The collision occured near Irving Park and Kimball. None of the injuries the officers suffered were life threatening. The driver of the other car was taken by ambulance to an area hospital. Their condition is uknown.

No citations were issued.

Add red-light cameras to the list!

But no matter how much people complain about them, or how much they may not be liked, according to a recent Chicago Sun-Times analysis, they do seem to be doing their job.

The Sun-Times too a look at data available on all of the 140 red-light cameras in Chicago. It appears that the number of tickets issued at red-light camera intersections has seen a dramatic decrease. Since 2005, the number of violations has dropped over 70%.

The most recently installed cameras catch the most drivers. At the intersection of Stony Island and 76th street which had a camera installed in December, 2,763 violations were issued.

There has also been a drop in traffic accidents at these intersections. The city reports that they have seen a decrease of up to 20%.

Joe Schieterman, a DePaul University transportation expert believes that the cameras do make the intersections more safe, but believes the $100 fine is too steep. "There are still difficult questions about whether they're a license to print money."

According to the latest data, the red light cameras generated $122 million in revenue for the city.

The city has a 5 year agreement with Redflex Traffic Systems who manage and service the carmers. The cost of the agreement is $32 million. Violations would have to stay above an average of 39 amonth in order for the cameras to be considered cost effective.

However, the intersection with the fewest offenders still netted 85 violations.

Some drivers believe the cameras place them at an unfair advantage. Joseph Schofer a professor of civil and envrionmental engineering at Northwestern University says that with the red-light cameras, the odds of getting caught go from 1% to 95% but believes that using the cameras to keep drivers from running red lights is reasonable.

Tom Vanderbilt, author of the book Traffic believes that the red-light cameras can reduce the amount of money the city ultimately spends. If the cameras reduce the amount of severe crashes, which we all pay for, the cost to taxpayers goes down.

Authorities are looking to the public for help by releasing a surveillance video that caught the driver. They're hoping someone might recognize the driver.

Ms. Perez who was walking with her granddaughter from Our Lady of Mercy Church says that they were crossing Montrose and Kedzie. Ms. Perez said she felt that her and her granddaugher were in danger, but did not see the car coming. "All I could think of is my granddaugher is going to get hit I just pushed her forward, but he got me and it pushed me back."

"The glasses fell off my grandma's ear...They were on the street and I told them to pick it up because I couldn't," said Damary Rodriguez.

"All I rememeber seeing is white cloud. In my thoughts, in my head is "I'm dead.' I'm not going to make this. Then when I moved to the side and I saw her crawling toward me, 'grandma, grandma' she said. I said 'Im still alive,'" said Perez.

"At that point a vehicle that was turning off of Kedzie onto westbound Montrose sturck them in the crosswalk, did not stop, continued on without stopping to render aid or give information," said Elliott Musial, Chicago Police Department.

Police say the driver was driving a white SUV. Ms. Perez's family found the surveillance camera on a store located near the accident site. The owner agreed to save the video for authorities.

Ms. Perez expects that she would be incapacitated for six full weeks. Her granddaugher is there to help.

Theresa Perez worries that the driver of the vehichle could be so reckless that they would do it again. She wonders how someone can hit a child and a grandmother and then just dirve off.

Roger Czapski, 22, was working as a car saleman for BMW on August 4, 2004, when Christopher Maher, 22 came into his dealership to test drive a 2003 BWM 5301i sedan. Czapski was in the front passenger seat and two of Maher's friends were in the back.

Maher, was driving the car at a speed of approximately 90 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone, when the car clipped another vehicle and ran into a light pole. The front passenger side of the car took the brunt of the impact killing Czapski. Maher and his friends survied the crash but suffered serious injuries.

Maher, who pled guilty in 2005 to aggravated speeding received one year probation and 30 days of community service at the Cook County medical examiner's office. Czapski denied liability in the wronful death lawsuit.

The trial was before Judge John Grogan, in the Cook County Circuit court. After a one week trial, the jury awarded $13.7 milliion to Czapski's family. Under the Illinois comparative negligence statue, Maher was found to be 98% responsible for Capski's death.

According to the Chicago Fire Dept., the pedestrian was taken to Northwestern Hospital. suffering from serious injuries. No names have been released.

Investigator from the Major Accidents investigations Unit were investigating the accident. No other details are available.

Regulators have studied side-impact tests for child safety seats but have not made them mandatory. According to Lahood, he would like automakers to crash test seats to determine which seat is best for which car.

The NHTSA provides guidlines for to help parents ensure the safety of their children in a car:

They are:

1. Until children are one year and they are at least 20lbs., their car seats should be placed in the back seat facing the rear of the car.

2. Child safety seats must continue to be placed in the back seat of the car, but facing foward, until the child reaches the age of four and weighs approximately 40lbs.

3. After reaching the 40lb weight limit, children should be placed in a booster safety seat
which ensures that they are seated high enough for proper seat belt fitting.

4. As long as the seatbelt fits properly, children around the age of eight and at least 57" tall, may be able to sit in the back seat without a booster.

This is Allen's second attempt to have driving on a suspended or revoked license added to the offenses punishable with vehicle impoundment.

"Last time they said there was no room in the auto pounds. There was also concern about using impoundment to punish someone whose license was suspended for auto emissions," Allen said Monday.

