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safe driving

Fall Brings Different Challenges to Illinois Drivers

November 4, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Fall in Chicagoland is an exciting time. The leaves begin to change, football seems to be on almost every day of the week, and it presents that brief period in the Midwest where its not too humid and there’s no sign of a snowstorm approaching. With that being said, there are some downsides that pose serious risks to drivers on the road. Not only does it get much darker outside, but potholes appear out of nowhere, and the roads are often slick. But one factor in particular may be overlooked for Cook County residents. As CBS 2 Chicago recently reported, Cook County experienced the most crashes involving deer in the entire state. Now, for many in the city this data may seem irrelevant as those residing in Chicago may not be commuting to surrounding suburbs. However, the reality is that Chicago has an incredibly diverse population and many large corporations that are headquartered in suburbs surrounding the city. And while some may believe that public transportation is the most common method of transportation for commuters, according to Money Crashers, it turns out that 77.6% of Chicago commuters drive cars, making them all the more likely to come across deer on the road.

In its report, CBS 2 stated that in 2018, “more than 40% of crashes involving deer occurred in October, November and December.” The obvious reason for these crash statistics is that deer mating season takes place during these months, making those dark, narrow roads in the suburbs all the more dangerous. On the other hand, it also comes down to a lack of awareness and knowledge of the dangers that driving at night and in certain parts of Cook County pose. 15,636 auto crashes took place in the state of Illinois in 2018, and eight of those were fatal. To place those numbers in comparison with other states, it’s important to note that Illinois does not even place in the top 10 for states where you are most likely to hit a deer on the road. For example, West Virginia, which has regularly taken the top spot for the state where drivers are most likely to be involved in a deer collision, had 25,176 collisions from June 2017 to July 2018. So why the sudden uptick in collisions for Illinois drivers? According to the Chicago Tribune, while rural areas in Illinois remain predominantly where the biggest risk of hitting these animals are, “deer are also seen in urban areas along highways . . . where deer have adapted to city and suburban environments.” This would certainly explain why Cook County ranks so high when it comes to collisions.

“Don’t Veer for Deer”

If worrying about colliding with deer on your morning and evening commutes isn’t enough to keep you motivated to stay alert of all the warning signs, keeping other drivers safe should. Although a deer may come out of nowhere and surprise you while driving, drivers have a responsibility to take reasonable precautions when driving where hazards like this are present. On top of the other dangers that Fall poses, the threat of deer in rural, and now urban areas, should force us to all be extra careful. As a way to prevent further injuries from occurring in a potential collision, CBS 2 was able to speak with Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary, Omer Osman. In discussing this issue Osman stated, “don’t veer for deer. While your first instinct when facing a deer in the headlights may be to swerve, doing so could cause you to lose control of the vehicle and increase the severity of a crash.” To further support these safety tips, the Illinois State Police has provided several tips for drivers in hopes of avoiding collisions:

  • Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to deer crossing signs.
  • Scan the sides of the road for eye shine – the reflection of headlights in the eyes.
  • Slow down if you see deer. They travel in groups, so more are likely nearby.
  • Prepare for the unexpected. Deer can stop in the middle of the road or double back.
  • If a collision is inevitable, try to glance the vehicle off the deer and avoid swerving into the opposite lanes of traffic.

It goes without saying that as it gets darker outside, drivers need to take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety. In doing so, we all work to make the roads much safer.  

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. 

Big Improvements with Volvo Driver Assist System

October 19, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

VIRGINIA – Volvo Trucks North America is implementing a new, improved driver assistance system with recognition of lane switches to avoid other vehicles, as well as an update that allows brakes to stop at a much higher speed without driver action.

Volvo Active Driver Assist 2.0 is a new collision mitigation system which utilizes both camera and radar technology to sense traffic conditions around the vehicle, maintain safe following distance, and give visual and audio alerts for the driver to take immediate action in the case of a hazard. If there is no input from the driver, active emergency braking is able to stop the truck on its own.

