Illinois Impaired Driving Statistics
Alcohol was a major factor in fatal motor vehicle accidents in 2007. Among motorists who were tested, 43.9 percent of fatally injured drivers had a positive Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). Young, fatally injured drivers were even more likely to have a positive BAC. Among that group, 45.2 percent of those who were tested were positive.
There were 114 drivers aged 16-20 who were killed in traffic accidents in 2007; 27.2 percent had a BAC of 0.08 or greater. About 58 percent of fatally injured drivers aged 21-24 had a BAC of 0.08 or greater, while 56 percent of fatally injured drivers aged 25-34 had a BAC of 0.08 or greater. For drivers aged 35 and older, the percentage of high BAC test results decreases with the age of the driver.
Most fatal alcohol-related crashes occur at night, with 62 percent occurring between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. in 2007. The time period between midnight and 4 a.m. is most dangerous, with 38 percent of fatal alcohol-related crashes occurring within those 4 hours. Similar to trends for all fatal crashes, the highest numbers of alcohol-related crashes occur on the weekend. Saturday accounts for 25 percent and Sunday for 24 percent of all fatal alcohol-related crashes.
There were 142 motorcycle operators killed in crashes in 2007; 52 of the operators who were tested were found to have a BAC of 0.08 or greater. This includes 12 operators with a BAC greater than 0.20.
Fatal crashes involving trains occurred 12 times in Illinois is 2007; of the 12 drivers, 10 were tested and 3 found to have a positive BAC.
Driving is not the only facility which is impaired by alcohol. Additionally, 48.5 percent of fatally injured pedestrians who were tested had a positive BAC.
