Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Personal Injury Law Blogs -> Illinois Car and Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

Personal Injury Law

: Illinois Car and Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

Chicago Transit Authority to add "DriveCams" to reduce accidents

By Hurley, McKenna & Murtz

The Chicago Transit Authority will add driver monitoring cameras on some local bus routes to monitor the driving behavior of its drivers. The CTA hopes that the presence of the cameras will result in fewer bus accidents and personal injury claims from injured bus passengers.

According to the CTA, in an article by Chick Salvatore of the Southwest News Herald, driver actions that will be recorded and reviewed by CTA management are hard braking, swerving, rapid acceleration or deceleration, and collisions. When collisions occur, the DriveCam will be programmed to save the 10 seconds immediately before and after the collision.

According to a report by the Chicago Tribune's Jon Hilkevitch and Karoun Demirjian, CTA buses were involved in more than 4,000 accidents in 2006, and the CTA paid out $19 million in accident settlements, claims and court judgments last year. About 1,700 bus accidents -- more than 300 a month -- have occurred through May according to CTA officials.

If you have been injured by the negligence of the Chicago Transit Authority, such as in an accident with a CTA bus, you should contact an experienced trial attorney immediately. Unlike many other types of personal injury cases, there are strict and short notice requirements for claims against the Chicago transit Authority [CTA]. Under Section 41 of the Illinois Metropolitan Transit Act, no civil action shall be commenced in any court against the Chicago transit Authority by any person for any injury to his person unless it is commenced within one year from the date that the injury was received or the cause of action accrued. Further, the following information must be provided in writing to the CTA within 6 months of the from the date of the injury, or the claim will be barred:

(1) The name of the person to whom the cause of action has accrued;

(2) The name and residence of the person injured;

(3) The date and about the hour of the accident;

(4) The place or location where the accident occurred; and

(5) The name and address of the attending physician, if any.

Full post as published by Illinois Car and Truck Accident Lawyer Blog on July 19, 2007 (boomark / email).