Types of Auto Accidents

The number of automobile accidents in Illinois, and Champaign-Urbana, rises almost each year as more and more drivers take to the roads crossing our state. While our team of accidents lawyers and car wreck advocates have seen crashes on the roads caused by flies in the cab of a semi truck, bees in a minivan, and of course texting and driving, the types of auto accident cases in Illinois can be categorized as follows:

• Head-on Collision Accidents
• Rear End Accidents
• Angle/Sideswipe Accidents
• Speeding Accidents
• Reckless Driving Accidents
• Alcohol Impaired/Drug Impaired Driving Accidents
• Distracted Driving Accidents: Distracted driving accidents in Illinois include texting, downloading music, reading directions, or any action behind the wheel that takes attention from the road–even reaching for objects in the opposite seat.
• Fatigued Driving Accidents
• Teen Driving/Novice Driving Accidents
• Work Zone Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Rideshare Accidents

Koester & Bradley has been handling automobile, motorcycle, and trucking accidents for decades and are familiar with the rules of the road in Illinois, as outlined by the Illinois Statutes governing the operation of anything with an engine on public roadways. Auto and trucking accidents have an increased premium on the LOCAL experience of your lawyer which is why it is vital to have an LOCAL attorney assist you or a loved one in a auto accident case in Illinois. If you accident is in Champaign County, or Central Illinois, you will never be in the best hands with a Chicago attorneys who will only be acquainted with the Cook County and Chicago legal process and juries. This is why Koester & Bradley focus our research and statistical analysis on Champaign-Urbana and Central Illinois which serve as the basis for this article.

The legal research team at Koester & Bradley has reviewed the most recent Illinois Department of Transportation data to provide this overview of Accidents types in Illinois with a Central Illinois focus.

In April 2018, the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety published its Illinois Crash Facts and Statistics for the period of January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. According to their findings, 324,473 crashes occurred in Illinois in 2016. All figures and percentages presented throughout this page reflect findings from the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety’s publication of April 2018.

Head-On Collision Accidents in Illinois

A head-on collision is defined as an accident in which the front ends of two vehicles collide.

• 2,724 of the total crashes reported in 2016 were head-on collision accidents.
• 1,121 of these crashes resulted in injury.
• 113 of these crashes resulted in fatalities.

Champaign County Head-on Accident Statistics

• 21 of the 2,724 total Illinois head-on collision accidents occurred in Champaign County in 2016.
• 25 people were injured.
• 2 people were killed.

Champaign-Urbana Head-on Collision Statistics

• 12 of the 21 total Champaign County head-on collision accidents occurred in Champaign in 2016.
• 19 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.
• 3 of the 21 total Champaign County head-on collision accidents occurred in Urbana in 2016.
• 3 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.

Rear End Accidents in Illinois

A rear end accident is defined as an accident in which the front end of a vehicle crashes into the back of the vehicle in front of it. These accidents commonly happen as a result of inattention or distracted driving, tailgating, or as a result of reduced traction due to weather conditions.

• 96,576 of the total crashes reported in 2016 were rear end accidents.
• 20,174 of these crashes resulted in injury.
• 75 of these crashes resulted in fatalities.

Champaign County Rear-end Accident Statistics

• 893 of the 96,576 total Illinois rear end accidents occurred in Champaign County in 2016.
• 280 people were injured.
• 3 people were killed.

Champaign-Urbana Rear-end Collision Statistics

• 484 of the 893 total Champaign County rear end accidents occurred in Champaign in 2016.
• 134 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.
• 177 of the 893 total Champaign County rear end accidents occurred in Urbana in 2016.
• 49 people were injured.
• 1 person was killed.

Angle/Sideswipe Accidents

A sideswipe accident, commonly known as a T-bone crash or angle crash, is defined as the side of one vehicle being impacted by the front or end of another vehicle as a result of a collision. These accidents commonly happen at intersections but also likely occur when a driver attempts to change lanes without checking first for another car in his/her path.

• 32,978 of the total crashes reported in 2016 were angle accidents.
• 8,732 of these crashes resulted in injury.
• 99 of these crashes resulted in fatalities.
• 32,982 of the total crashes reported in 2016 were sideswipe-same direction accidents.
• 2,763 of these crashes resulted in injury.
• 16 of these crashes resulted in fatalities.
• 3,509 of the total crashes reported in 2016 were sideswipe-opposite direction accidents.
• 708 of these crashes resulted in injury.
• 20 of these crashes resulted in fatalities.

Champaign County Sideswipe Accident Statistics

• 484 of the 32,978 total Illinois angle accidents occurred in Champaign County in 2016.
• 226 people were injured.
• 5 people were killed.
• 263 of the 32,982 total Illinois sideswipe-same direction accidents occurred in Champaign County in 2016.
• 34 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.
• 32 of the 3,509 total Illinois sideswipe-opposite direction accidents occurred in Champaign County in 2016.
• 14 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.

