Quick answer
According to crimebycity.com's analysis of NHTSA data, the most dangerous city to drive in in Illinois is Harvey, IL with 55.4 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year (Road Danger Score 100/100), vs a US average of 12.3.
Highest Traffic-Fatality Rates in Illinois
Cities ranked by Road Danger Score — 5-year traffic deaths per 100,000 residents from NHTSA FARS.
| # | City | Danger Score | Deaths per 100K/yr | Deaths (5-Yr) | Alcohol % | Speeding % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvey | 100/100 | 55.4 | 53 | 12% | 28% |
| 2 | Cahokia | 97/100 | 24.7 | 17 | 13% | 38% |
| 3 | Riverdale | 96/100 | 22.0 | 11 | 20% | 50% |
| 4 | Markham | 95/100 | 21.2 | 13 | 8% | 42% |
| 5 | East St. Louis | 94/100 | 19.8 | 26 | 44% | 56% |
| 6 | Alton | 92/100 | 18.5 | 23 | 36% | 46% |
| 7 | Northlake | 92/100 | 18.2 | 11 | 10% | 30% |
| 8 | Hazel Crest | 91/100 | 17.5 | 11 | 11% | 56% |
| 9 | South Holland | 85/100 | 14.9 | 15 | 7% | 71% |
| 10 | Wauconda | 84/100 | 14.4 | 10 | 38% | 25% |
| 11 | Marion | 83/100 | 14.2 | 12 | 25% | 33% |
| 12 | Chicago Heights | 82/100 | 14.0 | 18 | 18% | 29% |
| 13 | Sauk Village | 81/100 | 13.6 | 7 | 29% | 43% |
| 14 | Lyons | 81/100 | 13.6 | 7 | 29% | 29% |
| 15 | Streator | 80/100 | 13.1 | 8 | 13% | 25% |
| 16 | Decatur | 79/100 | 13.0 | 44 | 32% | 32% |
| 17 | Mount Vernon | 78/100 | 12.7 | 9 | 11% | 11% |
| 18 | Lemont | 78/100 | 12.6 | 11 | 30% | 40% |
| 19 | Fairview Heights | 77/100 | 12.5 | 10 | 11% | 33% |
| 20 | Rockford | 77/100 | 12.5 | 91 | 29% | 33% |
| 21 | Carbondale | 76/100 | 12.1 | 13 | 25% | 33% |
| 22 | Bensenville | 76/100 | 12.1 | 11 | 18% | 46% |
| 23 | Homewood | 75/100 | 12.0 | 11 | 18% | 46% |
| 24 | Collinsville | 74/100 | 11.9 | 14 | 14% | 50% |
| 25 | Taylorville | 74/100 | 11.8 | 6 | 75% | 50% |
| 26 | Ottawa | 74/100 | 11.8 | 11 | 30% | 40% |
| 27 | Springfield | 72/100 | 11.4 | 64 | 32% | 33% |
| 28 | Bridgeview | 71/100 | 11.2 | 9 | 25% | 25% |
| 29 | River Forest | 68/100 | 10.8 | 6 | 0% | 33% |
| 30 | Park Forest | 68/100 | 10.7 | 11 | 20% | 30% |
| 31 | Gurnee | 67/100 | 10.7 | 16 | 39% | 23% |
| 32 | Lockport | 67/100 | 10.5 | 14 | 21% | 14% |
| 33 | Granite City | 67/100 | 10.5 | 14 | 39% | 62% |
| 34 | Midlothian | 67/100 | 10.4 | 7 | 0% | 20% |
| 35 | Lansing | 66/100 | 10.3 | 14 | 17% | 50% |
| 36 | Country Club Hills | 66/100 | 10.1 | 8 | 0% | 43% |
| 37 | Danville | 65/100 | 10.0 | 14 | 36% | 57% |
| 38 | Herrin | 64/100 | 9.9 | 6 | 17% | 17% |
| 39 | Winfield | 64/100 | 9.9 | 5 | 40% | 60% |
| 40 | Wood River | 64/100 | 9.8 | 5 | 20% | 40% |
| 41 | East Moline | 63/100 | 9.7 | 10 | 38% | 63% |
| 42 | West Chicago | 62/100 | 9.6 | 12 | 50% | 33% |
| 43 | Lisle | 62/100 | 9.5 | 11 | 50% | 88% |
| 44 | Quincy | 62/100 | 9.5 | 19 | 19% | 44% |
| 45 | Lincolnwood | 61/100 | 9.5 | 6 | 0% | 17% |
| 46 | Belleville | 61/100 | 9.4 | 19 | 42% | 42% |
| 47 | Columbia | 61/100 | 9.4 | 5 | 20% | 20% |
| 48 | Waukegan | 60/100 | 9.4 | 41 | 48% | 35% |
| 49 | Yorkville | 60/100 | 9.3 | 12 | 58% | 25% |
| 50 | Peoria | 60/100 | 9.3 | 51 | 30% | 45% |
| 51 | Zion | 59/100 | 9.1 | 11 | 18% | 36% |
| 52 | Burr Ridge | 59/100 | 9.1 | 5 | 20% | 0% |
| 53 | Elk Grove Village | 58/100 | 9.1 | 14 | 0% | 36% |
