wasted dollars and increased traffic, but its safe to say that issues such as road infrastructure were the largest factor. While 527,000 potholes seem like a lot, looking to the city’s history with infrastructure issues paints an entirely different picture. Granted, the winter months wreak havoc on roads and roadwork is impossible to complete when its snowing and below freezing outside; however, these are necessary issues that must be taken care of to maintain road safety.

In discussing these Blitz Days, acting CDOT Commissioner, Tom Carney, stated “we anticipate having about 30 pothole patching crews assigned to wards throughout the city. With this additional help, we estimate that we will be able to fill more than 5,000 potholes on each of these days.” If the city is able to follow through on this promise, these would be a major boost for local residents already dreading the morning and evening commutes. While traffic alone is bad, being forced to sit in traffic due to issues such as potholes is far worse. Ultimately, the hope is that the city is able to properly address the infrastructure issues and ensure driver safety in the process of doing so.

Just How Dangerous are Potholes?

In a city like Chicago, the cold weather presents an annual challenge for the city in that it causes roads to crumble and crack at a much quicker rate. Potholes have the ability to form overnight and when adding the daily wear and tear of Chicago commutes, the issue can become dangerous very quickly. Although many people may think that potholes, due to their often-small size, don’t pose a major safety risk, the opposite is true. They may not often be the cause of an accident, but the reality is that they are a contributing factor to damaging your vehicle, that places you and other drivers at a severe risk and financial detriment.

A few years back, Digital Trends wrote a great article that went to great lengths to establish why potholes remain such a large issue in the United States and the dangers they pose. In the piece, Digital Trends had the opportunity to speak with an Area Manager for Bridgestone, Abilio Toledo, who acknowledged that while potholes present serious risks, the issue is that we often cannot see the full damage they do to our vehicles. For example, if we damage our tires due to driving through a pothole, one of the warning signs is a bulge in the side wall of our tire; however, this often isn’t the case. Toledo went on to say, “‘the tire will snap the inner lining. It still holds air but there’s a bubble. If it doesn’t blow out, the tire is still compromised and can blow out at any moment. So, you think you made it through the pothole and you’re okay, but you didn’t.’” When this occurs, the results can often affect fuel efficiency, the tread of your tires, and the overall alignment of the vehicle. What all of this says is that the damage may not be present at all after you hit a pothole but when your vehicle’s suspension and tire tread can all be affected in the long term, then we must start thinking about how this could place others in danger on the road at a later time. All it takes is an individual’s car pulling to the left a little too much for a car in the adjacent lane to be pushed off the road. These factors all play a role in how accidents occur.

Keeping an Eye Out

Chicago Police Begin New Campaign to Catch More Drunk Drivers

September 20, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

CHICAGO – Local police departments are cracking down on drunk driving in a new safety campaign.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is pairing up with local police to launch “Saturation Saturday,” a campaign implementing increased DUI control and sobriety checkpoints in Chicago and across the entire United States.

ABC 7 Chicago recently shared the story of Lisa Pruett, who lost her daughter Olivia Cooper to drunk driving almost 12 years ago. Cooper was only 21.

“Olivia was the offender,” Pruett said of the January 2008 accident. “She became her own victim of a drunk driving crash.”

Pruett aims for her story to make drivers think twice about getting behind the wheel after drinking.

“Every DUI arrest we make can save someone’s life,” Illinois State Police Lt. Col. David Byrd told ABC 7. “We do this every night. These officers are out there every night patrolling.”

On September 5th, The Chicago Police Department released a statement explaining its findings in its DUI Saturation Patrol in Englewood over August 31st and September 1st, issuing one DUI arrest, seven Unsafe Vehicle Violation arrests, and 13 Traffic Violation arrests, to name a few. In the Gresham District Saturation Patrol conducted August 23rd and 24th, CPD also made one DUI arrest, along with 14 arrests for Unsafe Vehicle Violations and 19 for Traffic Violations.

“The purpose of this program is to saturate a pre-designated area with roving police officers that continually monitor vehicular traffic for signs of impaired driving,” CPD said in the statement. Patrols place emphasis not only on alcohol-related violations, but on safety belt and speed violations as well.

CPD also says the Breath Alcohol Testing Mobile Unit may be deployed in future saturation plans in order for officers to more quickly charge someone with a DUI before taking them into custody. This unit also issues Individual Recognizance Bonds at the site of patrol.

These “Saturation Saturdays,” which will continue throughout Chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods, serve as an important reminder for drivers not to get behind the wheel after drinking under any circumstances, even if they think they feel fine. The strategies of preventing drunk driving (proven effective by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) to keep in mind include:

–Zero tolerance laws–it is illegal to drive with any amount of alcohol in your system if you are under 21 years of age.

