There are many reasons why motor vehicle accidents occur. Chief among them include driver fatigue, mistakes, distracted driving  and driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. A common accident that occurs when under any of these circumstances is one where a driver fails to yield and causes an accident. The accident could involve another vehicle or other people using the road such as pedestrians or cyclists.

When to Yield

Under Illinois law, you are required to yield under the following circumstances:

• Stop Signs. You must yield to any pedestrian or traffic already on the intersection. If it is a four-way stop, the first driver arriving and stopping at the intersection is the one to move first. If all drivers arrive at the intersection at the same time, then the vehicle to the right should move first.
• Roundabouts. These are the most confusing, especially to new drivers but the rule is, you should yield to traffic already on the road, if you are approaching the road from a driveway, alley or side of the road. You should also yield to pedestrians on crosswalks before the roundabout.
• Driveways. You should yield to traffic already on the road if you are approaching from a driveway or side of the road.
• Intersections with no signals or stop signs. You must yield to other vehicles or pedestrians when they are already on the intersection, when there is a vehicle coming from the other direction of where you intend to make a left turn, or when entering a highway from a secondary road.
• Emergency vehicles. You must yield to all emergency vehicles with sirens or lights flashing. You should also move as far to the right as possible, come to a complete stop, and move only after the emergency vehicle has passed or you as you may be directed by a police officer or other person directing traffic.

These are just some of the situations where you must yield as required under the law. In all other situations, if you are unsure whether to yield or not, err on the side of safety by yielding while being mindful of drivers behind you. Failure to yield can result in serious and even fatal accidents so it is important to obey the rules that govern when to yield.

Drugged driving occurs when someone drives a vehicle while impaired from the intoxicating effects of recent drug use. Illinois has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drugged driving, and it does not matter whether the drugs are prescribed or not. This is because drugged driving and related accidents is becoming worse in the state.

Drugged Driving Problem on the Rise

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a roadside survey in 2014 found that more than 22 percent of all participating drivers tested positive for illicit substances, prescription medications, or non-prescription over-the-counter drugs. Driving with drugs in one’s system puts the driver, passengers and other drivers at serious risk of injury, just like the use of alcohol and driving does.

The Dangers of Drugged Driving

The dangers of driving while one has drugs in their body vary in degree of gravity, depending on the effect of the drugs to the brain at any given time. For example, having marijuana in the body can slow reaction time, distort time and distance while decreasing coordination. On the other hand, use of cocaine or methamphetamine is linked to aggressiveness and recklessness when driving. Driving under any of these drug effects can lead to injury-causing accidents.

A leading cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. is motor vehicle accidents. According to most recent available statistics, six teens between the ages of 16 and 19 die every day from motor vehicle-related injuries. Teens in the same age group are nearly three times more likely to be in a fatal crash than are drivers aged 20 years and older. Many of these crashes are entirely preventable, if parents and teenage drivers heed advice given by experts who have studied this issue.

Illinois State Laws on Teenage Driving

To curb this increasing problem of teen accidents, the state of Illinois, like many others across the country, has put in place restrictions intended to ensure that teen drivers have enough training and supervision to minimize or altogether eliminate serious injury caused by these accidents involving teenage drivers. The law in Illinois requires that a teenage driver must complete a state-approved education course. Additionally, the driver’s parent or guardian must certify that the teen has attended and completed at least 50 hours of driving practice, ten of which must be driving at night.

Restrictions on Teen Drivers

Once the teenager has completed the state mandated driving course, and their parent or guardian has made the required certification, the teenager will then be given an initial driver’s license with the following restrictions placed on the teenage driver:

We have all been there: a fire truck is barreling down the street at high speed with sirens and horns blaring, but we are not quite sure which direction the fire truck is coming from or heading. We then see it just as we move over as required under the law, but others are not quite so lucky, as the next thing they know, is they either have been hit by the fire truck or they have hit something while trying to avoid the first-response vehicle.

Passengers in Accidents Involving Emergency Vehicle

If an accident occurs involving a firetruck or other emergency vehicle and you are a passenger in a car involved in the accident, you may have a legal right to seek compensation. How you proceed in seeking that compensation will depend on who caused the accident.

The first thing to be determined after an accident involving an emergency vehicle—after taking care of those who were injured—is whether this was a failure to yield accident or one in violation of the Illinois “Move Over” law. That finding will then determine the legal consequences to follow, if any.

It is the law in Illinois that a driver involved in an accident must remain at the scene, except if he or she needs immediate medical attention. It is also the law that the driver must provide specific information to law enforcement and to the other drivers and/or passengers involved in the accident.

A driver who leaves the scene without meeting these requirements may be found guilty of a felony and have his or her driver’s license revoked. The consequences are more severe if the accident results in death.

Reasons Why Drivers Leave Scene of Accident

One reason drivers flee an accident scene that they have caused is intoxication—they may fear being charged with a DUI. Another reason is already being in violation of other laws such as driving without a license, registration or insurance. It may also be the case the vehicle is stolen, and the driver takes off before the cops come. A driver may also flee because he or has arrest warrants for other, unrelated alleged crimes.