Speeding in Lake County continues to present a traffic safety hazard.  As discussed on the “Speed As An Accident Cause And The Potential For Serious Injuries” page, statistics indicate that driving at excessive speed often contributes to or causes a driver to crash.  As well, driving at higher speeds often causes accident injuries to be much greater in severity.  This speeding often accompanies driver impairments such as driving while intoxicated by alcohol or driving while drug-impaired.

The Highland Park Patch article of October 1, 2018, titled “DUI Driver Was Speeding At Least 40 MPH Over Limit:  HP Blotter” mentions various alleged instances of speeding in Lake County.  As seen in the article, a number of incidents in Highland Park resulted in drivers being charged with DUI and other charges such as improper lane usage and running a red light.  Some of the drivers were cited for speeding as well; one was cited for driving at least 40 mph over the speed limit.

Additional details regarding these issues regarding speeding in Lake County can be seen in the sources mentioned above.

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Distracted driving continues to be a major traffic safety issue nationally, as well as throughout Illinois and in Lake County.  While there are many reasons that can lead to a driver being distracted, two frequently-cited reasons are the use of mobile phones as well as texting on cellphones.

A recent study, which is discussed in the April 2, 2018 post titled “‘Distracted Driving’ Seen As Top Threat To Traffic Safety” indicates that such driving was seen by motorists as the top threat to traffic safety.

There are many reasons why distracted driving is such a traffic hazard and often leads to loss of vehicle control and accidents.   Various reasons as to why distracted driving is hazardous, as well as various statistics, are further discussed on the “Distracted Driving Accidents And Injuries” page.

Recently, a new Illinois law (further) addresses distracted driving.  The Daily Herald article of August 22, 2018 (“Why Illinois is making penalties for texting while driving tougher“) discusses the new law and various statistics regarding driver distraction.  An excerpt:

State Sen. Cristina Castro, an Elgin Democrat who sponsored the legislation, says penalties under the current law, which went into effect in 2014, haven’t done enough to curb motorists from using cellphones while driving. In 2017, about 9 percent of Illinois motorists were observed using electronic devices while driving, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Nationwide, distracted driving caused 3,450 deaths in 2016.

also, with regard to the new law:

The stricter penalties, which go into effect on July 1, 2019, were signed into law last week. People who illegally use handheld electronic devices while driving will be given a moving violation on the first offense instead of a nonmoving violation. Motorists who rack up three moving violations within a year can have their driver’s license suspended.

An excerpt regarding this new law and its penalties regarding distracted driving, from the August 17, 2018 Chicago Tribune article titled “New distracted driving fine, bike safety rule signed into law“:

One law signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner imposes a harsher penalty on drivers caught using a phone behind the wheel without a hands-free device.

The new law, which goes into effect next July, makes the penalty $75 for a first offense, $100 for a second, $125 for a third and $150 for a fourth or subsequent offense. Under current law, drivers get a warning and no fine the first time.

Additional details regarding these distracted driving issues can be seen in the sources mentioned above.

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“Speed Awareness Day” is July 25, 2018.   Lake County is participating in this speed-reduction effort.

As seen in the July 19, 2018 Libertyville Patch article titled “Speed Awareness Day Is Wednesday:  Lake Co. Cops Out In Full Force“:

Sheriff Mark Curran is reminding motorists that Wednesday, July 25, 2018 is Speed Awareness Day. Expanded traffic safety patrols will be visible throughout the county to remind motorists to drive within the speed limit.

This “Speed Awareness Day” safety campaign has published a variety of statistics related to speed and crashes.  Among these statistics are the following, as seen on the “Residential Facts On Speeding” page:

• When a pedestrian is hit by a car at 20 MPH, there is a 10% likelihood of being killed; at a speed of 30 MPH, the percentage increases to a 50% likelihood of being killed.
• The higher the speed at impact, the more severe the injuries sustained.
• 37% of the speed-related crashes result in injuries.
• When speeding, there is a greater chance that other road users will misjudge how fast you are traveling.
• Speeding extends the distance required to stop a vehicle in emergency situations.
• Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to navigate safely around curves or objects in the roadway.

