Throughout the United States in 2013, one person was killed every 52 minutes in a drunk driving accident.
While the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in Illinois has decreased 37.8 percent between 2002 and 2012 -- in large part because of increased awareness, tougher punishments and legislative action -- drunk driving remains a serious problem in Illinois, though more severe in some parts of the state than others.
The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, an independent non-profit citizens' action group, was founded in 1982 with the help of then-Secretary of State, Gov. Jim Edgar, who led legislative efforts to combat drunk driving by establishing Illinois' first citizens' task force.
AAIM's latest available drunk driving data ranks cities and counties based on the number of DUI arrests in 2013. The Illinois State Police, with 1,818 sworn officers, recorded 9,302 arrests -- an arrest rate of 5.12 per officer. The Chicago Police Department, with almost 12,000 officers on the force, made roughly 3,400 arrests, a rate of 0.28 per officer. The Secretary of State Police made 14 DUI arrests.
"Of all the people who died in Illinois motor vehicle crashes, 35 percent lost their lives in crashes involving a drunk driver, that is more than 350 deaths each year," said Rita Kreslin, Executive Director of AAIM. "Departments that make more DUI arrests and who have effective DUI enforcement in their communities are saving lives by preventing impaired driving crashes and crash fatalities."
T-25. Lee
Arrests: 66
Officers: 20
Arrest rate/officer: 3.30
T-25. Kane
Arrests: 60
Officers: 85
Arrest rate/officer: 0.78
24. Jo Daviess
Arrests: 70
Officers: 25
Arrest rate/officer: 2.80
23. DeWitt
Arrests: 73
Officers: 14
Arrest rate/officer: 5.21
22. Jefferson
Arrests: 74
Officers: 16
Arrest rate/officer: 4.63
T-21. Kendall
Arrests: 77
Officers: 61
Arrest rate/officer: 1.26
T-21. Fulton
Arrests: 77
Officers: 22
Arrest rate/officer: 3.50
20. Shelby
Arrests: 83
Officers: 19
Arrest rate/officer: 4.37
Check out Reboot Illinois to see which counties have the most DUI arrests in Illinois, plus which cities top the list and which police forces in the state make the most of those DUI arrests.
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