Fall is here and the holiday season is approaching. With the holidays comes the yearly crackdown by the Illinois State Police and local law enforcement, focusing on preventing accidents caused by drunk drivers.
The statewide enforcement effort focuses on dangerous nighttime driving, when research shows that more Illinois drivers die in car crashes than at any other time of the day. Expect to see roadside checks, enforcement zones and police saturation patrols on the lookout for drunk drivers, as well as drivers who are impaired by prescription or illegal drugs.
Especially Dangerous at Night
Nearly seven out of 10 Illinois traffic fatalities taking place between midnight and three in the morning involve an impaired driver. Less than three out of 10 of those fatalities are wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
By contrast, traffic is usually heavier during daylight hours, yet only two out of 10 traffic fatalities involve DUI drivers.
Last year, Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig announced the holiday crackdown on drunk driving: "This high-visibility enforcement effort comes at a time of year when lots of people are traveling across the state and nation, so it is a good time to focus on safety, especially during the holidays."
Drunk Drivers Wreak Havoc
The heightened holiday awareness of DUI driving is intended to lessen the tremendous toll drunk drivers take on innocent people. The numbers from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers tell a grim tale about the havoc impaired drivers wreak:
- In 2007, nearly 13,000 Americans lost their lives in drunk driving crashes
- Approximately two-thirds of drunk driving arrests involve a "first-time offender"; in reality, those first-time offenders have on average driven drunk 87 times before being caught
- Repeat DUI offenders are 40 percent more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than drivers without prior convictions for DUI
- 60 percent of drivers admit to operating a car or truck under the influence of alcohol, or close to under the influence, in their lifetimes
- Over 1.46 million people were arrested in 2006 for impaired driving: being drunk or being under the influence of prescription drugs or illegal narcotics
There is no good or acceptable time to drive drunk. It doesn't matter if it's day or night, during the holiday season or any other time of year. The price innocent people pay at the hands of impaired drivers is simply too high.
