Although we rarely think about it, driving is one of the most dangerous activities people do on a regular basis. An estimated 32,000 people lose their lives in car accidents every year in the U.S and thousands more are injured. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, people are starting to make holiday travel plans. During the holiday season, there are even more vehicles than normal on the road, so it is critical to be vigilant. Keep yourself and your family as safe as possible by following these holiday travel safety tips.

Car Accidents Spike Around Thanksgiving

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were over 750 fatal car crashes and almost 50,000 non-fatal motor vehicle accidents during Thanksgiving 2012. Every year, traffic accidents spike during the winter holiday season. Many of these accidents are caused by drivers who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or who are too sleepy to drive. 

In order to have the best chances of an accident-free holiday, keep the following tips in mind:

Tailgating is a form of aggressive driving and an increasing problem in Illinois and across the country. In fact, the National Highway Safety and Transportation Authority (NHTSA) estimates that nearly one fourth of all vehicle accidents are rear-end accidents, and many of these are the result of vehicles following too closely. It is also illegal in Illinois.

Reasons Why People Tailgate

Although tailgating is generally seen as a type of aggressive driving, the reasons behind it are varied. Some drivers tailgate because they are late, others because they are impatient, yet others do so because they are just plain rude or full of anger and rage. There are also those motorists who tailgate but are simply unaware that they are tailgating.

A leading cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. is motor vehicle accidents. According to most recent available statistics, six teens between the ages of 16 and 19 die every day from motor vehicle-related injuries. Teens in the same age group are nearly three times more likely to be in a fatal crash than are drivers aged 20 years and older. Many of these crashes are entirely preventable, if parents and teenage drivers heed advice given by experts who have studied this issue.

Illinois State Laws on Teenage Driving

To curb this increasing problem of teen accidents, the state of Illinois, like many others across the country, has put in place restrictions intended to ensure that teen drivers have enough training and supervision to minimize or altogether eliminate serious injury caused by these accidents involving teenage drivers. The law in Illinois requires that a teenage driver must complete a state-approved education course. Additionally, the driver’s parent or guardian must certify that the teen has attended and completed at least 50 hours of driving practice, ten of which must be driving at night.

Restrictions on Teen Drivers

Once the teenager has completed the state mandated driving course, and their parent or guardian has made the required certification, the teenager will then be given an initial driver’s license with the following restrictions placed on the teenage driver:

We have all been there: a fire truck is barreling down the street at high speed with sirens and horns blaring, but we are not quite sure which direction the fire truck is coming from or heading. We then see it just as we move over as required under the law, but others are not quite so lucky, as the next thing they know, is they either have been hit by the fire truck or they have hit something while trying to avoid the first-response vehicle.

Passengers in Accidents Involving Emergency Vehicle

If an accident occurs involving a firetruck or other emergency vehicle and you are a passenger in a car involved in the accident, you may have a legal right to seek compensation. How you proceed in seeking that compensation will depend on who caused the accident.

The first thing to be determined after an accident involving an emergency vehicle—after taking care of those who were injured—is whether this was a failure to yield accident or one in violation of the Illinois “Move Over” law. That finding will then determine the legal consequences to follow, if any.

On March 3, a 2-year old girl was fatally injured in a motor vehicle collision on the South Side of Chicago. The young passenger was killed when she was ejected from the vehicle, as the car crashed head-on with another vehicle and ultimately collided with a tree on South Calumet Avenue. According to police, the girl was not in a car seat. 

Protecting children of any age from serious auto accident injuries can be difficult. Listed below are some of the steps you can take to help ensure your children do not suffer severe or even fatal car accident injuries.