The safety system is now able to stop a truck–completely–at speeds up to 50 miles an hour, and will be the new standard on Volvo’s VNL and VNR series as well as an optional system on its VNX lines.

The primary version of this system, implemented in 2017, was only able to bring a truck to a stop from up to 35 miles per hour. Now, even if the truck is traveling faster than 50 miles per hour and must be brought to an emergency stop, the updated system can reduce the truck’s speed by 50 miles per hour overall, and reduce the potential damage of impact in a collision.

“If the truck is going 65 mph, it can shave 50 mph off that speed, so it is a 15 mpf crash,” said Allison Athey, VTNA’s product marketing manager for the VNL truck line.

She also said the improved driver assistance system includes an updated version of multi-lane braking with an even better ability to detect when a truck leaves its lane in order to avoid a nearby vehicle. “It always detected vehicles in both lanes, but when the truck would change lanes, it would have to take a second to recalculate and then begin to automatically emergency brake again if it was required,” Athey explained.

Now, there is no longer a need for any recalculation.

Additionally, the system now includes adjustable volume overrides for its lane-change warning capabilities, along with a new feature which allows the driver to, in particular situations, turn the system off for up to 10 minutes.

A new Highway Departure Warning and Braking function will also slow down the truck to a pre-selected speed if there is no corrective action by the driver after a lane-departure safety warning has been given, and if the system senses that the vehicle may be moving away from the drivable highway.

The system also takes advantage of new safety technology for driver awareness support, with a driver-facing camera with easy data capture, and adaptive cruise control that now includes an “auto resume” feature, also known as “slow and go.”

In other new developments, Volvo has also introduced a new steering system of its Class 8 trucks, which aims to reduce steering force up to 85% in order to help reduce driver fatigue and its dangerous effects.

This system is called Volvo Dynamic Steering, and includes an electric motor set above the truck’s steering gear. Trucks will have sensors that can measure input of over 2,000 times per second to determine steering wheel response, while also monitoring driver behavior, road conditions and environmental obstacles in order to make necessary safety adjustments.

VTNA says VDS is designed to help drivers in their ability to work around obstacles in road conditions, on everything from rugged terrain to difficult, tight maneuvers in urban areas. VDS will also include a return-to-center function, which will allow the steering wheel to return to center and help drivers better handle maneuvering in narrow spots or while in reverse. It will also have a new “lead/pull compensation” capability, which will provide a torque offset in its steering system to help navigate crowned roads, crosswinds, and other tricky conditions that can temporarily negatively impact driving.

These new features went into production in mid-September, and, according to Athey, will continue undergoing improvements until the end of next year. VDS will be available in early 2020 and Active Driver Assist 2.0 will become standard on 2021 VNL and VNR models. 

Volvo plans to work toward a goal of having zero Volvo truck-related collisions, but is counting on customer cooperation, according to Ash Makki, VTNA’s product marketing manager for technology. “This is something we have been working on diligently for years, but it is a goal that we can reach by ourselves,” he explained. “We can build the best active safety features, but if my customers don’t buy into it–see the value–is that going to work? So we have been pushing hard to our customers right now.”

Makki also says all of Volvo’s safety features are standard, but not mandated. “So the customer has an option,” he assured. “But, we have been telling our customers, ‘Why would you even think about doing that?’”

“Providing state-of-the-art features that improve drivers’ physical working conditions and comfort is an important aspect of driver satisfaction,” added Chris Stadler, VTNA product marketing manager, “as well as increasing overall productivity and road safety.”

Modern Safety Technology has Huge Effects on Trucking and Insurance

October 17, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As new safety technologies become more and more prevalent in the trucking industry and regulations continue to change, insurance costs for motor carriers increases steadily.

Some of this new tech, like avoidance systems, collision mitigation, and onboard cameras, aim to help motor carriers cut out common expensive losses and monitor the behavior of their drivers while on the road.