"It's time to implement this ordinance. There were some pretty impressive testimony from the Police Department regarding the number of drug arrests and contraband found in vehicles driven by people with suspended or revoked licenses. It could help reduce some of the violence on our streets."

Allen's proposal will be considered on Wednesday by the City's Council's Police and Traffic Committees.

A driver whose car has been impounded would be have to pay a $1,000 administrative fine together with the customary towing and storage fees.

The Chicago Sun-Times exposed the abuse in their "Why Are They Driving Series?" after witnessing drivers leaving the courthouses in the their vehicles after promising the judge that they wouldn't drive. These include drivers whose licenses were suspended for driving under the influence or having to many unpaid parking tickets.

Currently, having your vehicle impounded is the city's penalty for 13 offenses which include driving under the influence, fly-dumping, solicitation, having your car radio too loud, racing, violating curfew and various drug violations. Driving on a suspended or revoked license would become the 14th offense.

Jim Conlon, the assistant Streets and Sanitation Commissioner warned the Police Committee the last time impoundment was considered that the city's auto pounds were at capacity and that impounding vehicles for suspended or revoked licenses would "push us over the limit."

Conlon was asked again on Monday whether this was still the case to which he replied, "that's all changed." He did not go into any detail.

In Chicago, over 25,000 drivers a year get tickets for driving with a suspended or revoked license.

In 2008, 50 pedestrian related accidents resulted in fatalities. Overall more than 3000 pedestrian related accidents were reported.

Brian Steele, a Transportation Department spokesman, would not disclose the locations of the undercover operations, but did say that most will be at intersections where there are no stoplights or stop signs.

The undercover operation to ticket motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians is part of the "Safe Streets for Chicago" campaign which has been ongoing for almost three years. The program is designed to improve safety conditions between motorists and pedestrians by using countdown signals, improving the markings on crosswalks, investing in infrastructure and educating the public.

Stings are designed to educate.

Aren't pedestrians at fault sometimes?

"A motorist driving a two-ton auto is a lot more dangerous than a pedestrian crossing the street" while texting, talking on a cell-phone or listening to an I-Pod, says Steele.

In 2005, Andrew Velasquez, the then executive director of the City's Office of Emergency Management and Communications proposed allowing the traffic control aides, which number around 300, to ticket pedestrians who cross against the signal or against the crosswalk.

The idea was not well received by the Mayor.

Asked if pedestrians could someday be issued a ticket, Steel responded, "We are exploring education and enforcement efforts related to pedestrian behavior and we may launch one of those programs this year," he said.

According to public records, the intersection at King Drive and 79th street is the worst in the city numbering 13 accidents during a two year period. 79th and Ashland came in with 11 accidents, North and California had 10 accidents and Madison and Cicero had 9 accidents.

Pedestrians have the right of way at intersections where there are no traffic signals or stop signs and motorists must yield.

At intersections with traffic signals, pedestrians and motorists alike must obey their signal. At intersections with stop signs, motorists must yield the right of way unless they have legally stopped and have begun to proceed through the intersection.

I

Shoudis said she saw the headlights and she started screaming. The truck drove on top of Shoudis' car smashing the hood of the car and cracking the front windshield.

Fortunately, both drivers walked away from the accident without any injuries.

According to Illinois State Police Sgt. Mike Karpinski, Stanger was driving along 1-55 when she lost control of the car she was driving and hit the I-55 median wall around 2:50 am on Sunday. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Stanger, grew up in Worthington, Ohio, attended the Thomas Wortington High School where she was a star swimmer and water polo player.

Stanger was accepted to University of Chicago were she was majoring in chemistry. She had made the dean's list and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

Stanger is survived by her sister Bess, 18, brother Dub ,15 and her father, Phil Stanger, a Worthing lawyer.

Spyridon Botsis, 30 of Niles, suffers from blackouts and was instructed by his doctor not to operate a motor vehicle.

Ignoring his doctors instructions, Botsis was driving the sedan that killed Grimes. Now, Maurice Grimes, Vanessa's father, is proposing legislation that would prevent people who suffer from blackouts, from operating a motor vehicle. State lawmakers will be taking the legislation under consideration this spring.

Henry Haupt, a spokesperson for the Illinois Secretary of State's Office believes that it will be difficult to get the legislation past. He also is concerned about requiring a physician to report their patients. "Our concern with the proposed legislation is that it could be counteproductive in that it may discourage patients from being honest with their doctors."

Dr. Shastri Swminathan, president of the Illinois State Medical Society, states that while they encourage their members to report patients who suffer from any serious medical condition that could affect their driving, they do not require them to do so. Swaminathan believes that it could be very difficult to enforce the requirments.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Cath Crowley, prosecuted Botsis. According to Crowley, Botsis' doctor was not clear as to why Botsis was suffering from blackouts.

Under Illinois law, a driver who suffers from certain serious health problems such as seizures, epilepsy and some heart conditions, is required to report their condition to the Illinois Secretary of State's Office along with documentation from their doctor. The information from the doctor should state that the patient is under active medical care and that the doctor feels it is safe for them to get behind the wheel.

According to state records, less than a year before the fatal crash that killed Grimes, Botsis was involed in a minor traffic accident in which he blacked out.

Grimes says that his family is haunted by Vanessa's death. They are determined to see some good come from it.

"There's still a lot of horrible negative emotions being carried around by my family," Grime said. "i wish I had the ability to forgive this guy and move on, but it was murder. I'm going to continue to work on this."