CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago Alderpersons have given a preliminary green light to changing one word in its traffic safety law and it could mark a shift in attitude.
The Chicago City Council Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee has voted to replace the word “accident” in its Vision Zero ordinance to “crash.” It sounds like a small change, but Ald. Daniel La Spata of the 1st Ward said otherwise.
Knocking your coffee cup over’s an accident, he said, but, driving while distracted, or speeding is intentional, he continued.
It’s more than a grammatical change. He said it has to do with the very attitude we have as we approach and try to solve the problems.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration’s committing $20 million this year to try to reduce those crashes to zero by street designs and other means.
And Vig Krishnamurthy, deputy city transportation commissioner, told the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee the ambitious aim of Vision Zero is to make changes that can help eliminate fatal crashes.
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