Chicago Enacts Stricter Speeding Regulations
Starting this week, Chicago drivers can be fined $35 for driving six mph over the speed limit. City officials have said that this new fine, a part of the Vision Zero Chicago Program, is designed to reduce the increase in driving fatalities and injuries reported last year. According to a City of Chicago press release, the Vision Zero Chicago Program aims to address traffic violence as a public health challenge. This is accomplished through utilizing traffic crash data, identifying the most significant opportunities for change, and establishes priorities and resources for addressing traffic violence.
According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, traffic fatalities rose 45% in 2020. There were 139 traffic fatalities, an increase from the 96 fatalities reported during the same in 2019. The influx in traffic fatalities has affected other cities worldwide and is attributed to reduced traffic volumes in urban areas from COVID-19 that led to an increase in speeding and traffic deaths
A grace period where drivers were given warnings started in January and ended on March 1. In the first week of the grace period, the city issued over 52,000 warnings. The city will start the ticketing in a staggered manner since some of the drivers who were caught speeding have not yet received their warning.
Since the Chicago speed camera statute was enacted in 2013 by former mayor Rahm Emanuel, the city has had the ability to hand out $35 tickets for cars going 6 to 9 mph over the limit in speed zones near schools and parks but has never enforced it. Now, any driver caught speeding on a traffic camera 6 to 9 miles per hour over the speed limit will receive a $35 speeding ticket. Drivers speeding 11 miles per hour over the limit will receive $100 fines.
According to the World Health Organization, speeding is a key factor in traffic injuries. Gradual reductions in speed significantly increase the likelihood of avoiding a serious injury or death in a motor vehicle crash. For example, pedestrians have a 90% chance of survival if struck by a vehicle going 20 mph or less. At 30 mph, the survival rate reduces to 50%, and at 40 mph, it goes down to 10%.
We hope that these statistics remind you of the importance of staying focused and safe on the roads! If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact our office today for a free initial consultation and a complete analysis of the circumstances. Our lawyers are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you would like to learn more about Strellis and Field’s motor vehicle accident practice, including but not limited to transportation, automobile, motorcycle, and rideshare accidents, click here.
