Fatal crashes on highways in our part of the country continue to become a greater and greater danger facing anyone on the roads of Indiana and Illinois. Warnings of a growing risk of deadly highway accidents coming from government studies, safety agencies, and advocates for accident victims and their loved ones are not being heeded. For more, read: Public Crisis Declared by DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg as Traffic Fatalities Have Largest Increase Since 1975 and New Safety Report: Epidemic of Roadway Fatalities is “Out of Control”.
Illinois’ Death Rate Jumped 18.4% In Nine Month Time Period
This month another statistical analysis reports dire realities for roadway deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released its estimate of traffic fatalities for the first nine (9) months of 2021. Read: National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2022, February). Early estimate of motor vehicle traffic fatalities for the first 9 months (January–September) of 2021 (Crash Stats Brief Statistical Summary. Report No. DOT HS 813 240). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to NHSTA data, there were more people dying in motor vehicle traffic accidents during the first nine months of last year than any year since 2006. This same time period (January – September 2021) had the highest percentage hike in deaths in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
Of particular concern is the hike in traffic fatalities in the states of Illinois and Indiana according to the February 2022 NHTSA report:
- Illinois increased 18.4% in the number of motor vehicle accident deaths from January to September 2021; and
- Indiana increased 9.4% in the number of traffic fatalities during the same nine-month period.
An almost 20% increase in traffic deaths on the roads of Illinois is particularly infuriating, since almost all deadly motor vehicle crashes are preventable accidents.
Having Hoosiers facing an almost 10% jump in the risk of dying on Indiana’s roads is disheartening, as well – especially since this death rate has risen so significantly in a mere nine months.
Seven of the Nation’s Biggest Bottlenecks in Indiana and Illinois
Another report released this month also raises concern. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) Annual Report on our nation’s roadway infrastructure and its top 100 bottlenecks was published.
Using commercial truck GPS data from over 1 Million freight trucks, the ATRI details the greatest roadway congestion spots in the country. These “chokepoints” or “bottlenecks” are then tallied into a report card of state roadways and their likelihood for congestion. According to the ATRI Top 100 Bottleneck List for 2022 (click on the links for maps of each location),
There are four major Illinois bottlenecks:
- Chicago, IL: I-290 at I-90/I-94 (ranked 6th)
- Chicago, IL: I-80 at I-94 (ranked 19th)
- Chicago, IL: I-90 at I-94 (South) (ranked 23rd)
- Chicago, IL: I-90 at I-94 (North) (ranked 38th)
There are three major Indiana bottlenecks:
- Indianapolis, IN: I-65 at I-70 (North) (ranked 53rd)
- Gary, IN: I-65 at I-80 (ranked 55th)
- Indianapolis, IN: I-465 at I-69 (ranked 85th).
How Do Bottlenecks Contribute to Fatal Accidents?
Bottlenecks would seem to stall or halt traffic, making a fatal accident less likely; however, the bigger picture must be considered when pondering the connection between bottlenecks and fatal crashes.
According to NHTSA, traffic congestion is one of the “most frequently mentioned contributing factors to aggressive driving, such as speeding. Drivers may respond by using aggressive driving behaviors, including speeding, changing lanes frequently, or becoming angry at anyone who they believe impedes their progress.”
Accordingly, the more congestion – particularly in our seven notorious bottlenecks on some of the nation’s most traveled interstates – can mean drivers, particularly truckers on a deadline, may be tempted to ignore speed limits after leaving the bottleneck to make up time.
Speeding after a bottleneck may be a significant cause of a deadly crash in our Crossroads of America.
For more, read:
- Road Infrastructure, Traffic Congestion, and Fatal Accidents in Indiana and Illinois
- Deadly Roads and Bridges: Dangerous Infrastructure in Indiana and Illinois.
Current Epidemic of Speeding and Reckless Driving
Since the pandemic began, speeding has become commonplace on our roads. Read, “Surge in speeding, reckless driving in America during pandemic,” written by Lux Lazo and published by The Washington Post on May 11, 2020, which reports that average speeds have jumped 250% in the major traffic locations across the nation, with vehicles driving over 80 mph on highways regardless of the legal speed limit.
According to NHTSA, speeding was a cause of 26% of the fatal motor vehicle accidents in this country in 2018. This, of course, is before the pandemic hit and the trend to ignore speed limits began.
For more on speeding, read: Speeding and Serious or Fatal Semi-Truck Crashes in Illinois or Indiana and Speeding Causes Almost Half of All Fatal Car Crashes in Illinois (Around 25% in Indiana).
Indiana Bill Calls for Work Zone Highway Speed Cameras
In response to this crisis, both the federal and state governments are responding with new legislation targeting traffic infrastructure and driver behavior, particularly speeding. The federal government has passed significant infrastructure legislation designed to fight against traffic deaths. Read, Passage of the 2021 Infrastructure Act and Deadly Motor Vehicle Accidents in Indiana and Illinois.
An example of state legislative response are current bills moving through the Indiana statehouse, which would place speed cameras at Hoosier Highway Work Zones to try and curtail speeding, especially after a bottleneck.
For more on speed cameras, see: More and More Traffic Cameras in Indiana and Illinois: Does It Mean More Car Accidents?
Justice for Fatal Highway Accident Victims in Indiana and Illinois
There cannot be enough warnings to everyone driving or riding the roads here in the Crossroads of America that we face an unprecedented danger of dying in a fatal motor vehicle accident. Indiana and Illinois have higher traffic volumes than other parts of the country: this is particularly true for commercial truck traffic with the high volume of semi-trucks, big rigs, 18-wheelers, and tractor-trailers negotiating our roads on a routine basis.
The risk is particularly high in Illinois, where the latest research shows a shocking 20% increase in traffic deaths during the first nine months of 2021.
For victims of fatal motor vehicle accidents and semi-truck crashes in Indiana and Illinois, there are state laws that provide avenues for justice that establish legal liability and financial accountability on the wrongdoer who caused the incident.
Significant legal claims are also available to those accident victims who are victorious over death in the highway accident, but suffer catastrophic injuries. Read, Catastrophic Injury Accidents: Special Legal Protections for Victims and Families in Indiana and Illinois.
For more, read:
- Highway Big Rig Truck Traffic: It’s Dangerous and It’s On the Increase
- Motor Carriers Continued Focus on Profit Instead of Health and Safety of Truck Drivers Shown in New ATRI Report
- Why Big Rig Semi Trucks Are So Dangerous To Drivers on Indiana and Illinois Roads
- Safety Groups Push Feds to Require Big Rigs to Have Auto-Brake Safety Devices
- Overweight or Overloaded Semi Truck Accidents: Growing Danger of Fatal Crash.
Anyone driving along the roadways of Indiana and Illinois must drive with an awareness of the escalating danger they face. Bottlenecks must be respected as particularly dangerous, especially as traffic exits the chokehold and drivers may put pedal to the metal. Please be careful out there!