| 54 | Hickory Hills | 56/100 | 8.8 | 6 | 0% | 33% |
| 55 | Belvidere | 56/100 | 8.7 | 11 | 46% | 36% |
| 56 | Maywood | 56/100 | 8.7 | 10 | 20% | 40% |
| 57 | North Chicago | 55/100 | 8.6 | 13 | 31% | 39% |
| 58 | Oak Forest | 55/100 | 8.5 | 11 | 0% | 36% |
| 59 | Centralia | 55/100 | 8.5 | 5 | 25% | 0% |
| 60 | Blue Island | 55/100 | 8.5 | 9 | 0% | 22% |
| 61 | Sterling | 53/100 | 8.3 | 6 | 17% | 17% |
| 62 | Effingham | 52/100 | 8.2 | 5 | 20% | 0% |
| 63 | Shiloh | 51/100 | 8.0 | 6 | 20% | 20% |
| 64 | Moline | 49/100 | 7.7 | 16 | 27% | 47% |
| 65 | Batavia | 48/100 | 7.6 | 10 | 38% | 13% |
| 66 | Geneva | 48/100 | 7.6 | 8 | 29% | 14% |
| 67 | Wheeling | 48/100 | 7.5 | 14 | 11% | 56% |
| 68 | Darien | 47/100 | 7.4 | 8 | 0% | 67% |
| 69 | Joliet | 46/100 | 7.3 | 55 | 26% | 32% |
| 70 | Chicago | 45/100 | 7.2 | 949 | 9% | 36% |
| 71 | Crest Hill | 44/100 | 7.0 | 7 | 17% | 0% |
| 72 | Swansea | 43/100 | 6.9 | 5 | 20% | 40% |
| 73 | St. Charles | 42/100 | 6.8 | 11 | 18% | 9% |
| 74 | Antioch | 42/100 | 6.7 | 5 | 25% | 25% |
| 75 | Dixon | 42/100 | 6.6 | 5 | 50% | 0% |
| 76 | Round Lake | 41/100 | 6.5 | 6 | 40% | 40% |
| 77 | Pekin | 40/100 | 6.4 | 10 | 22% | 33% |
| 78 | East Peoria | 40/100 | 6.4 | 7 | 83% | 33% |
| 79 | Washington | 39/100 | 6.3 | 5 | 0% | 20% |
| 80 | Des Plaines | 39/100 | 6.3 | 18 | 6% | 29% |
| 81 | Addison | 39/100 | 6.3 | 11 | 27% | 46% |
| 82 | Cicero | 39/100 | 6.3 | 25 | 15% | 40% |
| 83 | Woodstock | 38/100 | 6.2 | 8 | 71% | 43% |
| 84 | Niles | 38/100 | 6.2 | 9 | 0% | 11% |
| 85 | Mattoon | 37/100 | 6.1 | 5 | 20% | 40% |
| 86 | Aurora | 36/100 | 6.0 | 51 | 28% | 43% |
| 87 | Libertyville | 36/100 | 5.9 | 6 | 17% | 33% |
| 88 | Charleston | 36/100 | 5.9 | 5 | 20% | 60% |
| 89 | Jacksonville | 35/100 | 5.8 | 5 | 20% | 20% |
| 90 | Urbana | 34/100 | 5.8 | 11 | 30% | 40% |
| 91 | Grayslake | 34/100 | 5.8 | 7 | 14% | 29% |
| 92 | O'fallon | 33/100 | 5.7 | 9 | 56% | 56% |
| 93 | Mchenry | 32/100 | 5.6 | 8 | 43% | 14% |
| 94 | Calumet City | 32/100 | 5.6 | 10 | 10% | 40% |
| 95 | Bartlett | 32/100 | 5.5 | 11 | 10% | 20% |
| 96 | Galesburg | 32/100 | 5.5 | 8 | 50% | 13% |
| 97 | Oak Lawn | 31/100 | 5.5 | 15 | 27% | 47% |
| 98 | Kankakee | 30/100 | 5.4 | 7 | 0% | 0% |
| 99 | Sycamore | 30/100 | 5.3 | 5 | 40% | 60% |
| 100 | Rolling Meadows | 28/100 | 5.2 | 6 | 0% | 50% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most dangerous city to drive in in Illinois?
Harvey, IL has the highest traffic-fatality rate in Illinois: 55.4 deaths per 100,000 residents per year (most recent five-year period, NHTSA FARS), a Road Danger Score of 100/100.
What causes traffic deaths in these cities?
Across these 100 cities, an average of 24% of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver and 34% involved speeding (NHTSA FARS, most recent five-year period). These shares run higher than the safest-city list, alongside structural factors like road type and speed limits.
How is the Road Danger Score calculated?
The Road Danger Score is a percentile ranking from 1 to 100 based on each city's five-year traffic-fatality rate (deaths per 100,000 residents per year) from NHTSA FARS data: 100 = most dangerous to drive in, 1 = safest. See the methodology page for the full formula.