Illinois, 3 other states target drunk drivers on Highway 41

U.S. Highway 41 through Illinois and three other states is being targeted Thursday and Friday for a crackdown on drunken driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the first-of-its-kind effort is a program to reduce crashes by high visibility enforcement along a specific corridor.

The agency says the stepped up enforcement, involving multiple law enforcement agencies, will run from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. both days.

Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana will also participate in the crackdown.

The effort is being called Reducing Auto Crashes through Corridor Enforcement, or RACCE.

Safety experts say nearly 12,000 people died in United States last year in crashes involving a drunken driver.