Suburban program pays $100 to people who turn in drunk drivers

WILL COUNTY, Ill. - A suburban program is stopping drunk drivers by rewarding people who turn them in.

"DrunkBusters" is run by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists. It's run by Rita Kreslin, whose son, John, was killed in a crash when he was just 19. He was a passenger in a car with a drunk driver after a night of drinking with friends.

DrunkBusters pays $100 to anyone who calls 911 in Boone, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties to report a drunk driver, if that driver is subsequently charged. In 2019, the program

nabbed more than 1,000 drivers.

Within four to six weeks, we cut them a check and thank them for being a drunkbuster," Kreslin said. "And we get someone off the road who could have potentially killed somebody."

State's Attorney Bob Berlin said DrunkBusters helped nab about 200 people in DuPage county last year. He would like to see more people calling in tips about drivers who have been drinking or smoking pot.

"It’s a win for everybody.  It’s a win for the community. We save lives by doing it," Berlin said. Kreslin said that in the past 30 years, DrunkBusters has handed out $700,000 to tipsters The money to pay the rewards comes from people convicted of crimes who are ordered by a judge to pay in.