For journalists & researchers
You are welcome to cite and link to this page. When you do, please credit LawMachine with a link to this URL. Every figure below is drawn from official public datasets and reflects the 2023 reporting year; each card notes its source. IDOT has since published its 2024 crash data, and this page will be updated to those figures once they are checked — for the newest numbers, see IDOT's roadway safety data.
Illinois 2023 at a glance
1,240
People killed on Illinois roads in 2023
Source: IDOT 2023 Illinois Crash Facts & Statistics
299,133
Total reported motor-vehicle crashes statewide in 2023
Source: IDOT 2023 Illinois Crash Facts & Statistics
87,573
People injured in Illinois crashes in 2023
Source: IDOT 2023 Illinois Crash Facts & Statistics
101,023
Total traffic crashes in the City of Chicago in 2023
Source: IDOT 2023 City Crash Summary
That works out to roughly 820 reported crashes every day in Illinois in 2023 — more than three people killed and nine injured every hour. There were 1,142 fatal crashes statewide that year.
What was driving fatal crashes in Illinois (2023)
Speed — 44.9% of fatal crashes
Speeding was a factor in 31.1% of all crashes and nearly 45% of fatal crashes in 2023 — the single largest identified contributor to Illinois road deaths.
Pedestrians — 195 killed
Pedestrian crashes were just 1.5% of all crashes but 17.3% of fatal crashes, with 195 pedestrians killed in 2023 — a badly disproportionate share of deaths.
Cyclists — 41 killed
Pedalcyclist crashes were under 1% of all crashes but 3.6% of fatal crashes, resulting in 41 cyclist deaths in 2023.
Impaired & distracted driving
Alcohol- and drug-impaired driving remains a leading factor in fatal crashes per NHTSA's FARS data, and distraction (texting, handheld phones) continues to be significant and under-reported.
Chicago's most crash-heavy corridors (2023)
A small number of arterial streets account for an outsized share of Chicago's serious crashes. Among the corridors with the highest number of serious crashes in 2023 were:
- Pulaski Road — 60 serious crashes
- Western Avenue — 59 serious crashes
- Cicero Avenue — 58 serious crashes
- Halsted Street — 50 serious crashes
Intersections repeatedly identified as high-risk include 79th Street / Stony Island Avenue / South Chicago Avenue, 95th Street & Stony Island Avenue, Garfield Boulevard at Wentworth Avenue and at Wells Street, and Michigan Avenue at Wacker Drive. This concentration is exactly why Chicago's Vision Zero program targets a defined High Crash Network rather than spreading resources evenly.
Key context for these numbers
- Illinois traffic deaths rose sharply in 2020–2021 and remained elevated in 2023 compared with pre-2020 levels.
- Vulnerable road users — pedestrians and cyclists — accounted for 236 deaths in 2023 (195 pedestrians + 41 cyclists), a disproportionate share relative to how few crashes they represent.
- A large share of serious crashes cluster on a small percentage of high-injury corridors, which is why Chicago's Vision Zero program targets specific streets.
- Reported-crash counts undercount minor collisions, so true injury totals are higher than official figures suggest.
Sources
- Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) — 2023 Illinois Crash Facts & Statistics
- Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) — 2023 City/Municipal Crash Summary (Chicago)
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)
- City of Chicago Data Portal — Traffic Crashes dataset & Vision Zero Chicago
Figures reflect the 2023 reporting year, the most recent complete IDOT annual data as of publication. Consult the linked primary sources for exact, year-specific tables. Last reviewed 2026.
Injured in a crash in Chicago?
Statistics describe the problem — we help with your specific case. Call (312) 222-0202 for a free, no-obligation consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.