The holiday season brings joyful thoughts of family, parties and celebrations. However, this festive time also means a dangerous rush on the Chicago area’s busy highways.
This season of cheer brings a significant surge in traffic volume and accident risk across our many major thoroughfares, like Interstate 90, I-94 and local Northbrook routes.
Core causes of holiday collisions
Heavy, congested holiday traffic can directly lead to increased aggressive driving and impatience. Drivers often tailgate, swerving in and out of lanes to get ahead.
Tragically, a significant spike in impaired driving incidents occurs between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Alcohol is a factor in roughly one-third to nearly half of all traffic deaths during this time. Other holiday travel factors also increase your risk of a crash, including:
- Traveling long distances often leads to fatigue and drowsy driving
- Distractions from navigating or communicating travel plans while behind the wheel
- The unpredictable nature of winter weather in Cook County and the surrounding areas
Wintertime driving, including sudden ice, heavy snow and low visibility, can turn a regular road into a hazard, especially when combined with speeding. Everyone needs to adjust to the changing conditions.
Protecting yourself after an accident
Your safety is the most important thing. If you are in a crash, move your vehicle to the shoulder or a safe spot if you can. Immediately check yourself and your passengers for injuries. Call 911 or local police right away.
In Illinois, you must report a crash to the police only if it results in death, injury or property damage exceeding $1,500 ($500 if any driver is uninsured). However, it is strongly recommended that you call the police for any accident to document the incident for insurance and a potential legal claim.
Try to document everything you can at the scene:
- Take pictures of vehicle damage and license plates
- Document skid marks, road conditions and traffic signs
- Collect insurance and contact info from all other drivers and witnesses
Seek a complete medical examination, even if symptoms don’t appear right away. Many serious injuries are not immediately apparent. Getting thoroughly checked out protects your health and creates a necessary record for any future claim.
Protect your rights amidst the holiday rush
When someone’s negligence injures you, the consequences typically go far beyond ruining your holiday cheer. Car accidents can also bring severe physical, emotional and financial risks. Besides the seasonal hazards, you face the imminent danger of going up against insurance companies that zealously protect their bottom lines.
Securing experienced legal counsel is critical. A skilled car accident attorney protects your rights, handles all communication with insurers and aggressively works to ensure that you receive fair compensation for your injuries and losses.