While drunk driving fatalities have been on the decline over the last several
years, they are sadly still very common. According to a 2019
study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 28
individuals lose their lives every day in drunk driving accidents. Over
10,000 people were killed in 2019 alone.
In 2018, Illinois alone had over 300 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities,
accounting for 30% of their total driving fatalities that year. Of these
impaired drivers who caused fatal crashes, many were repeat offenders (responsibility.org). In the same year Illinois had over 2,800 arrests made for drivers who
were operating under the influence.