-A blood alcohol content measured at or above 0.08 percent is illegal, and may result in a DUI.

–License revocation or suspension laws allow police to take away the license of someone testing at or above the legal BAC limit who refuses testing.

The Los Angeles Times, along with Alcohol Problems and Solutions, also have some tips on how to spot and avoid drunk drivers on the road–and what to do if you see one:

Warning signs:

-Unusually wide turns

-Weaving or swerving

-Straddling the lane marker

-Tailgating

-Sudden stops

-Abrupt turns

-No headlights at night

-Drifting

-Slow responses

-Driving in the wrong direction

What not to do:

-Attempt to stop the vehicle

-Disregard traffic signals or laws to keep the driver in your view

-Try to follow the vehicle if it is speeding or if there are any other hazards

-Follow the impaired driver closely–the car may stop suddenly

-Attempt to detain the drunk driver if he or she does stop

-Act in the capacity of police or safety official unless you are authorized to do so

-Try to assist any law enforcement while they apprehend a drunk driver (unless requested)

What to do:

-Maintain a safe distance–a drunk driver may swerve into you.

-If a drunk driver is behind you, pull over or turn right when safe so he or she can pass.

-If the driver is coming head on, move onto the shoulder, stop, and use your horn and/or lights to get his or her attention.

-When approaching an intersection at night, slow down and be alert for the unexpected.

-Use your seat belt properly and keep doors locked.

-Use four-lane highways and avoid rural roads when possible.

-Avoid travel after midnight (especially on weekends).

-Of course, never drink and drive, and serve as a designated driver when possible.

Additionally, you can help police by dialing 911 or *SP on your cell phone (as soon as it is safe to do so), saying you’d like to report a suspected drunk driver, giving the exact location of the vehicle, and providing as complete a description as possible–make, model and color of vehicle as well as the license plate number.

Is The Truck Driver Shortage Making Our Roads Less Safe?

July 26, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

There aren’t enough truck drivers to fill the needs of the market. Back in 2015, the American Trucking Association, an industry advocacy group, published a report detailing the trucking and transport industry’s struggle to find enough drivers. The report found that the shortage reached 38,000 in 2014 and was expected to reach 48,000 by the end of 2015. By the end of 2018 the number jumped to 60,800, and it’s estimated to more than double over the next decade.

Why are there so few drivers?

There is more than one reason. There is an aging workforce. The industry is not attracting many women to enter the profession. Notably, there is a lack of qualified candidates for trucking companies to choose from.

Quality over quantity is the better way to go.

Professional truck drivers are held to a higher standard than other commuters. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) is a set of rules that apply to nearly everyone who operates a commercial motor vehicle. The FMCSR covers topics including driver qualifications, safety requirements, how many hours a driver can remain on duty, and the penalties for violating rules.

If a police officer pulls over a family car, there is no driver log inspection. A group of friends taking a cross country road trip will not be decommissioned for failing to show how many hours the current driver has been behind the wheel. Obtaining a commercial driver’s license (CDL) requires much more training than a regular driver’s license does. At a minimum, getting a CDL, requires getting a permit to train with a CDL holder and passing a skills test.

Behind all the news about a driver shortage, is a recent shift in how the United States tackles the issue itself. There has recently been a new focus on deregulating the trucking industry as the United States continues to find ways to make truck driving more alluring to newcomers. As we recently wrote, the FMCSA will likely be having its longstanding drive time rules deregulated as a way to not only place more money in the pockets of truck drivers, but to help drivers get to their destination much quicker. Unfortunately, it has been shown that acts such as this one actually do more harm than good. While it is great that drivers will be able to ship products at a quicker pace, it has actually been shown that leniency with these drive-time rules has a negative impact on overall crash-rates across the US.

While safety remains a serious concern, there are issues that must be addressed.

Trucking industry publication, Heavy Duty Trucking, recently wrote an article regarding the driver shortage. Within the piece, they were able to interview Bob Costello, the Chief Economist from the American Trucking Associations (ATA). In response to a recent report that Costello released regarding the driver shortage, he stated that “the shortage probably seems much worse to carriers because we’re only talking about the quantity of drivers and they [fleets] also have to be concerned with the quality of the drivers they hire.” And that alone is the crux of the issue at hand. At what point does the safety of drivers and those on the road take a back seat to ensure the industry does not falter as a whole?

There are options to delay the effects of the shortage.

