Tailgating is a form of aggressive driving and an increasing problem in Illinois and across the country. In fact, the National Highway Safety and Transportation Authority (NHTSA) estimates that nearly one fourth of all vehicle accidents are rear-end accidents, and many of these are the result of vehicles following too closely. It is also illegal in Illinois.

Reasons Why People Tailgate

Although tailgating is generally seen as a type of aggressive driving, the reasons behind it are varied. Some drivers tailgate because they are late, others because they are impatient, yet others do so because they are just plain rude or full of anger and rage. There are also those motorists who tailgate but are simply unaware that they are tailgating.

This seems to be a simple question to which the answer intuitively seems to be yes, kids riding in school buses should be required to wear seat belts. This is because we know lives are saved in cars when victims of an accident have their seat belts on. So, it would seem logical that bus riders wearing seat belts will save lives as well.

However, this might not actually be the case. When school bus drivers were surveyed, most of the drivers--those who have direct, hands-on experience with bus safety--strongly oppose the idea of requiring seat belts in school buses.

Why Bus Drivers Are Opposed to Seat Belts in School Buses

The school bus drivers who were surveyed raised several concerns regarding why requiring seat belts in school buses might not be a good idea. Some of these concerns include the following:

For various reasons, not the least being prices of gas going up, more and more motorists in Illinois are looking for alternative means of getting around. As a result, the use of mopeds, scooters, and motorcycles has gone up and continues to increase. However, with increased use of these alternate means of transportation, there is also an increase in the number of accidents associated with them.

Moped Laws in Illinois

Motorized pedal cycles, otherwise commonly referred to as “mopeds” are two wheeled vehicles which are classified as motorcycles under Illinois laws. One can pedal these mopeds like a bicycle or drive them like a motorcycle. Mopeds are not intended to be heavily used or in large numbers on public roadways but there is high enough usage to require laws to regulate them.

In order to be considered as a moped, the vehicle must meet the following criteria:

There has been a sharp increase in the number of vehicles affected by safety recalls in recent years, not just in Illinois, but across the country. The number of such recalls sharply increased from almost 13 million recalls in 2011 to over 51 million in 2016. Vehicles are recalled if there is new information that shows a vehicle has a safety issue or problem that must be fixed. It is important to have the problem fixed because failure to do so can lead to a serious motor vehicle accident.

Vehicle Recall Procedures

A recall may be issued by an automaker on the manufacturer’s own initiative or by operation of law. A recall usually means that the vehicle in question has a design, production, or operation flaw. This decision is often based on the manufacturer’s own studies or data from accidents involving the vehicle subject to recall. The latter, meaning data from accidents, is gathered and shared by agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which can order recalls without the manufacturers’ concurrence.

If a recall is ordered by the NHTSA, the manufacturer is required to send instructions on what should be done in a letter via first-class mail to all owners, dealers, and outlets which sold or is selling the vehicle subject to recall. The letter must also include directions for resolving the safety issue. Any required repairs must be offered at no expense to the owner.

If you drive on any major road on a regular basis, you have almost certainly encountered motorcycles. Some riders ride alone while others like to travel in groups of two or more. Unfortunately, there are certain riders who insist on riding recklessly, exceeding the speed limit, and weaving in and out of traffic. Such riders may be confident about what they are doing, but the reality is that this reckless driving of a motorcycle can and does lead to serious accidents causing injuries or death.  

In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of accidents involving motorcycles has been going up even as those involving all other motor vehicles have been going down. The CDC says the economic burden from motorcycle crash injuries and deaths in one year alone totaled more than $12 billion. Given the rise in the number of people using motorcycles, the CDC has sounded an alarm, calling this increase in motorcycle accidents a major public health concern, besides the associated economic loss.

Vulnerabilities of Motorcycles

The Illinois Division of Traffic Safety says of all motorized vehicles on the road, motorcycles are the most vulnerable because of their small size and weight compared to other motorized vehicles. Their small size also makes them vulnerable to being hit or run over by large trucks who do not see them as they ride in the truck’s blind spot.