According to the press release from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also known as MADD, the organization had 220,000 fans sign up to be designated drivers for game day, representing a 30 percent increase from 2010.

The Chicago Bears, along with eight other NFL teams partnered with MADD in 2011 for a designated driver program to help make game-day safer for the fans. The program ran throughout the season and will conclude with the Super Bowl XLVI, Sunday.

MADD and the NFL worked together to urge people to take a stand against drunk driving through a Facebook campaign and a program encouraging parents to discuss drunk driving with their children.

During the pre-game MADD distributes information cards and plays a PSA urging people to be designated drivers and avoid drinking and driving.

If you or your loved one has been seriously injured in a drunk driving accident, the Chicago personal injury attorneys at Dwyer & McDevitt are here to assist you. We can discuss your situation and help you decide if a personal injury claim should be persued. Call us today and find out how we can help you.

Durbin requested the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation increase funding forIllinois rail priorities, including multiple grant programs, in it’s bill to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Act.

Durbin outline three rail and transportation priorities: rail relocation grants, which established a grant program to help finance local rail line relocation and improvement projects; high-speed rail and intercity passenger rails, which helped jumpstart the rebuilding of the rail network; and the TIGER grant program, which allows local communities to apply directly to the Department of Transportation for funding of “nationally-significant transportation projects.”

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works voted unaminously to favorably report its portion of the legislation.

If you or your loved one has been injured in a serious accident, the Chicago personal injury attorneys at Dwyer & McDevitt are here for you. Call us today for a free, initial consultation.

The recall involves Kia Optimas made from 2006 – 2008 and the 2007 – 2008 Kia Rondo. The release said a flawed spring system may become damaged over time, disabling the driver’s side airbag.

The official recall is expected to begin in March. The company said they became aware of the problem last week, but were not aware of any injuries or airbags that did not deploy due to the defect.

The release said Kia will attempt to notify owners and dealers will replace the affected part. Owners may call 1-800-333-4542 to get in touch with the company. You can read the full recall notice by clicking here.

If you or your loved one has been seriously injured while using a defective product, the attorneys at Dwyer & McDevitt are here to assist you. We are your Chicago personal injury attorneys and may be able to help you recover the compensation you deserve.

According to the news release, in many instances a car or train is sounding a horn to alert the pedestrian, but that person is unable to hear it. Those cases lead to fatalities in 70 percent of all incidents.

Dr. Lichenstein, along with some colleagues, studied 116 accident cases after gathering case reports from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Comission, Google News Archives and the Westlaw Campus Research databases for reports of pedestrian injuries or fatalities from crashes with trains or motor vehicles between 2004 and 2011.

Their findings were released online Monday in the journal ‘Injury Prevention.’

Sixty-eight percent of the victims were male and 67 percent were younger than 30. According to their findings, more than half of the accidents involved trains and 29 percent reported sounding a horn or other warning prior to the incident.

The study was initiated after a local teen died at a railroad crossing. The teen was noted to be wearing headphones and did not avoid the train, despite several warnings.

If you or your loved one has been seriously injured or killed in any type of motor vehicle accident, the Chicago personal injury attorneys at Dwyer & McDevitt, Ltd. are here for you. Contact us today for your free, initial consultation.

According to the Illinois Tollway, they have lost about 4.5 percent of their daily traffic since the new tolls have gone into effect. Those toll rates increased fares 90 percent for I-Pass users and have increased cash fares are double the I-Pass fares as they have been in the past.

Sales of I-Pass devices was up 27 percent as well. The decrease was still less than the planned six percent decrease the changes were expected to bring.

Tollway officials are hoping the new fares will generate a 41.9 percent increase in revenue in 2012.

Find out more about the Illinois tolls and specific fares for particular toll booths on the Illinois Tollway Web site.

Officials said two tanker cars contianing 28,000 gallons each of ethanol slipped off the railroad tracks about 2 p.m. Even though no leak happened, the highway was clear for nearly 11 hours after the derailment.

According to reports, the trains did not tip over and the tracks were being repaired on Friday. Local businesses did have to evacuate as a safety percaution, however, and a mile-long stretch of Illinois 9 was closed until about 1 a.m.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a train accident, you may need the counsel of an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer. Contact our office today for your free, initial consultation.

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, 87 people drowned in the Great Lakes in 2011 compared to 74 who drowned in the Great Lakes in 2010.

Forty-four of the drownings occurred in Lake Michigan, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, and 15 of those were due to rip currents in the lake.

The group’s Facebook page describes themselves as “Great Lake surfers dedicated to reducing drowning incidents on the Great Lakes.”

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury in the water, you may have a personal injury case. Call us for a free, initial consultation to discuss what options you may have.

According to the agency, both battery intrusion, along with coolant leakage must be present to enable post-crash fires. Furthermore, the known fires seemed to have all begun in laboratory tests.

The press release stated General Motors came up with a solution to retrofit Chevy Volts with a cage to protect the car batteries from fires and that the cage seems to prevent the damage to the battery that is causing the fires.

NHTSA is expected to completed the research and analysis of the tests in the next few weeks.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to a serious personal injury or product defect, you need an experienced Chicago personal injury attorney fighting for your rights. Contact Dwyer & McDevitt today and find out how we can assist you.

Beginning January 1, a new law takes effect requiring all occupants of a motor vehicle to be properly restrained while the vehicle is in motion. Currently, only the driver and front-seat passengers must wear a seatbelt.

If someone is cited for riding without a seatbelt, a $60 fine will be assessed and if the person is younger than 16 years old, the driver will be responsible for the fine.

Those riding in buses and taxis will be exempt from the new laws.

If you or someone you love have been injured in a car accident, you need an experienced Illinois accident attorney by your side to fight for you. Contact us today so we can discuss your case.

The law is an attempt to problems motorcyclists have encountered with road censors. Many censors do not detect the weight of motorcycles because they do not weigh as much as cars or other motor vehicles.

The law states if the light has not changed after a “reasonable amount of time” the motorcyclist can run the light. However, not everyone is in support of the new law. Some have expressed concern that it will increase accidents.

Both Wisconsin and Indiana have similar laws in effect already.

If you have been involved in a serious motor vehicle accident, you need an attorney who will fight for you as you work to recover. Contact us today for your free, initial consultation.