If you’ve been involved in a car accident, it can be a nightmare to find out that the responsible driver has minimal insurance limits or no insurance at all. Fortunately, if you have uninsured motorist (UM) or underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, you can avoid this nightmare depending on the extent of UM or UIM coverage you carry on your own insurance policy.

In Chicago, high-speed police chases that cause injuries are more common than in most other cities in the United States. Oftentimes, those who are injured in police pursuits aren’t even the violators that the police are pursuing. They’re often innocent bystanders, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other motorists. In Chicago alone, there have been over 200 deaths caused by high-speed police chases since 1979, and over half of those killed were non-violators, according to research done by USA Today.

There are plenty of hazards that appear on the road while you are driving. Whether it’s an animal crossing accident, a flat tire, or your car breaking down, at some point you might have to pull over onto the shoulder, turn your four-ways on, and wait for help.

While you’re stopped on the side of the road in a situation like this, another motorist could cause an even worse situation if they drive too closely to you, are distracted, or if they’re impaired. This isn’t a unique and dangerous situation for regular motorists. When emergency vehicles or police officers are on the shoulder trying to do their jobs, they are also in danger.

While it’s common for most drivers to think that slowing down and moving over for cars, trucks, and emergency vehicles that are stopped on the shoulder is simply a courteous thing to do, you might be surprised to know that by law, you are actually required to do this in the state of Illinois.

As the owner of a vehicle, you know the importance of auto insurance. In the event your vehicle is damaged or you sustain injuries in an accident, your coverage or the at-fault driver’s coverage often determines whether you receive adequate compensation to recover physically, emotionally, and financially. But what happens if the at-fault-driver’s policy limits are exceeded and there isn’t enough coverage? In some cases, this could result in further legal action or debt; however, it doesn’t have to. Umbrella policies (and uninsured/underinsured umbrella policies) can provide a safety net in coverage. Let’s take a look at the benefits of an umbrella auto policy in Illinois.

After an accident, you might expect the other party’s insurance company to work with you to make sure things go as smoothly as possible and pay you the full compensation you deserve for your injuries and damages you sustained as a result of someone else’s negligence. Unfortunately, that does not often happen.

In general, insurance companies don’t want to settle you claim easily or provide you with the full amount you may be entitled to. Before they will compensate you for your injuries, they will ask that you get them hard proof of your medical bills, proof of wage-loss and proof of permanence of your injuries. There are instances where an insurer may feel they can lower the amount of compensation they will offer you because you are not represented. 

In other instances, they will see that there could be significant exposure and try to get you to settle your claim short of what the true outcome should be when you are not represented. They may also try to frustrate you in the hope that you will either drop the case or accept the lower amount they’re offering. No matter which tactic you are experiencing, you may benefit by having an accident lawyer to represent you.

There were over 300,000 car accidents in Illinois last year and less than 1,000 were fatal, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). But how many of those crashes were caused by winter weather? IDOT reported that nearly 80% of fatal crashes occur on dry roadways, meaning that winter weather only accounts for less than 20% of fatal car accidents.

This winter, at least one person has already been killed in a car accident caused by snow.

In mid-November, a driver lost control and crossed into the oncoming lane because it was snowing, and the road was covered with snow. Unfortunately, the driver hit and killed the driver of another car, as a local CBS station reported. This terrible incident shows that you need to practice extreme caution when driving in inclement weather because accidents can easily become deadly.

Driving in Chicago can be intimidating. Like any city, there are many factors to take into account at all times—street signs, signals, pedestrians, cyclists, and heavy traffic. While streets are well-marked and GPS directions are pretty reliable in our city, there are still some things you’ll need to know before getting behind the wheel in Chicago.

While you should always pay attention while driving,  in cities you should be even more aware of your surroundings. There are so many moving parts and things going on that you need to be more alert. Don’t let that stress you out, though! Try to stay as calm as possible so that you make good decisions and do not make a mistake or succumb to road rage.

Winter and all the chills that come with it are quickly approaching. In Chicago winter brings plenty of snow that may or may not be cleared from the roads. When a serious storm arrives and you have somewhere you need to be, sometimes your only option is to drive through the snow.

Of course, snow isn’t the only bad weather that can affect the roads. Heavy rain, hailstorms, and strong winds can also make driving more difficult and dangerous. But the good news is that you don’t have to be unprepared to drive in those conditions. We’ve put together a list of safety considerations for you to keep in mind while driving in inclement weather:

In the winter season, drivers need to be aware of the weather conditions that can affect their driving. Icy roads and inches of snow make the roads slippery and can lead to accidents. Treating and clearing the roads helps make them safer. The main vehicles that provide this essential service are snow plows. When you encounter a snow plow while driving, it’s important to keep some safety tips in mind so you know how to share the road.

It’s common to hear about the importance of obeying the speed limit when driving. The warning often relates to speeding because traveling at higher speeds reduces your ability to slow down and stop and is overall a reckless driving decision. However, there’s another side of disobeying the speed limit – driving too slowly. Slow drivers can also pose a significant danger and risk to that driver and others on the road.

The Dangers of Driving Slow

When someone is driving too slowly, they force others around them to have to adapt to their speed. If a slow driver is in the left lane on a multilane route, then people may choose to pass them in the right lane. This is a dangerous move and can lead to accidents. If a slow driver is in the center lane on a multilane roadway, it impacts traffic in all lanes. Slow drivers can also make other drivers around them constantly brake and speed up. This repetitive stop-and-start motion could potentially lead to a major accident. If there’s a long line of traffic, it could create a multi-vehicle pileup.