While the government is now working to change the regulations revolving around drive-time for commercial drivers, this solution really doesn’t act as a solution at all. It places drivers at risk of increased fatigue instead. With that being said, Heavy Duty Trucking acknowledged that Costello did provide a list of solutions in his recent report that trucking companies may adopt as a way to counteract the estimated reduction of drivers in the industry:

Driver pay increases
More at-home time
Improved driver image
Better treatment and reduced wait times (at shippers)
Transitioning military personnel to truck driving
Lowering the age for interstate operation

Just like everything in life, there is no silver bullet solution to issues that affect everyone. While many may believe that such actions as deregulating current rules will help the industry be more appealing or increase driver pay, there are clearly pros and cons to that approach. It is up to companies to speak up and acknowledge that driver safety must be at the forefront of each of these decisions. If companies can begin understanding and trying to implement these potential solutions, it just may counteract the inevitable shortage in the industry and keep drivers far safer on the roads in the meantime.

Should I Use My Mobile Phone Less?

June 21, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

When is the last time that you left your house without taking your mobile phone? Can you remember the last walk you took without checking your social media feed? You have a device that allows you to work, watch shows, conduct financial transactions, keep in touch with out-of-town family, shop, and broadcast your thoughts instantaneously from nearly anywhere, and it fits in your pocket. Mobile phones have obviously revolutionized the world. You just don’t have to physically go to as many places anymore to get things done. I can’t remember the last time I actually had to go to the bank to complete a check deposit. I can do that from my kitchen.

Residents of developing countries have also seen benefits from mobile phones becoming ubiquitous. Even basic phones that only have call and text features and no internet access can operate as mobile money transfer devices. This means you don’t have to carry cash or even a credit card to conduct business anymore, leading to more economic development around the world.

There are clearly a lot of positives to having access to mobile phones. Yet, I’m old enough to remember a time when I had to leave the house to find my friends. In fact, whole generations of people lived their lives without smartphone apps or social media and the world kept on spinning. But, as we all know, for every yin there’s a yang.

The problem with phones is that nowadays, they can do so many things that as long as the battery holds a charge, a person could easily spend their entire day looking at a screen without realizing just how many hours have passed with them doing so. Cell phone addiction is now a real thing. Smart phones have been around for a little over a decade and researchers have been studying the impact they have been having on us for about as many years. One study published back in January of 2015 posed that some people feel so connected to their phones that when they find themselves in a situation when they can’t look at their screens, like a work meeting, they get anxiety due to phone separation. This leads to people spending too much time looking at their phones, which creates a vast assortment of unexpected consequences.

Time is a resource that is definitely not renewable. One of the consequences of evolutionary biology is that people need time to rest. We’ve all felt tired and we know how it feels when we don’t get enough sleep. Apart from a lack of sleep, too much time on your smartphone can lead to additional adverse health effects. But you don’t need a study to figure out that reading your news feed at night instead of going to sleep can reduce your concentration and your ability to function properly the next day.

For most of Americans, one task we can’t avoid in the morning is driving somewhere. Whether it’s to work, school or otherwise, over 80% of Adults in the United States would say they get behind the wheel frequently, and a lot fewer than that say they enjoy it. Hopefully it isn’t because they’re too tired to drive.

When you’re tired – you’re groggy and irritable. Add the stress of rush hour traffic to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. A study that looked at the effects of sleep deprivation on people working in the transportation industry found that not sleeping enough produces motor skill performance equivalent to what happens when a person consumes enough alcohol to exceed legal intoxicated driving limits.

Fatigued driving can be as bad as drunk driving. Yet, how often have you heard about someone being pulled over for driving while tired? This is a problem that requires attention from all aspects of society – government and private. Putting our phones away at night is a good first step, but that is easier said than done. With smartphones being so addictive, it’s tough to figure out how to motivate ourselves to use them less.

I’ve come up with a few tricks that have worked for me. Of course, everybody’s different and tactics that help one person find success may not be as effective for someone else. Therefore, you may go through some trial and error before you find what’s best for you. Nevertheless, here’s what I’ve done:

