Sad incident: Hort rams drunken driver - four deaths!

Sad incident: Hort rams drunken driver - four deaths!

On Tuesday afternoon, April 29, 2025, a tragic incident occurred in Chatham, Illinois, in which a drunk driver intentionally controlled his vehicle to a school after. The attack, which took place at around 3:20 p.m. local time, led to a devastating record of four deaths, including several children between the ages of four and 18. The governor of Illinois, J. B. Pritzker.

Three of the victims were recorded outside the building, while another child died inside the care center. A total of six other people were injured and brought to the surrounding clinics. The vehicle broke through a wall of the care center after it caught several people. The driver, who was unharmed, was taken into custody and taken to a hospital for medical examination. The investigators are currently examining the motivations behind this intentional act that has devastating consequences for the community.

increased attention to traffic safety

The incident in Chatham highlights a highlight of the security situation of children in road traffic. In 2023, 27,235 children in Germany accidentally died in road traffic, with 44 of them died. The most common causes include accidents that affect children as pedestrians, passengers or cyclists. The Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) has therefore launched programs to increase children's traffic safety.

A new campaign that was created in cooperation with the popular figure Pumuckl aims to train both children and parents in traffic education. Ten videos deal with important topics such as crossing the road and traffic rules. In addition, there is the “Child and Transport” program of the German Road Safety Council (DVR), which trains parents in day care centers and informs about child -friendly behavior in road traffic.

security initiatives on the streets

To support daycare centers in their traffic safety work, there are programs such as the “Children in Road Traffic” initiative of the Deutsche Verkehrswacht (DVW) that offers instructions for games to promote reactionability. Another highlight is the pilot project "Children's Transport Garden" in Mönchengladbach, where kindergarten children can learn safe behavior in road traffic.

In addition, school plans have been developed to make safe school routes for children. According to the current statistics, children up to 12 years have to be secured in suitable child seats, whereby 99.5 % of the children are secured in the car, but only 35 % correct. The volumes "child safety in the car" and brochures for children's transport on cargo bikes offer insights into further security measures.

The events in Chatham are a tragic example of how important continuous education and security measures are in road traffic. The continuation of the efforts of the safety of our children remains a responsibility for society as a whole.

The complete details on the current initiatives on traffic safety can be found on the websites of the BMDV here and other reports here .