PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Circuit Court to host traffic safety community forums

Released On 11/09/2001

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced the Circuit Court of Cook County Community Safety Initiative will host two community safety forums that will focus on traffic safety issues. The community safety forums will be held at Wright College, 4300 North Narragansett Avenue, Chicago, on Tuesday, November 13, 2001, and at the Apostolic Church of God, 6320 South Dorchester, Chicago, on Thursday, November 15, 2001. The forums will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

"It is the goal of the community safety forums to begin the process of building new partnerships to address important life-saving issues," said Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.

The community traffic safety forums have been organized to draw leaders together from faith- based and community organizations, business, law enforcement and local government to discuss traffic safety issues. "Through the forums, we hope to begin to construct new pathways for combating the needless deaths and injuries associated with crashes," said Chief Judge Evans.

Issues to be discussed at the forums will range from seatbelt and airbag safety to child passenger protection and bicycle safety. Additional issues to be addressed include impaired, drowsy, aggressive and distracted driving. The issue of yielding to emergency vehicles will also be examined.

"We as a community must protect ourselves from the most predictable and leading risk we face – traffic crashes," according to Judge Patrick E. McGann, Chairperson of the Circuit Court of Cook County Community Safety Initiative. "Just last year in Illinois, 1,418 died in traffic-related crashes. Many of those deaths would have been prevented if simple life-saving precautions had been taken," he continued.