DUI Facts
In Illinois:
- 639 people were killed in alcohol-related crashesin 2003, which was 44 percent of the 1,453 total crash fatalities.
- 93 percent of all drivers arrested for DUI in 2003, who were eligible, lost their driving privileges.
- 2,863 drivers under age 21 lost their driving privileges in 2003 due to "Use It & Lose It" law violations.
- 17 percent of those arrested for DUI in 2003 are women, who represent 50 percent of all licensed drivers.
- Males ages 21-24 had the highest DUI arrest rate (27.6 per 1,000 licensed drivers) in 2003. This rate was four times greater than that of all other drivers arrested for DUI (6 per 1,000).
Alcohol-Involved Traffic Fatalities in Illinois During Holidays in 2003
| Memorial Day | 50.0% |
| Forth of July | 62.5% |
| Labor Day | 60.0% |
Impairment begins with the first drink. Don't Drink and Drive.
Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes in Illinois in 2004 by Time of Day and Day of Week
Nationally:
- 17 percent of drivers age 16-20 involved in fatal crashes in 2004 had BAC levels of .08 or higher. The highest percentages were for drivers 21-24 (32 percent) and 25-34 (24 percent).
- Alcohol-related crash fatalities totaled 16,694 in 2004.
- The percentage of alcohol-related crashes in 2003 represents an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 31 minutes and one alcohol-related injury every two minutes.
- 40 percent of crashes involving an alcohol-impaired or intoxicated driver or non-occupant in 2003 resulted in an involved person being killed or injured.
- Drivers with a BAC greater than .08 who were killed in crashes in 2003 were 10 times as likely to have a prior conviction for driving while intoxicated.
- About 275,000 people suffered injuries in alcohol-related crashes in 2003.
- More than 1.5 million drivers are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs each year. This represents one in every 130 drivers in the United States.
- The rate of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes is three times as high at night as during the day. More than 53 percent of weekend evening crashes are alcohol related.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people ages 2-33.
- The highest intoxication rates for drivers in fatal crashes were recorded for drivers ages 21-24 (32 percent), followed by ages 25-34 (27 percent) and 35-44 (24 percent).
- Alcohol-related crashes, injuries and fatalities cost society more than $45 billion in lost productivity, medical care, property damage and other direct expenditures annually.
Facts about .08:
- Illinois' .08 BAC limit was signed into law July 2, 1997. .08 is a measurement of the blood-alcohol concentration level at which drivers are considered intoxicated and, therefore, are prohibited from driving on Illinois roadways.
- Illinois, 48 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have .08 BAC per se laws. On Aug. 1, 2005, Minnesota will become the final state to enact the .08 per se law.
- At .08, all drivers are impaired to the point that critical driving skills are greatly diminished. Studies indicate that at a .08 BAC level, a driver's steering, braking, speed control, lane changing, gear changing and judgments of speed and distance are all significantly impaired.
- To reach .08, a 170-lb. male would have to consume four or more drinks in a one-hour period on an empty stomach. A 137-lb. female would have to consume three drinks in one hour to reach .08. A drink is considered a 12- oz. beer, a 5-oz. glass of wine or a cocktail containing 1.5 ounces of 80- proof liquor.
- At .08, a driver is three times more likely to be involved in a car crash than a sober driver, and 11 times more likely to be killed in a single-vehicle crash.
- Skeptics of .08 laws suggest that repeat offenders are the "real" problem with regard to drunk driving. However, about 80 percent of alcohol-related crash fatalities are caused by drivers with no arrests for drunk driving during the previous three years.
Profile of an Illinois Drunk Driver
The average DUI offender is:
- male (82 percent of those arrested are men)
- age 34 (60 percent of those arrested are under age 35)
- arrested between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. on a weekend
- caught driving with a BAC level of .16 percent
Source: www.cyberdriveillinois.com