For the seventh year, suburban Rockford has led Illinois in DUI arrests, according to a new survey of nearly 700 police agencies.
The survey, conducted by Schaumburg-based Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, found Rockford made 556 arrests in 2013, just above Naperville, which clocked 553 arrests.
“Of all the people who died in Illinois motor vehicle crashes, 35 percent lost their lives in crashes involving a drunk driver, Rita Kreslin, executive director of AAIM, said in a statement. "That is more than 350 deaths each year."
Decatur had 485 arrests, followed by Springfield with 410, Carol Stream with 392, Elmhurst with 300, Normal with 279, Rock Island with 274, Oak Lawn with 262 and Aurora with 256. Chicago was placed in its own category because of its size.
AAIM found the 3,395 DUI arrests made by Chicago Police in 2013 decreased by 10.5 percent compared to 2012.
The biggest increases in arrests were seen in Champaign, Chicago Heights, Bloomington, Loves Park, Lombard and Gurnee.
"Law enforcement and traffic safety advocates have prevented many crashes and have saved many lives during the thirty years of AAIM's existence," Marti Belluschi, crash survivor and AAIM advisor, said. "However, the drunk driving problem has not been solved."
AAIM has conducted this survey, funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, for 24 years.