Champaign-Urbana Sideswipe Collision Statistics

• 280 of the 484 total Champaign County angle accidents occurred in Champaign in 2016.
• 91 people were injured.
• 2 people were killed.
• 85 of the 484 total Champaign County angle accidents occurred in Urbana in 2016.
• 34 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.
• 148 of the 263 total Champaign County sideswipe-same direction accidents occurred in Champaign in 2016.
• 14 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.
• 48 of the 263 total Champaign County sideswipe-same direction accidents occurred in Urbana in 2016.
• 5 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.
• 14 of the 32 total Champaign County sideswipe-opposite direction accidents occurred in Champaign in 2016.
• 5 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.
• 4 of the 32 total Champaign County sideswipe-opposite direction accidents occurred in Urbana in 2016.
• 4 people were injured.
• 0 people were killed.

Illinois Speeding Accidents

A speeding accident is defined as an accident that occurs as a result of a driver exceeding the marked speed limit or the driver driving at a speed too fast for road conditions, such as roads under repair, roads that are not well-lit and road surfaces affected by weather conditions. Koester & Bradley finds that the vast majority of car accidents that our team handles are, at least in some way, tied to speeding or a driver failing to control their speed.

• Crashes involving speed accounted for 32.6% of the total Illinois crashes in 2016.
• 37.8% of these crashes resulted in injuries.
• 33.2% resulted in fatalities.

Reckless Driving Accidents in Illinois

Reckless driving is defined as driving any vehicle with a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. This is a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois. Going too fast for conditions, driving after drinking, failing to yield to other vehicles and cutting in and out of traffic are examples of actions that may be considered reckless driving. These types of cases required a truly experienced attorney so that the insurance companies involved in the case cannot deny coverage.

Illinois Alcohol Impaired/Drug Impaired Driving Accidents

Alcohol impaired/drug impaired driving accidents are defined as accidents that occur when a driver’s ability to drive safely is impaired by the consumption of alcohol or by the use of illegal or legal drugs. In Illinois, a driver with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 is categorized as an “impaired driver”.

• According to the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety, 1,000 alcohol-related fatal crashes occurred in 2016.
• According to the 2017 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 10,874 alcohol-impaired traffic fatalities in the United States or roughly a fatality every 48 minutes.

Champaign County DUI/DWI Accident Statistics

• Champaign County documented 95 alcohol impaired drivers in 2016.
• 39 of these drivers were injured.
• 2 of these drivers were killed.
• 3 total fatalities occurred.
• Champaign County documented 32 drug impaired drivers in 2016.
• 10 of these drivers were injured.
• 7 of these drivers were killed.
• 9 total fatalities occurred.

Champaign-Urbana DUI/DWI Accident Statistics

• Champaign documented 42 alcohol impaired drivers in 2016.
• 18 of these drivers were injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 1 fatal crash occurred.
• Champaign documented 12 drug impaired drivers in 2016.
• 18 of these drivers were injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 1 fatal crash occurred.
• Urbana documented 15 alcohol impaired drivers in 2016.
• 5 of these drivers were injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 0 fatal crashes occurred.
• Urbana documented 5 drug impaired drivers in 2016.
• 1 of these drivers was injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 0 fatal crashes occurred.

Illinois Distracted Driving Accidents

Distracted driving accidents are defined as accidents that occur as a result of the driver engaging in an activity that distracts him/her from the act of safe driving. Driving a vehicle while talking on a cell phone, text messaging, talking to passengers, changing the radio station, putting on makeup, eating/drinking, etc. are examples of distracted driving.

Koester & Bradley was integral in handling a series of distracted driving cases that eventually led to Illinois legislation on distracted driving.

Handheld Cell Phone Usage/Text Messaging

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving claimed the lives of 3,166 people in the United States in 2017.
• The National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) provides probability-observed data and not a census, so Illinois driver electronic device use results are unavailable.
• Illinois is one of 19 states that has laws banning handheld cell phone usage while driving.
• Illinois along with 48 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands have banned texting while driving for all drivers.

Fatigued Driving Accidents in Illinois

A fatigued driving accident is defined as an accident that occurs as a result of physical or mental exertion that impairs the driver’s performance. Factors that can fatigue a driver include strenuous work or non-work activities, lack of adequate sleep, continuous driving and/or a combination. Studies have shown that fatigued driving can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Champaign County Tired Driving Accident Statistics

• Champaign documented 11 fatigued drivers in 2016.
• 3 of these drivers were injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 0 fatal crashes occurred.
• Urbana documented 13 fatigued drivers in 2016.
• 18 of these drivers were injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 0 fatal crashes occurred.

Champaign-Urbana Tired Driving Collision Statistics

• Champaign documented 11 fatigued drivers in 2016.
• 3 of these drivers were injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 0 fatal crashes occurred.
• Urbana documented 13 fatigued drivers in 2016.
• 18 of these drivers were injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 0 fatal crashes occurred.

