I-80 in Illinois: fatal crashes
From 2015 to 2024, 127 fatal crashes on I-80 in Illinois killed 149 people, the 5th most of any numbered road in Illinois. In 2024 there were 10 fatal crashes and 12 deaths on the road.
An interstate running through 8 counties of Illinois. All fatal crashes in Illinois.
Deaths on I-80 in Illinois by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10 | 12 |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 |
| 2022 | 11 | 12 |
| 2021 | 12 | 18 |
| 2020 | 21 | 27 |
| 2019 | 11 | 12 |
| 2018 | 22 | 23 |
| 2017 | 14 | 15 |
| 2016 | 13 | 16 |
| 2015 | 6 | 7 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Where on I-80 in Illinois: the counties with the most fatal crashes
Will County County had the most fatal crashes on I-80 from 2015 to 2024: 40, with 46 deaths. Will, Cook and Grundy counties together held 69% of fatal crashes in I-80 in Illinois from 2015 to 2024; the 6 listed held 98%. Counties are listed from 5 fatal crashes.
| County | 2024 | 2015 to 2024 | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will County | 2 | 40 | 46 |
| 2 | Cook County | 3 | 29 | 33 |
| 3 | Grundy County | 1 | 19 | 22 |
| 4 | Bureau County | 1 | 15 | 18 |
| 5 | LaSalle County | 2 | 12 | 17 |
| 6 | Henry County | 0 | 9 | 10 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen on I-80 in Illinois
Too few crashes to name a heaviest slot. The grid shows the shares; a share is only given over 20 crashes.
| Midnight to 4 | 4 to 8 am | 8 to noon | Noon to 4 | 4 to 8 pm | 8 to midnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 3.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 5.5 percent, 7 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Mon | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 5.5 percent, 7 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 3.9 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.9 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 3.9 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 3.9 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
| Fri | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 6.3 percent, 8 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Sat | 3.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
By hour
By month
- Jan4.7%
- Feb3.9%
- Mar4.7%
- Apr6.3%
- May10.2%
- Jun16.5%
- Jul12.6%
- Aug11.8%
- Sep7.9%
- Oct5.5%
- Nov7.9%
- Dec7.9%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Fatal crashes per mile on I-80 in Illinois
7.77 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 164 miles of I-80 in Illinois, against 7.21 for all interstates in Illinois. That ranks 4 of 8 interstates in Illinois and 91 of 171 interstate pages on this site.
Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log (table 1), the only figure here not counted from FARS. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle: FARS records crashes, not traffic.
What fatal crashes on I-80 in Illinois first hit
The first harmful event was a collision with another vehicle in 47%; a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in 30%, a pedestrian in 7.9%, a rollover in 7.1%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Collision with another vehicle | 60 | 47% |
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 38 | 30% |
| Pedestrian | 10 | 7.9% |
| Rollover | 9 | 7.1% |
| Parked vehicle | 7 | 5.5% |
| Other | 3 | 2.4% |
| Cyclist | 0 | 0.0% |
| Not reported | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How fatal crashes on I-80 in Illinois compare with the state
A drinking driver was recorded in 21% of fatal crashes in I-80 in Illinois from 2015 to 2024, below the Illinois share of 27%; speeding in 49%, above the Illinois share of 37%; a hit-and-run in 3.1%, below the Illinois share of 8.4%; 44% of passenger-vehicle occupants killed with belt use known were unbelted, below the Illinois share of 46%. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of Illinois. A share is only given over 20 crashes.
| I-80 | Illinois | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural stretches | 25% | 34% | below the Illinois share |
| At or near an intersection | 1.6% | 30% | below the Illinois share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 18% | 25% | below the Illinois share |
| A drinking driver | 21% | 27% | below the Illinois share |
| Speeding | 49% | 37% | above the Illinois share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 44% | 46% | below the Illinois share |
| Hit-and-run | 3.1% | 8.4% | below the Illinois share |
| A motorcycle involved | 10% | 14% | below the Illinois share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 8.1% | 16% | below the Illinois share |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about fatal crashes in I-80 in Illinois
- How many fatal crashes have there been on I-80 in Illinois?
- 127 fatal crashes killed 149 people on I-80 in Illinois from 2015 to 2024. In 2024 there were 10 fatal crashes and 12 deaths.
- Where on I-80 in Illinois do the most fatal crashes happen?
- Will County had the most fatal crashes on I-80 from 2015 to 2024: 40, with 46 deaths. Cook County was second with 29.
- How dangerous is I-80 in Illinois per mile?
- 7.77 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 164 miles of road, against 7.21 for all interstates in Illinois. That ranks 4 of 8 interstates in Illinois and 91 of 171 interstate pages on this site. FARS records crashes, not traffic, so this is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
Other roads in Illinois with a page
All fatal crashes in Illinois, with every road ranked.
Where the I-80 numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash whose road NHTSA filed as I-80 in Illinois (filed under 16 spellings, such as "I- 80", "I-80", "I-80 (MOLINE EXPY)", "I-80 SR-134"). Ramps, frontage and service roads are left out. A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. The full method.