In Illinois during 2000, there were 614 people killed in alcohol-related crashes, which is 43.3% of the 1,418 total motor vehicle crash fatalities.
Nationally, 16,653 lives were lost in alcohol-related crashes in 2000. This is the equivalent of:
Forty percent of the fatal traffic crashes in 2000 were alcohol-related. Eight percent of non-fatal crashes in alcohol-related.
About 3 in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash some time in their lives.
The greatest single cause of death for people between the ages of 6 and 33 is traffic crashes; 45% of these are alcohol related.
The legal drinking age in all states and the District of Columbia is now 21. In 2000, an estimated 922 lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws.
Twenty-eight states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico now have .08 BAC per se laws.
Approximately 1.5 million drivers were arrested in 1999 for driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. This is one in every 121 licensed drivers in the United States. (2000 data is not yet available).
In 2000, 31 percent of all traffic fatalities had at least one driver or non-occupant with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .10 or greater.
Many states have passed legislation to deal with the hard-core DUI offenders. Illinois passed legislation which became effective in August of 2001 for individuals who register a BAC of .16 or greater. These offenders face mandatory minimum sentencing including community service and jail time.
PROGRAMS