What the Latest CDOT Crash Data Means for Injured Cyclists and Walkers in Chicago
The Chicago Department of Transportation has released the Chicago Traffic Crashes Report, which details the number and type of crashes on Chicago’s streets. On paper, the numbers look like progress. Fewer fatalities. Fewer people seriously injured. Infrastructure investments finally starting to show results. But for people who walk and ride on Chicago’s streets every day, the danger doesn’t feel like a statistic. It feels like a passing SUV that clips too close, a driver who rushes a turn, or a driver or passenger who swings a car door open without warning. Progress can be real and fragile at the same time.
According to Streetsblog Chicago (of which Keating Legal is a proud sponsor) and the DOT's latest Chicago Traffic Crashes report, traffic deaths and serious injuries declined significantly between 2021 and 2025. Yet pedestrians and cyclists remain among the most vulnerable road users in the city, and many of the risk factors behind serious crashes haven’t gone anywhere.
At Keating Law Offices, P.C., our Chicago attorneys see how these numbers translate into real injuries, real families, and real long-term consequences.
Traffic Deaths Are Down, but the Risk Hasn’t Disappeared
Citywide, the report shows an 18.5 percent decrease in the number of people killed or seriously injured between 2021 and 2024. In several West Side communities, including Austin and East and West Garfield Park, the drop was even steeper at 39 percent, with pedestrian and cyclist fatalities down 69 percent.
Last year alone, 1,896 people were seriously injured. This is the lowest number since 2012. Traffic fatalities dropped by 30 percent from 2021 to 2025, and deaths involving people on bikes or scooters fell by 60 percent.
Those are meaningful improvements. But fewer deaths doesn’t mean totally safe streets forever. It just means fewer families suddenly buried in grief.
The Most Dangerous Crashes Are Still Happening at Intersections
The report shows that the most common crashes causing serious or fatal injuries in 2024 were:
- Right-angle or T-bone crashes at 24 percent
- Turning crashes at 21 percent
These are exactly the types of collisions that put pedestrians and cyclists directly in harm’s path. Cyclists are particularly at risk of being a victim of a “right hook” or a “left hook” crash when a driver illegally turns across the path of a bicyclist.
For example, a “left hook” occurs when a cyclist moving straight through a green light can be struck by a driver rushing a left turn. This is a violation of both the Chicago Municipal Code and the Illinois Vehicle Code. A pedestrian lawfully crossing in a crosswalk can be struck by a driver focused on traffic rather than on the people in front of them. Crosswalk crashes continue to happen even though it has been years since Chicago and Illinois lawmakers changed that law to require motorists to not just slow down for pedestrians in crosswalks, but to come to a complete stop. These aren’t rare edge cases. They’re the most common serious crash types in Chicagoland and throughout Illinois.
Pedestrians Are Still Being Hit, and Drivers Still Flee
One of the most alarming findings from the report is that pedestrians were involved in 42 percent of hit-and-run crashes last year. In most of those cases, the driver who fled the scene was in their twenties or early thirties.
In 64 percent of pedestrian fatality cases, the striking vehicle was a larger one, like an SUV, pickup truck, or van. These crashes most often happened on local streets, where people assume speeds are lower and conditions are safer.
Bigger Vehicles and Speed Remain Core Problems
CDOT identified three main contributors to serious injuries and deaths:
- Vehicle size and speed
- Reckless driving
- Persistent inequities in where crashes happen
Larger vehicles hit harder. Higher speeds leave no room for error. And communities on the South and West sides continue to experience a disproportionate share of traffic violence, even as improvements roll out.
Reducing speed and managing vehicle size in dense urban spaces aren’t policy debates for cyclists and pedestrians. They're the difference between walking away and not walking at all.
Safety Infrastructure Is Helping, but It’s Not Everywhere
The report credits safety improvements like:
- Protected bike lanes
- Raised crosswalks
- Raised intersections
- Bus boarding islands
- Context-sensitive lane widths
- Traffic-calming street conversions
For example, CDOT installed curb-protected bike lanes and sidewalk bump-outs along Homan Avenue as part of a repaving project. On Commercial Avenue, bike lanes and street modifications were added to improve safety for walkers, riders, and drivers alike.
These changes save lives. But they don’t yet cover the full city. That leaves long stretches of road where cyclists and pedestrians still ride and walk alongside fast-moving traffic with little physical protection.
Advocates Say the Full Story Is More Complicated
Some safety advocates caution that the positive data doesn’t tell the whole story. Chicago, Bike Grid Now! points out that reported bicycle crashes actually increased by 49 percent between 2022 and 2025 based on city data, even though fatalities declined.
Their takeaway is blunt and hard to argue with: bikes don’t kill people. Drivers of motor vehicles do.
That distinction matters when we talk about responsibility, street design, and accountability after a crash.
Why These Numbers Matter in Injury Cases
Crash data shapes how insurers, defense attorneys, and even juries think about road safety. A downward trend in fatalities can be used to argue that a dangerous crash was an isolated event rather than part of a broader pattern.
But behind every percentage drop is still a victim who didn’t make it home, a family rearranging their entire life around a spinal injury, or a child learning to walk again after a driver failed to yield.
Progress Can Be Real, and the Danger Can Still Be Real, Too
Chicago is making meaningful investments in safer streets, and those efforts deserve recognition. But the data also shows that pedestrians and cyclists remain at heightened risk, especially in neighborhoods with heavy vehicle traffic and fewer built-in protections.
You don’t get to carry a crash statistic with you into an intersection. You meet the street exactly as it is that day.
And until every rider and every pedestrian has consistent protection, fewer deaths will never mean no danger.
What Injured Cyclists and Pedestrians Should Remember
If you’re hurt while riding or walking in Chicago, your case isn’t just about one driver’s mistake. It can also be about:
- How the street was designed
- Whether safety features were present or missing
- How vehicle size and speed played a role
- Whether known risk factors were ignored
Those details often decide whether accountability sticks or slips away.
Count on Keating if You've Been Injured
If you or someone you love was injured in a Chicago pedestrian crash or bicycle accident, call 833-CALL-KLO or contact us online today for a free consultation. Our award-winning attorneys are here to help you demand justice, accountability, and compensation for your losses.
"Mike and his team went above and beyond in working to settle my case after I was hit by a car while biking. I am legitimately shocked at the outcome (to the positive) after a lot of hard-fought battles by the Keating team. A lot of firms would have settled earlier, and I am incredibly grateful that they continued to fight for me. I hope that you never have to be involved in a motor vehicle collision, but if you happen to be, I cannot recommend them more." - Stephen F., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
