Top 4 Causes of Highway Accidents in Illinois

 Posted on June 29, 2022 in Blog Post

Accidents on the highway can happen very quickly. Highway crashes often involve multiple vehicles due to traffic. All it takes is for one careless driver to make a mistake and suddenly, I-294 is at a standstill after a pile-up. If one person loses control of their vehicle after getting hit, they may swerve into another lane, causing repeat impacts. These accidents can be very dangerous or even deadly. Most highway accidents are the direct result of someone’s negligence. Drivers always have a duty to use reasonable care to prevent a car accident and avoid hurting others. Yet, many drivers do make common and completely avoidable errors while driving out of carelessness. If you have been injured in a highway accident, an attorney may be able to help you identify the liable party and recover compensation.

Forms of Driver Negligence on the Interstate

Safely driving at highway speeds requires care and attention. A lot of mistakes that drivers make have to do with being overly comfortable on the highway, particularly for those who commute into Chicago for work. Common causes of highway accidents include:

• Cell phone use - Even sending a quick text or checking a work email while en route to the office can take a driver’s attention off the road long enough for them to cause an accident. A driver only needs to look down for a few seconds to miss the fact that traffic ahead is slowing down.
• Road rage - Sitting in traffic can be very frustrating, especially when someone is already running late. Common occurrences, like briefly being stuck behind two semi-trucks slowly passing each other while going under the speed limit, can send an impatient driver into road rage mode. Drivers with road rage tend to unpredictably speed up and change lanes with no warning, sometimes intentionally cutting others off or even deliberately running others off the road.
• Being lost - Missing an exit or split can be frustrating. It means that you will need to double back, which can take some time. Some drivers will panic when they realize that they are in the wrong lane and attempt to cut across several lanes of traffic to get where they need to be. This endangers everyone and often leads to sideswipe accidents.
• Excessive speeding - There are two major problems with excessive speed on the interstate. The first is that the speeding driver will have to dodge others who are going at a more reasonable speed and may make a mistake. The other is that people who are driving at wild speeds can easily lose control, particularly around tight turns.

The aftermath of a highway accident can be confusing. In pile-ups, it can be tricky to figure out who started the crash, and how. An attorney can help investigate.

Call an Illinois Car Accident Attorney

Quinn Law Group, LLC is skilled at recovering compensation for people who have been injured in highway accidents. Our experienced Des Plaines car accident lawyers will fully investigate the cause of your accident to help prove the defendant’s negligence. Contact us at 847-232-7180 for a free consultation.

Source:

https://www.allstate.com/resources/car-insurance/highway-driving-safety-tips