But how are these technologies affecting insurance companies’ underwriting processes?

Pricing is typically based around individual trucking company losses and general trends in the industry. “Rate increases have ranged from single digits to, in some cases, double or worse depending on these factors,” says Todd Reiser, vice president of the transportation practice at Lockton Cos.

If companies aren’t able to choose from multiple insurers within commercial auto liability, they end up having much higher costs that affect premiums. Additionally, trucking litigation has become much worse over the last few years.

“Jury awards in excess of $10 million are becoming more prevalent, especially in the trucking world where higher liability limits are often purchased,” explains director of underwriting for transportation at Sentry Insurance, Randy Ramczyk.

The maximum amount of coverage a primary liability policy usually covers before excess coverage is $5 million, which varies below that number. Some fleets buy a policy with minimum limits around $750,000 or $1 million, while large fleets generally go for a policy that offers a higher limit, typically up to $5 million, Reiser says.

However, Garner Brumbaugh, second vice chairman of American Trucking Associations, says she hasn’t been in the “open” insurance market for the past 18 years, because she uses her own insurance company through a “captive”–a system where members focus on a culture of safety.

According to Reiser, both primary liability and excess liability underwriters keep in mind that safety tech has major effects in reducing large losses, and are “under a ton of pressure” to remain profitable.

“It is difficult to measure the exact impact of accidents that have either not happened at all or have been substantially mitigated by these technologies, especially for fleets that are largely self-insured,” he says. He also explains that motor carriers such as these are able to use their own safety data to show a significant drop in rear-end collisions for trucks with collision mitigation systems.

“Only the most financially stable carriers will see value in continuing to buy high levels of excess insurance,” says Reiser.

Additionally, new safety tech is now allowing motor carriers to gain data straight from the cab–not only to improve driver behavior, but to mitigate the cost of an accident. For example, driver-facing cameras have been extremely helpful in avoiding accidents and correcting unsafe behaviors.

“When drivers know a camera is in the cab, they know whatever they do could potentially be reviewed,” says Reiser. Cameras can also help a fleet be exempt from liability, because they can be used to determine who is at fault in a collision.

Other tech, like crash avoidance systems, equip vehicles with a resource to reduce accident severity–especially in lane change and merging incidents.

Because of circumstances like these, some insurers are now establishing prerequisites, meaning they are only considering risks that use particular technology, including camera systems and collision avoidance.

Another widely-used new tech changing the insurance game? ELDs.

Since 2017, electronic logging devices have been mandated in commercial trucks. If a carrier goes without ELDs, insurers will typically not agree to write that particular risk.

Brumbaugh says ELDs are doing well at making the industry safer overall. “The challenges will be the learning curve, which takes time after full implementation,” which will go into effect this December. 

Sentry’s Ramczyk says camera systems and collision mitigation systems are becoming the most effective in regards to safety, though. “Common sense would dictate that this technology can and will help minimize the number of commercial trucking accidents,” he says.

Insurers are now paying for hardware installation like these in certain vehicles, especially with systems like cameras, instead of providing discounts to companies for using them.

Craig Dancer, transportation industry practice leader at Marsh USA Inc. says this is to be expected. “The insurer is betting that their investment in safety technology will be paid back over time based on their insured’s improved loss experience.”

Chicago Releases Long-Expected West Side Traffic Safety Plan

October 10, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the city of Chicago recently announced a West Side Vision Zero Traffic Safety Plan, which aims to address the prior administration’s intent to create a comprehensive infrastructure plan based on “crash data to identify 43 high crash corridors and eight high crash areas in Chicago,” according to SmartCitiesWorld, an online publisher specializing in infrastructure analysis. The new plan comes on the footsteps of the city’s announcement that it would spend $6 million on establishing proper infrastructure and safety on the West Side of Chicago. As part of this initiative, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), recently installed pedestrian islands at the intersection of Madison St. and St. Louis Avenue. This announcement and the work soon to begin on the West Side is all being done under the City’s Vision Zero Chicago initiative, part of a global movement that addresses fatal infrastructure issues throughout cities with the belief that crashes can be easily avoided so long as the proper infrastructure is in place.