Teen Driving/Novice Driving Accidents in Illinois

Teen driving/novice driving accidents are accidents in which the driver is aged between 16 to 19 or is a fairly new or inexperienced driver. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle accidents are still the leading cause of death for United States teenagers. 2,433 United States teenagers aged 16-19 were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2016. That means approximately 6 teenagers are dying each day in motor vehicle accidents in the United States. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety, 76 teenagers died in Illinois motor vehicle accidents in 2016.

Champaign County Teen and Young Person Accidents

• 573 teenage drivers were involved in motor vehicle accidents in Champaign County in 2016.
• 58 of these rivers were injured.
• 1 of these drivers was killed.
• 1 fatal crash occurred.

Champaign-Urbana Statistics Teen Driving Accidents

• 296 teenage drivers were involved in motor vehicle accidents in Champaign in 2016.
• 20 of these drivers were injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 0 fatal crashes occurred.
• 62 teenage drivers were involved in motor vehicle accidents in Urbana in 2016.
• 8 of these drivers were injured.
• 0 of these drivers were killed.
• 0 fatal crashes occurred.

Illinois Work Zone Accidents

A work zone is defined as an area of trafficway where construction, maintenance or utility work activities are identified by warning signs, signals or indicators, including those on transport devices that mark the beginning and end of a construction, maintenance or utility work activity. This also includes ongoing, moving work activity, such as roadside mowing and line painting. A work zone accident is defined as a motor vehicle crash occurring within the boundaries of a work zone or the approach to or exit from a work zone, resulting in activity, behavior or control related to the movement of the traffic units through a work zone. It is still considered a work zone crash regardless if workers are present or not at the time of the crash.

• 6,741 of the total crashes reported in 2016 occurred in work zones. This accounted for 2.1% of the total Illinois crashes in 2016.
• 1,271 of these crashes resulted in injuries.
• 37 of these crashes resulted in fatalities.

Pedestrian Accidents in Illinois

A pedestrian accident is defined as a motor vehicle accident in which the person involved in the accident was not at the time of the accident riding in or on a motor vehicle, a motorcycle or a pedal cycle.

• 4,913 of the total crashes reported in 2016 involved collisions with pedestrians.
• 4,648 of these crashes resulted in injury.
• 150 of these crashes resulted in fatalities.

Champaign County Pedestrian Accident Statistics

• 56 of the 4,913 total Illinois collisions with pedestrians occurred in Champaign County in 2016.
• 51 people were injured.
• 4 people were killed.

Champaign-Urbana Statistics for Pedestrian Accidents

•  24 of the 56 total Champaign County collisions with pedestrians occurred in Champaign in 2016
• 22 people were injured.
• 1 person was injured.
• 22 of the 56 total Champaign County collisions with pedestrians occurred in Urbana in 2016.
• 21 people were injured.
• 1 person was killed.

Illinois Truck Accidents

A truck accident is defined as a collision involving an 18-wheeler, semi-truck, tractor-trailer, commercial vehicle, etc. with another vehicle, a pedestrian, a bicyclist, an animal or a stationary object.

Koester & Bradley devotes a large portion of our personal injury practice to trucking accidents across Illinois. The tragic nature of truck accidents cannot be emphasized enough.

• 11,301 of the total crashes reported in 2016 were truck accidents.
• This accounted for 3.5% of the total Illinois crashes in 2016.
• 1,859 of these crashes resulted in injuries.
• 106 of these crashes resulted in fatalities.

Motorcycle Accidents in Illinois

A motorcycle accident is defined as a collision involving a motorcycle with another vehicle, a pedestrian, a bicyclist, an animal or a stationary object. Koester & Bradley has recovered one of the largest motorcycle accident cases in the Midwest due to uneven road conditions and devotes much attention to our large motorcycle practice.

• 3,617 of the total crashes reported in 2016 involved motorcycles. This accounted for 1.1% of the total Illinois crashes in 2016.
• 2,692 of these crashes resulted in injuries.
• 159 of these crashes resulted in fatalities.
• 154 motorcyclists were killed.
• 5 non-motorcyclists were killed.

Illinois Rideshare Accidents

Rideshare accidents are accidents in which a rideshare vehicle such as Lyft or Uber is involved in a collision with another vehicle, a pedestrian, a bicyclist, an animal or a stationary object. Claims can be brought on behalf of a rideshare driver, a passenger of the rideshare vehicle, a driver of the other vehicle involved in the collision and/or by the passenger in the other vehicle. At this time, there is no published data on the number of rideshare accidents reported in Illinois. Furthermore, Illinois police reports like many other states do not contain a box to designate whether a car involved in a crash is a rideshare vehicle. Other than an officer noting this designation in the narrative portion of the report, there is no way to document how many rideshare vehicles are involved in car accidents in Illinois unless companies such as Lyft or Uber release this information. The Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety does, however, publish data on the number of taxi cabs involved in crashes. In 2016, 5,199 taxi cabs were involved in collisions in Illinois. 4 of those crashes resulted in fatalities.