Fatal crash rate · Illinois · Road
Fatal crashes on I-70 in Illinois
Every fatal crash NHTSA coded to Interstate 70, also written as I-55/Us-40, in Illinois, 2020 to 2024, with the year, the county and what the record says about each. Fatal crashes only, and a count, not a rate: the federal record has no traffic volume for a road.
I-70 in Illinois2020 to 2024 · fatal crashes recorded by NHTSA
38fatal crashes over five years · 43 deaths
Over 2020 to 2024, NHTSA recorded 38 fatal crashes on I-70 in Illinois, in which 43 people died. That is 1% of the 5,671 fatal crashes recorded in Illinois in those years, about 8 a year. 2 of the 38 were coded to a ramp, frontage or service road of I-70 rather than the main lanes. In 2024, the latest year, 8 were recorded.
- Counted
- FARS crashes 2020 to 2024 in Illinois whose TWAY_ID or TWAY_ID2 begins I-70, with or without a local name (I-55/Us-40)
- Share
- 38 ÷ 5,671 fatal crashes in Illinois = 1%
Every year, 2020 to 2024
| Year | Fatal crashes on I-70 | Deaths | Fatal crashes in Illinois | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4 | 4 | 1,086 | 0% |
| 2021 | 9 | 12 | 1,210 | 1% |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 1,147 | 1% |
| 2023 | 10 | 12 | 1,143 | 1% |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 1,085 | 1% |
2024 is NHTSA’s Annual Report File and will be revised when the final file replaces it.
Where on I-70: by county, 2020 to 2024
The counties the crashes were coded to, alphabetical. A road’s count in a county depends on how many miles of it run there and how busy they are; the page does not rank the counties. Each name opens the county page with its own rate.
What the record says about those crashes, 2020 to 2024
Every figure is a count of the 38 fatal crashes NHTSA coded to I-70 in Illinois over five years, from the fields FARS records. Nothing is estimated or inferred.
| Road type | Crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interstate | 37 | 97% |
| Other freeway or expressway | 1 | 3% |
| Other principal arterial | 0 | 0% |
| Minor arterial | 0 | 0% |
| Major collector | 0 | 0% |
| Minor collector | 0 | 0% |
| Local road | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown or not reported | 0 | 0% |
| Rural | 29 | 76% |
| Urban | 9 | 24% |
| Time of day | Crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Midnight to 5:59 am | 9 | 24% |
| 6 am to 11:59 am | 12 | 32% |
| Noon to 5:59 pm | 11 | 29% |
| 6 pm to 11:59 pm | 6 | 16% |
| Hour unknown | 0 | 0% |
| Light | Crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 22 | 58% |
| Dark, not lighted (or lighting unknown) | 14 | 37% |
| Dark, lighted | 1 | 3% |
| Dawn or dusk | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown or not reported | 0 | 0% |
| Day of week | Crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 2 | 5% |
| Monday | 2 | 5% |
| Tuesday | 4 | 11% |
| Wednesday | 6 | 16% |
| Thursday | 6 | 16% |
| Friday | 11 | 29% |
| Saturday | 7 | 18% |
| Month | Crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 3 | 8% |
| February | 2 | 5% |
| March | 5 | 13% |
| April | 0 | 0% |
| May | 2 | 5% |
| June | 5 | 13% |
| July | 2 | 5% |
| August | 5 | 13% |
| September | 4 | 11% |
| October | 6 | 16% |
| November | 0 | 0% |
| December | 4 | 11% |
| Weather | Crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Clear | 31 | 82% |
| Cloudy | 0 | 0% |
| Rain | 6 | 16% |
| Snow, sleet or freezing rain | 0 | 0% |
| Fog, smog or smoke | 1 | 3% |
| Severe wind, blowing sand or other | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown or not reported | 0 | 0% |
| Involving | Crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| A pedestrian | 0 | 0% |
| A bicyclist or other cyclist | 0 | 0% |
| A speeding-related vehicle | 11 | 29% |
| A driver police reported as drinking | 4 | 11% |
| A large truck (over 10,000 lb) | 24 | 63% |
| A motorcycle | 1 | 3% |
| A hit-and-run vehicle | 0 | 0% |
| A teen driver (15 to 19) | 3 | 8% |
Road type is FARS FUNC_SYS for the crash, which can differ from the route’s class where a crash was coded on a frontage road or ramp; speeding is any vehicle coded SPEEDREL 2 to 5; drinking is any driver coded DRINKING = 1 (police-reported, not a blood-alcohol test).
How this is counted
- The road is the designation FARS wrote. Each crash in NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System names the trafficway it was on (
TWAY_ID) and, at an intersection, a second one (TWAY_ID2). NHTSA standardises the route designation (I-45,US-59,SR-6) and the police often add a local name after it (I-45/NORTH FWY) or a ramp or frontage word. The page counts every crash whose designation is I-70, once, whatever followed it. Nothing else is matched: a crash coded only to a local street name is not here even if that street is this road. - Same number, another state, another road. I-70 in Illinois is counted within Illinois only. Where the route continues into a neighbouring state it has its own page there, and a State Route number means nothing outside its state.
- Only roads with ten or more fatal crashes over 2020 to 2024 have a page. Fewer is too few to say anything, and the county page already lists the most-named roads in each county as the police wrote them.
- No rate, no rank. The Illinois page lists every numbered road in route order with its count and nothing else. Roads with more lanes, more miles or more traffic record more fatal crashes; the record cannot separate those from the road’s design.
Informational only, not professional advice. Last reviewed: October 2026. Data snapshot built 2026-10-30.
Other roads in Illinois
- I-39 16
- I-55 136
- I-57 121
- I-64 27
- I-72 13
- I-74 43
- I-80 66
- I-88 35
- I-90 70
- I-94 114
- I-255 18
- I-290 60
- I-294 36
- I-355 12
- SR-1 62
- SR-2 16
- SR-3 52
- SR-4 21
- SR-7 13
- SR-8 11
- SR-9 10
- SR-13 31
- SR-15 23
- SR-16 21
- SR-17 24
- SR-19 24
- SR-21 12
- SR-23 26
- SR-25 15
- SR-26 10
In route order, first thirty; the full list is on the Illinois page.