Late Night Roads Are More Dangerous for Illinois Drivers

Most of your driving nightmares probably revolve around visions of rush hour — people cutting in front of you without signaling, the frantic rush mixed with sudden stops. Added to this early morning mess are more beeps and flashing red lights than a dance club. It's absolutely frightening.

However, according to recent statistics reported by the Illinois Department of Transportation, accidents are much more likely to occur late at night or early in the morning. While the hours between midnight and 3 a.m. only accommodate about 3.5 percent of the traffic on Illinois roads, they see around 16 percent of its traffic fatalities.

When you extend those hours back and look at the space of time between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., we're talking about 30 percent of the road fatalities in Northern Illinois. And rush hour? Between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m, only around 9 percent of fatal crashes occur. While bad drivers may appear more often during this time, the deadly drivers seem to wait until later at night.

The numbers above are based on fatal crash statistics recorded between 2005 and 2008. Most of the accidents between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. were attributed, at least in part, to alcohol or a failure to buckle up.

According the report, the hours between 12:00 and 3:00 a.m. — when bars are closing and patrons are determining how best to get home — are the most dangerous time to be on the road.
Though cell phone use and driver distraction have gained a lot of buzz lately, there's still something to be said about driving sober and buckling up. This year, during certain holidays such as the Fourth of July =, Illinois will employ late night checkpoints and designated DUI patrols to temper these numbers.

It is part of an ongoing push to curb preventable car accidents and road fatalities. Paired with legislation restricting texting and mobile device use in the car, there seems to be a re-ignited dedication to make the roads safer.

As for drinking and driving, many are predicting the creation, and mass application, of new technology that will gauge blood alcohol content (BAC) and keep inebriated drivers from leaving in their cars. Such devices already exist to a certain degree in the form of ignition interlock devices, but use has yet to become widespread.

As it stands, such devices are almost exclusively used for convicted offenders. There is no way to prevent first-time drunk drivers, or those who have not been caught before, from getting behind on the wheel and on the road.

Still law enforcement is hopeful that they will be able to put significant dents in road fatalities by increasing vigilance and pressure on drivers to ride safely.

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