Illinois on Track for Fewer Than 1,000 Highway Deaths

Illinois officials have their eye on a safety goal as the year closes: a second consecutive year with fewer than 1,000 highway deaths.

The Illinois Department of Transportation and other agencies are announcing a coordinated effort to boost enforcement over the New Year’s weekend. They’re calling it the Traffic Safety Countdown to 2011.

This weekend, state and local police will be ticketing drivers who aren’t wearing seat belts and cracking down on drunken drivers.

Last year, 911 people lost their lives in car crashes in Illinois. It was the first year since the early 20th century that Illinois had fewer than 1,000 highway deaths.

So far this year, there have been 916 highway deaths in Illinois.