That’s over 215 tickets every single hour and it doesn’t include the 4,000+ warnings
- Illinois issued 5,189 tickets and 4,140 warnings in a single day during enforcement effort.
- Officers made 248 arrests including DUIs, gun recoveries, and locating a missing individual.
- The annual event now spans several Midwestern states with a focus on traffic safety.
The state of Illinois is going to have a lot more cash in the bank very soon. On what it calls “Speeding Awareness Day”, it issued 5,189 tickets to drivers. In other words, that’s just over 215 tickets for every hour of the day, nonstop, on July 23 of this year.
While the state is still counting its money, we have details on the stops in question, and the figures are staggering, and maybe a little sobering if you were anywhere near the roads that day.
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Speed Awareness Day has been going on since 2016 and it’s grown a lot since that year. In 2022, it expanded beyond the state boundary of Illinois and included Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The next year Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska joined in.
Arrests And Recoveries
In Illinois, officers spent 4,517 hours on the job during the 23rd covering the state and looking for speeders. Of the 5,189 tickets it issued, 3,169 were for speeding. That means that 2,020 were for other violations.
The state says that it also issued 4,140 warnings during the day, including 1,688 for speeding and 2,452 for other offenses. Combined, officers and troopers in the state issued 9,329 official documents to drivers.
In the process, the state made 248 arrests, including 52 that are considered ‘criminal arrests’. It arrested six people for alcohol-related DUI and four more for drug-related DUI. Departments across the state ultimately recovered six firearms, found a missing suicidal subject, and even a burglary suspect in the process of the day.
“Speed Awareness Day is more than just enforcement; it’s about saving lives through education, visibility, and community engagement,” said Kenny Winslow, ILACP Executive Director, to WCIA. “This year’s results show the dedication of Illinois law enforcement to making our roads safer for everyone.”
Here’s everyone’s reminder to put this time of the year on their calendar in 2026 to avoid being one of the 215 per hour. Or, if you prefer, think of it as Illinois’ unofficial annual fundraiser, where your speeding habit doubles as a generous donation to the state treasury.
