- 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:
- one alcohol-related fatality every 32 minutes
- one alcohol-related injury every 2 minutes
- 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.
2002 Alcohol-Related Crash Facts
2001 Alcohol-Related Crash Facts
Sources:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
National Commission Against Drunk Driving
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