If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an accident, it is important that you begin looking out for your best interests.

Drivers have a responsibility to slow down in the snow and ice

A previous post on this blog discussed how relatively recent icy and snowy conditions in the Chicago area left at least one person dead. With spring still several weeks away, it is highly possible that the area will see more wintry weather and the slick roads that come with those conditions.

While one hopes that that the City of Chicago and surrounding communities, as well as Illinois highway authorities, keep the roads as clear as possible, it is important they cannot do so instantaneously after a snowfall or freeze.

Drivers themselves may have to adjust their habits to stay safe on slick roads, and they even have some legal responsibility to do so.

For instance, under Illinois law, a driver must always maintain a speed that is appropriate for the road and weather conditions, such as snow and ice. This means that a driver is in violation of the law of they are traveling too quickly and so are unable to stop or maneuver on the snow and ice and thus cause a car accident. This is true even if the driver was operating well under the posted speed limit.

As this blog has mentioned before, while the fact a person got a ticket after an accident does not guarantee injured victims will get compensation for their negligence, the ticket certainly serves as a strong indicator that the driver was not being sufficiently careful while on the road and thus, in addition to owing a fine, may also need to reimburse the victim for things like medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.

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