Put the phone away earlier – Supposing I want to wake up at 6 a.m. the next day. In order to get a full 8 hours of sleep, I probably have to go to bed by around 9:30. Before I allow myself to succumb to the temptation of scrolling through posts that can easily take me down a rabbit hole that will make an hour disappear before I know it, I put the phone away much sooner. In fact, I put the phone in another room altogether at least an hour before I plan to go to bed. That way my mind is already easing into the mode of not reaching in my pocket every few minutes to check the sports scores.
Track your screen time – If you can think of it, there’s an app for that. Get yourself a screen time tracker. This feature is already built into the iPhone and there’s probably something similar on other devices. Knowing how much time you actually spend looking at your phone can help you figure out ways to bring that number down. Also, you can set limits. You can set these applications to warn you when you’ve spent more time on social media than you would like. Monitor yourself at first to see what your actual habits are, and then modify your activity based on that.
Take walks – Or, find a way to get more active if you can. I know that exercise helps me get to sleep quicker. When I’ve had a long day at work, exercise is often the last thing I want to do. But I know that once I get started, I will feel better. Once my workout is over, my mind is calmer, and I know it will be easier for me to turn off my thoughts and drift off to sleep. If I just can’t motivate myself to do a full gym routine, I can take a walk if the weather is nice. Combining fresh air with increased blood circulation from walking usually makes me feel better and, if it’s close enough to bedtime, I’m ready to fall asleep as soon as I get back from my evening constitutional.
Turn the notifications off – You may have heard social media or smartphones referred to as slot machines. This means the way phone applications are structured is similar to a slot machine in that it is designed to make you want to stay with it for a long time and keep coming back for more. The notifications on your social media apps trigger a dopamine response so you feel good when your phone tells you someone liked or commented on your posts. You can limit the urge to keep checking your post for new reactions by turning off push notifications and checking to see what happened on Facebook while you were away rather than letting it tell you every single time somebody presses like on a picture of that great sandwich you made.
Read a book – I mean an actual book and not an e-book or an audio book. Reading before bed is extremely calming for me. I know if I grab a novel and read for a few minutes when I lie down at night, I will be ready to doze off before I know it. Now, it’s true that some books are page turners that make you want to keep reading, but if I make a habit of opening a book before bedtime on a regular basis, my body will start getting used to falling asleep at the same time. That’s when I get my optimum rest.

I hope that some or all of these tactics are helpful. Of course, you may find that you need to do your own thing to get results. There is no going back, smartphones or some version of them are here to stay and when used responsibly they are an excellent tool for promoting a business, finding work, or just keeping in touch with friends and family. But, like anything, overuse can be a problem. Therefore, many of us may want to cut down so that we can get some more rest and take care to drive safe.

Remind your teens about these safe driving habits during National Teen Driver Safety Week

October 19, 2017 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

It can be hard to sit down after a long day and discuss the merits of safe driving with your kids. Luckily, there’s an entire week dedicated to doing just that.

October 15-21 is National Teen Driver Safety Week, and entire seven days dedicated to promoting safe driving. It’s up to parents and their kids to make the most of it. If you believe what you read, earning a driver’s license is considered a rite of passage. It’s also a privilege, and in our world, it doesn’t hurt to remind teens (or anyone, for that matter) why. Take the opportunity to chat about these best-practices.

Eliminate distractions

Traffic fatalities have risen steadily over the last several years. Experts believe it’s a consequence of more distracted driving behavior. Cell phones have become an inextricable part of our lives, sometimes for the worse. Text messaging and, worse, browsing social media feeds, have led to devastating consequences. A solution: Put your phone on Airplane mode, store it in the glovebox and keep it there. It’s a simple, straightforward way to eliminate temptation and keep your eyes focused on the road ahead.

Never drink and drive

As much as parents like to believe that their teens exercise good judgment the fact remains: temptation is a powerful thing. Luckily, most know that drinking and driving is not only a dangerous choice, it’s also illegal. But that doesn’t mean their friends are thinking the same thing. When I talk to my kids about this very subject, I’m less inclined to talk about their judgment as I am their peers; temptation might be powerful, but so is peer pressure. Reminding your teen to never ride in a car with someone who’s been drinking is as important as teaching them not to drink and drive.

Follow the written and unwritten rules of the road

As driving goes, we depend on the judgment of complete strangers without realizing it most of the time. The road is a shared space, and those who use it are bound by a code of regulations — written and unwritten. That means driving responsibly and defensively, which also means setting a good example. Obeying speed limits, allowing extra time to get from point A to point B, yielding to pedestrians — these are staples of responsible driving that are learned over time. It also doesn’t hurt to let a fellow driver enter a congested intersection, or yield to someone who might be J-walking.

Pay attention to non-drivers

As Jay often talks about, cyclists deserve much more respect than they typically receive. But they also have as much responsibility as drivers to obey the rules. The difference being: One of you is driving a car, the other is steering a foot-operated, two-wheeled piece of graphite. Maintaining slow speeds, and allowing for extra room when passing cyclists or pedestrians is an important part of keeping everyone safe, especially in unpredictable circumstances.

Buckle up

Fundamental and necessary, yet fundamentally lacking among young teens and novice drivers. By not fastening seat belts, drivers and passengers increase the likelihood of injury or even death by a significant percentage margin. That’s a fact, not hyperbole. Buckling up needs to be a reflexive habit, and it goes back to what we said about setting the example. Children learn from an early age to imitate their parents and caregivers, so adults arguably have a greater responsibility to enforce this easily-maintained practice to inform the impressionable minds of young kids, who eventually become young drivers.

We promote safe and responsible driving because we often take legal action against people who do neither. If you’ve been injured in an accident because of negligence, contact our offices for help.