Additional information is provided regarding speed is seen on the “Interstate Facts On Speeding” page:

• The probability of death, disfigurement, or debilitating injury grows with higher speed at impact.  Such consequences double for every 10 mph over 50 mph.
• In 2016 speed accounted for 32.2% of all crashes
• In 2016 speed accounted for 34.2% of all fatal crashes
• In 2016 speed accounted for 37.8% of injury crashes
• In 2016 there was a total of 1078 fatalities on our roadways

Additional details on speeding and this Illinois “Speed Awareness Day” campaign can be seen in the sources mentioned above.

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Street racing and drag racing have caused or contributed to car accidents in Lake County.  Among the reasons that these racing activities are dangerous is that they are done at (very) high speeds, and often various traffic signals and other forms of traffic control are disregarded.  As well, the streets that are raced on are typically not designed for high-speed driving, and as such it can be easy for the driver to lose control of the speeding vehicle.

Various aspects of street racing, including Lake County accidents that have involved such speeding, is further discussed on the “Street Racing Accidents In Lake County” page.

Two men were arrested after alleged street racing in Libertyville.  The racing occurred on Milwaukee Avenue, early on the morning of June 19, 2018.

An excerpt regarding the street racing, from the June 19, 2018 Grayslake Patch article titled “2 Arrested For Drag Racing In Libertyville“:

Two suburban men face charges after they were allegedly caught drag racing down Milwaukee Avenue early Tuesday, police said. Authorities in Libertyville spotted two vehicles heading north on Milwaukee near Artaius Parkway at 2:30 a.m. and clocked one vehicle at 75 mph and the other at 78 mph. Both vehicles turned into X-Sport Fitness, 1163 South Milwaukee Avenue, where the drivers were questioned by police, according to a Libertyville Police Department report.

Among the charges the men face are driving at excessive speed and street racing.

Additional details regarding this Lake County street racing topic can be seen in the sources mentioned above.

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Distracted driving by teens is a major traffic safety issue.   As discussed in the April 2, 2018 post (“‘Distracted Driving’ Seen As Top Threat To Traffic Safety“) distracted driving in general,  as seen in a recent survey of drivers, is perceived to be the leading threat to traffic safety.

On May 31, 2018 the Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced a “‘#DropItAndDrive’ traffic safety campaign” which is being conducted “during the ‘100 deadliest days’ of teen driving.”  This summer traffic safety initiative is further discussed in the media release titled “Sheriff Curran, Lake County Chiefs Of Police Launch Countywide  ‘#DropItAndDrive’ Campaign.”

An excerpt from the release:

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, ”…more than 1,050 people were killed in crashes involving a teen driver in 2016 during the 100 Deadliest Days, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That is an average of 10 people per day – a 14% increase compared to the rest of the year.”  According to AAA, the three main contributing factors in teen fatal crashes are distraction (distraction from passengers and/or electronic devices), failure to wear a seatbelt, and speeding.

Chief Kevin Woodside, President of the Lake County Chiefs of Police Association stated, “Over 400,000 people are injured every year in crashes as a result of distracted driving. Texting and driving by young, inexperienced drivers is an even higher risk. As we enter the ‘100 deadliest days’, remember that behind the wheel is never the place for electronics.”

Additional details regarding this Lake County traffic safety initiative can be seen in the media release.

On this site, distracted driving is further discussed on the “Accidents Involving Distracted Driving” page.  Various characteristics of distracted driving, as well as statistics, are featured in this discussion.

The benefits of wearing a seat belt, and the risks in failing to wear a seat belt, is further discussed on “The Safety Benefits Of Wearing Seat Belts” page.   Many of the benefits have to do with either avoiding accident injuries and/or preventing occupant ejections, which often lead to significant if not life-threatening accident injuries.

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