According to the Vision Zero Principles the city prominently displays on its website, the new initiative sets out to adopt and implement specific plans that match accordingly to high crash areas. As discussed above, the recent pedestrian islands that were installed on the West Side are just the beginning of acknowledging and trying to alleviate the injuries likely to occur in neighborhoods with dangerous infrastructure issues. Overall, actions such as these fit under the umbrella of the City’s ultimate goals which it declares are to:

  • Invest equitably in communities that are most affected by severe traffic crashes.
  • Work to change behaviors and perceptions to build citywide culture of safety.
  • Make streets safer for all users.
  • Encourage and implement policies, training, and technologies that create safer vehicles and professional drivers.

All of this goes to say that Chicago understands there are communities that have long been neglected when it comes to issues such as infrastructure; and the West Side is certainly one of those communities. As the initial high crash data showed, seven of the eight high crash areas were located on the West and South sides of Chicago. With the introduction of this new plan, residents of these communities will be receiving long awaited uptick in public safety standards that will render the roads and sidewalks far safer for all.

The West Side Initiative

Although the official plan has yet to be posted to the City’s dedicated website for this topic, Streetsblog Chicago wrote an analysis of what can be expected. “The Vision Zero West Side Plan includes 15 strategies to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in East and West Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Austin. The recommendations include safety improvement around transit stations; efforts to promote walking and biking to school.” Overall, the new plan appears to go all in on alleviating a lot of the issues that have plagued this part of the City for years. What makes this plan different than other projects that have been announced in the past is the fact that it truly is comprehensive and input from community leaders on the West Side and all around the city have been taken into consideration. For example, in creating the West Side initiative, the CDOT worked with the Garfield Park Community Council, the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, Lawndale Christian Health Center, Build, and Austin Coming Together.

While the plan that has been proposed appears to be all about public safety policy, there’s more to it that CDOT is hoping truly transforms how people travel on the West Side and engage with their community. For example, while traffic safety is a key part of the initiative, the plan also calls for job creation and an increase in quality of life. One way it aims to achieve these two goals is through allowing residents to feel safe walking, biking, and using public transportation. While such things and fixing light poles and cleaning up transit areas seem small, the reality is that actions such as this make individuals more likely to use means other than driving for transportation purposes. As we have repeatedly addressed, the more individuals on the roads and increasing the odds of traffic throughout the city, the more crashes and injuries that will result so long as infrastructure issues remain.

Ultimately, this new initiative may appear to be no more than a pipe dream for communities that have long been promised change throughout the city, but the real hope remains that CDOT will hold to its plan and transform parts of the city and will keep those on the road safe, and the residents in the community much safer. 

The Safest (and Least Safe) Pickups for 2019 and 2020

October 7, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Thinking of a new pickup truck?

Although larger passenger vehicles, such as pickups and SUVs, have bigger structures making them better able to absorb crash energy, SUVs and pickups are proportionally more likely to be involved in fatal single-vehicle crashes–especially in the event of a rollover.

Because of this, it is of the utmost importance for any potential pickup owner to be aware of the ins and outs of safety regarding these particular vehicles, and how the newest models on the market hold up to standards.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the results of 2019 and 2020 full-size pickup trucks. These tests included: frontal crash small and moderate overlap, side crash, roof strength press, head restraint and seat safety, headlight evaluation, front crash prevention tech, and child seat anchor ability.

Without further ado, here are the most and least safe, full-size, half-ton pickup trucks for 2019 and 2020.

Safety ratings scale ranges from Poor to Marginal to Acceptable to Good.

