September 27, 2021
Every urban area has dangerous stretches of highway and deadly intersections where accidents are very common. One of the major problems associated with traffic lights is that so many motorists try to beat the yellow before it turns red, often resulting in collisions at high rate of speed in an area designed for slower traffic flow. This is indeed the primary problem in Chicago, Illinois, at the intersection of Torrence Avenue and 130th Street.
Redesign strategy
Located near the entrance to the Ford Motor Plant in southside Chicago, the intersection went through a resigning project about five years ago to address the problem as much as possible. However, drivers still try to run the traffic light when it is yellow before changing to red. The result has been a number of motor vehicle accidents that commonly result in fatalities. In many cases, these collisions could be avoided if drivers would merely follow the traffic laws and respect the intersection signals.
Recommended additional action
What tends to happen when motor vehicle accidents occur is that there are few witnesses to the crash who are willing to come forward, which can assuredly impact how claims are adjudicated. Illinois is a fault state for accident injury claims, so the driver who causes the accident is largely responsible financially to victims.
The local alderman for the area has suggested installing cameras at the intersection to help determine what happens when these accidents occur and cite those who run the traffic signal. While this could be a good step in the right direction for intersection safety, it will still be ineffective if drivers do not heed the dangers associated with the intersection that many local residents know too well.
Driving safely in all areas of Chicago should be a priority for all motorists and not just high-volume accident locations like the intersection of Torrence Avenue and 130th Street. Being aware of traffic laws and driving defensively can help individuals avoid motor vehicle accidents.
