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.

You’re driving down the road and out of nowhere, you see it. There’s a hole in the road and you’re heading right for it and—you hit it.  Potholes are a common issue in roads all over the country, and Chicago is no exception.  While many may think of potholes as a nuisance, they can be much more than that. Potholes also a cause car accidents, which can lead to severe injuries and damages.

How Do Potholes Cause Car Wrecks?

When the temperature drastically changes between seasons and there’s constant pressure from thousands of vehicles every day on a road, asphalt naturally develops weak spots. Parts of it will crack and chip away, eventually forming a pothole. Areas that consistently have high amounts of traffic and have poor drainage are more susceptible to developing potholes. These can range from small issues that you may not even notice if you drive over them to wide and deep potholes that can cause damage to your vehicle.

It’s no secret that some individuals lead incredibly busy lives. As a result, they try to complete multiple tasks at one time. While individuals may think this is effective, it can turn deadly when behind the wheel of a car. It is incredibly dangerous to use a cell phone or other electronic device while driving. If you’ve been injured in one of the many distracted driving accidents that happen on a daily basis, you may benefit from reaching out to our Chicago car accident lawyers.

Chicago has a large pedestrian population.  Many people choose to walk around the city rather than drive in the heavy traffic.  Unfortunately, negligent actions of drivers can cause serious pedestrian collisions that result in serious injuries. If you’ve been involved in an accident with a vehicle as a pedestrian in Chicago, a Chicago car accident lawyer from the Krzak Rundio Gorman, Injury Attorneys may be able to help.

Who Has the Right-of-Way on Chicago Streets?

Pedestrians are supposed to have the right-of-way when they’re crossing the road.  Additionally, motor vehicle drivers are expected to give pedestrians plenty of room to walk. They’re not supposed to inch closer or try to intimidate pedestrians into moving more quickly.  They must also be alert when exiting their cars—in a tight, busy area, a driver can hit a pedestrian or bicyclist with their door when exiting their vehicle. This phenomenon is called “dooring.”

Chicago, Illinois is home to many people. Like many metropolitan areas, there are a few main modes of transportation that people use: cars, bicycles, mass transit and walking. Unfortunately, all it takes is for one person to not pay attention for an accident to happen. These accidents can cause devastating injuries that prevent someone from working and enjoying their everyday life. Many of these accidents happen during heavy traffic times.  If you’ve been injured in an accident, a Chicago car accident lawyer from Krzak Rundio Gorman, Injury Attorneys can assist you in pursuing your claim.

What Kinds of Traffic Accidents Happen Regularly in Chicago?

In 2013, motor vehicle crashes increased in Illinois by 4 percent.  At the same time, 130 Chicago citizens died in traffic accidents. This included 34 pedestrians and three bicyclists. Motor vehicle accidents can involve another motor vehicle, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Individuals injured outside of motor vehicles tend to have severe injuries because they lack protection from the impact.

Something about driving can bring out the worst in people. They may think the person in front of them is going too slow, they may be frustrated at the bumper-to-bumper traffic, or they may be late for something so they react irrationally if anyone gets in their way on the road. They could be in a generally bad mood, exhausted, or angry at another driver for cutting them off or failing to yield. This can lead to drivers becoming aggressive and cause serious safety issues on the road. It’s commonly known as road rage.

If you’ve been in a car accident caused by someone who was driving aggressively, you don’t deserve to cover all the costs on your own because you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s important to remember that you have legal options. A Chicago car accident lawyer from Krzak Rundio Gorman, Injury Attorneys can help you with your claim. You could recover compensation for pain and suffering, past and future medical expenses, past and future lost wages, and property damage.

Hit-and-run accidents are more common in Chicago than in many other U.S. cities. When a driver intentionally leaves the scene of a crash without providing contact information, this counts as a hit-and-run accident. This situation happens more often on our streets than most of us would like to believe.

The statistics don’t lie. Between 2005 and 2014, 41% of fatal pedestrian crashes and 22% of fatal bike accidents in Chicago involved hit-and-run drivers. In 2015 alone, there were 53 fatal bicycle and pedestrian accidents in Chicago. A whopping 28% of those fatalities involved a hit-and-run driver. New York City, another major city where you’d expect these numbers to be high, saw more pedestrian/bike fatalities in 2015—133 total—yet only 18% of those crashes involved a hit-and-run.