Not-So-Safe:

Toyota Tundra

Small overlap front: driver side = marginal. Structure = marginal. Lower leg = poor.

Small overlap front: passenger side = poor. Structure = poor. Hip = marginal. Lower leg = poor.

Moderate overlap front: driver side = good.

Side = good.

Roof strength = acceptable. (Curb weight: 5,432 lbs, 3.94 times → 21,384 lbs).

Head restraints & seats = good.

Headlights = marginal. Visibility on left = fair. Visibility on right = inadequate. Visibility on curves = inadequate. High-beam assist is present.

Front Crash Prevention = superior. Forward collision warning meets standards. 12 mph – 25 mph collision avoidance is present.

Child seat anchors = acceptable. Two positions have LATCH hardware. Third position is tether only.

Safer:

Nissan Titan

Small overlap front: driver side = good. Lower leg = acceptable.

Small overlap front: passenger side = good. Structure = acceptable.

Moderate overlap front: driver side = good.

Side = good. Driver torso rating = acceptable.

Roof strength = good. (Curb weight: 5,460 lbs, 4.55 times → 24,857 lbs).

Head restraints & seats = good.

Headlights = marginal. Visibility on straightaways = fair. Visibility on curves = inadequate. 

Front Crash Prevention = no crash prevention. 360-degree camera, blind spot monitors, and rear cross-traffic alerts are present.

Child seat anchors = acceptable. Two seats have LATCH hardware. Third position is tether only.

Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500

Small overlap front: driver side = good. Structure/safety cage = acceptable. Lower leg = acceptable.

Small overlap front: passenger side = marginal. Structure/safety cage = poor.

Moderate overlap front: driver side = good.

Side = good.

Roof strength = good. (Curb weight: 4,818 lbs, 4.62 times → 22,236 lbs).

Head restraints & seats = good.

Headlights = poor. Visibility on straightaways = good. Visibility on left curves = fair. Visibility on right curves = inadequate.

Front Crash Prevention = superior. Forward collision warning meets standards. 12 mph – 25 mph collision avoidance is present.

Child seat anchors = marginal. Two positions have lower seat anchors. Third position is tether only.

Ford F-150

Small overlap front: driver side = good.

Small overlap front: passenger side = good.

Moderate overlap front: driver side = good.

Side = good.

Roof strength = good. (Curb weight: 4,651 lbs, 5,85 times → 27,215 lbs).

Head restraints & seats = good.

Headlights = poor. Visibility on straightaways = inadequate. Visibility on curves = inadequate. Raptor lights: poor; but work better on straightaways.

Front Crash Prevention = superior. Forward collision warning meets standards. 12 mph – 25 mph collision avoidance is present.

Child seat anchors = marginal. Two positions have lower seat anchors. Third position is tether only.

Safest: 

Ram 1500

Currently the only full-size pickup truck with a “Top Safety Pick+” rating.

Small overlap front: driver side = good. Lower leg = acceptable.

Small overlap front: passenger side = good. Structure = acceptable.

Moderate overlap front: driver side = good.

Side = good.

Roof strength = good. (Curb weight: 5,254 lbs, 4.24 times → 22,302 lbs).

Head restraints & seats = good.

Headlights = good (on Longhorn and Limited trims). Curve adapting and high-beam assist are present. Gradual left turn light = inadequate.

Front Crash Prevention = superior. Forward collision warning meets standard. 12 mph – 25 mph collision avoidance is present.

Child seat anchors = marginal. All three rear positions have LATCH seat anchors.

According to IIHS, two tests of the RAM 1500 Crew Cab were conducted and the specifications for each test were identical. As a “Top Safety Pick+” for 2019 and 2020, this truck needed ‘good’ ratings in its driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a ‘superior’ rating in front crash prevention and a ‘good’ headlight rating.

IIHS’ 2019 “Top Safety Pick” was the Honda Ridgeline, awarded for its optional front crash prevention and specific headlights.

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