From all the cases monitored, MADD found a few trends and made some general observations that include: • Based on 2020 cases monitored, MADD found that 15% of cases had the additional charge of Driving Without Insurance. Driving without car insurance can increase penalties associated with a DUI charge. • In 2019, 314 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes which was 31% of all traffic-related fatalities in the state 2 .A very similar trend can be found in 2016, 2017 and 2018 as in each of those years, of all traffic-related fatalities in the state, 31% of those fatalities were alcohol-related. This shows that impaired driving plays a significant role in traffic-related fatalities each year. • Winnebago County and Rock Island County had a very high rate of DUIs where a traffic crash occurred. Of the cases monitored, over 50% of these cases resulted in crashes. DUIs are a serious, dangerous offense, and this type of sample shows the seriousness of a crime like DUI. • Overall, Illinois prosecutors took child endangerment cases very seriously. When child endangerment charges were permissible. According to Illinois law, child endangerment occurs when an individual knowingly causes or permits the life or health of a child under the age of 18 to be endangered, or when an individual causes a child to be placed in circumstances that endanger a child’s life or health. If an individual commits a DUI with a child under the age of 18 in the vehicle, child endangerment charges can be added on to the DUI. • It was noticed that many counties in Illinois adjudicated cases in a year or less, including DuPage, Kankakee, Kendall, Livingston, McLean, Peoria, Tazewell, Will, and Williamson. This shows prompt action by these courts to get DUI cases adjudicated in a timely manner. • As noted earlier in the report, MADD Illinois noticed a high rate of underage DUIs. Of all cases monitored, 5% involved impaired drivers under the age of 21. Counties that saw high underage DUI rates included DeKalb, Kane, LaSalle, McLean, Madison, Peoria, and Tazewell. This data shows that early alcohol and drug prevention education is imperative in preventing this problem. • With the legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois in 2020, MADD noticed a higher rate of DUI cases involving drugs. Counties with an increase in drugged driving rates included: DeKalb, Kane, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Madison, McHenry, McLean, Peoria, Tazewell, and Will. In addition, trends or patterns in specific counties were noticed, and these county-specific trends include:
Solutions & Call To Action
o Continue to support LawEnforcement all around the state as their work saves lives. o Encourage more efficient prosecution of DUI cases. oWe call on judges and prosecutors to heed the deleterious effects that unnecessarily prolonged cases have on conviction rates, victims, and offenders recidivate. o Heightened collaboration with advocacy groups like MADD. o Expanded and increased education to youth about the dangers of underage drinking and drug usage. o Increased and improved public education about how recreational marijuana is legal to consume in Illinois, but it is still illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana.
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