For most of us, getting in our car to drive to work, school, or the grocery store is the most dangerous thing we will do all day. While plane crashes and random shootings may make news headlines and give people phobias about flying and going out in public, far more people die in car crashes than in any other accident or disaster. 

Driving at night increases the normal dangers of driving significantly. Although only 25 percent of driving is done at night, about 50 percent of driving fatalities occur after dark. If you have been involved in a car crash that happened at night and another party was responsible, you may want to speak with an Illinois personal injury lawyer. 

Common Causes of Nighttime Car Crashes

At night, all the regular hazards of daytime driving apply - debris in the road, distracted driving, or driving over the speed limit. But a special set of other factors can enhance regular road risks and make night driving much more dangerous. These include, but are not limited to: 

The process of filing claims or lawsuits after a car accident can be overwhelming. When another driver hits you, the process of exchanging information, contacting a lawyer, and filing a lawsuit or personal injury claim may sound straightforward. But what do you do if the driver who hits your vehicle is an Uber driver who is on the clock? Is the process of filing a lawsuit involving a rideshare driver different? 

Determining Liability in Ridesharing Accidents 

To start with, it is imperative to determine liability, which is not always easy to decipher. You will have a perspective in terms of who you believe is at fault for the accident, but in order for your viewpoint to be recognized as a fact, negligence needs to be proven on part of the rideshare driver. 

Not only is negligence a difficult factor to prove, but there are also opposing parties who may have different recollections as to what happened. If you have a dashcam or a nearby witness captured footage of the crash, this visual documentation of events as they unfolded is invaluable. 

Being injured in a car accident can be a traumatic experience, especially if those injuries are serious. Not only do you deal with the pain and medical treatment that comes with those injuries, but victims also often face financial difficulties because of the cost of the medical care and lost wages from time missed from work as they recover.

In most cases, when a person is injured in a car accident, there is no hesitation about filing for damages against the driver who caused that accident and is responsible for those injuries. But what happens when that driver is someone you know – a friend or family member? Should you still seek compensation? As difficult as that may seem, the answer is yes.

Car Accidents and Insurance Policies

If you are injured in a car accident caused by someone you know, you should treat it the same way you would if that driver was a stranger to you. Do not discuss the accident or any details about your injuries with them. This does not mean you cannot talk to them at all. It just means avoiding the topic of the car accident.

While Memorial Day is traditionally the kickoff of summer season, it is also the beginning of what has been deemed the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer.” Safety advocates use this term to call attention to the increased dangers teen drivers face during the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day. According to national statistics, there are approximately 10 people killed in teen driver car crashes each day during this period. Over the past decade, there have been almost 300 people killed in crashes involving teen drivers during the 100 deadliest days in the state of Illinois.

Dangerous Time on the Roads

The summer means more motorists are on the road as people take vacations and day trips. More motorists also mean more car accidents, injuries, and deaths. It also means more teen drivers are on the road, since school is out for the summer. Many of these teen drivers are inexperienced, and they sometimes act recklessly. Tragically, statistics about teen drivers bear this out:

• Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teens.

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The warm weather has finally arrived in Illinois after a long, cold winter, and this is welcome news for motorcycle enthusiasts. Every year, the month of May is designated National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, serving as an important reminder to motorcyclists and drivers of other vehicles of important safety habits they should follow to minimize the risk of being involved in a motorcycle crash.

Motorcycle Accident Statistics

At one time, only “bikers” in gangs drove motorcycles. That has significantly changed over the past several decades, and currently, women and men from all walks of life own motorcycles and enjoy riding. It is estimated that more than 13 million motorcycles are registered in the United States. While they account for less than 5 percent of the number of registered vehicles on the road, they make up for about 15 percent of all traffic deaths each year, and motorcycle accidents result in the death of approximately 5,000 victims. Another 90,000 victims are injured, many of them seriously.

National statistics show that 80 percent of all motorcycle accidents cause serious injuries or death. A rider on a motorcycle is 29 times more at risk of suffering fatal injuries in a crash than occupants in a passenger car accident. These high numbers are due to the lack of protection a person on a motorcycle has when a bike is struck by another vehicle. Tragically, the number of riders who are injured or killed in motorcycle crashes keeps increasing each year.