Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog
The City of Naperville is situated in a diverse area of DuPage County. Naperville contains residential areas, commercial areas, schools, churches, parks, and rivers. In addition, unincorporated areas surround Naperville. Naperville’s recent growth and development have presented challenges for city officials, who are charged with providing and maintaining safe transportation. In order to prevent car accidents, truck accidents, and motorcycle accidents, the City of Naperville has developed a comprehensive Traffic Safety Plan (the “Plan”). A goal of the Naperville Comprehensive Transportation Safety Plan is intended to save lives and reduce injuries by lowering the number and frequency of crashes. Like the Truck Route Plan, Pedestrian Plan, and Bicycle Plan, the Traffic Safety Plan sets forth policies and practices designed to achieve the plan’s goal to reduce car accidents in Naperville.
Some of the policies include:
– Requiring developers to provide dedicated sidewalks for pedestrians and bicycles.
– Lobbying state and federal governments for additional traffic safety funds.
– Considering car crash rates or truck accident frequency when prioritizing capital
improvement projects that may impact vehicle crash rates.
– Promoting and enforcing seat belt usage to reduce injuries and save lives.
Some of the practices include:
– Considering traffic safety when reviewing new development plans.
– Developing and implementing driving education programs, especially for younger, less
experienced drivers.
– Identifying and examining locations with a high frequency of car accidents.
– Evaluating school access in terms of motor vehicle safety issues.
– Encouraging alternative forms of transportation, such as bicycles and walking paths.
– Minimizing conflicts between motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists in all future
development plans.
Specific Initiatives
The City of Naperville identifies high traffic crash locations (intersections and roads where car crashes occur more often) through its High Crash Location Program. The City’s Police Department collects statistical data, such as the number of accidents with injuries or fatalities reported, which are studied and analyzed government and traffic safety officials. The data includes locations with a high frequency of accidents, as well as areas that citizens have highlighted as problematic. If necessary, a more detailed traffic study can be ordered at a given location.
Perhaps the most important initiatives that have been undertaken in Naperville are its educational programs. The City of Naperville, through the Naperville Police Department Traffic Unit, provides DUI education to college students at North Central College, recognizing that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death of 15-20 year-olds.
In addition, the City of Naperville Traffic Safety Plan has launched the Safe Wheels Program. The Safe Wheels Program now includes a field trip to a car dealership as a part of every high school driver’s education program. The field trip informs students about the social economics of driving by teaching students about the costs of injuries, deaths, and damage to property caused by car accidents. The program includes educational programs regarding the safety of wearing a seatbelt and the significant harm caused by drunk driving, including the procedural and trial costs to prosecute a drunk driver.
Although the number of young people on the roads may rise as suburban sprawl continues, education can mitigate the risk of harm posed by young drivers — to themselves and others. Initiatives like the Naperville Traffic Safety Plan can be effective ways to limit harm to our kids.