Articles Posted in Speeding

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Drivers who are charged with high rate speeding offenses are often surprised to learn that they can face up to a year in jail under current Illinois law. These offenses are commonly known as aggravated speeding offenses and Illinois has increased the potential consequences for drivers who plead guilty or are found guilty of these charges.

Unfortunately, most drivers are not familiar with these changes to our speeding laws. After receiving a speeding ticket, many drivers are only concerned with the inconvenience of appearing in traffic court or the prospect of increased insurance rates. However, these Illinois speeding laws have substantially changed over the years.

Current Illinois law groups speeding offenses into two primary categories – petty and misdemeanor offenses. Speeding 26 or more over the posted limit is charged as a misdemeanor offense, which qualifies as a crime under Illinois law.

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Below are answers to frequently asked questions regarding driving records in Illinois. Driving records are different across all 50 states. Illinois driving records are maintained by the Illinois Secretary of State. They also are often referred to as driving record abstracts and motor vehicle records (MVR).

What information appears on an Illinois driving record?

  • Convictions (traffic tickets, including those issued in other states)
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Courtroom etiquette has many written and unwritten rules and, as we all know, first impressions are lasting impressions, so how you appear and how you behave during your court appearance may have a significant impact on your case. In some extreme circumstances, bad behavior can result in jail time or a fine if you are found in contempt of court. To make a good first impression, you should familiarize yourself with the rules and make sure you adhere to them.

Planning for Your Day in Court

The courthouse is a place of employment for the judge and the court staff. As everybody else, they want to keep their work day smooth and efficient. By arriving on time and following the rules, you show the court the proper respect it deserves and allow the court to maintain efficiency. By doing so, you are also increasing your chances of a more favorable outcome.

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Did you know that it’s possible to remove convictions for Illinois traffic tickets from your driving record? At The Davis Law Group, P.C., our experienced attorneys can assist you in filing a “Motion to Vacate,” which brings your ticket back into court and allows us to argue for a more favorable outcome, such as court supervision, amendment, or dismissal.

While Illinois law doesn’t permit the expungement of traffic tickets, we can help you clear the conviction from your driving record by presenting your case before a judge.

Addressing License Suspensions

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A Class B misdemeanor in Illinois carries a maximum penalty of up to 6 months (180 days) imprisonment in county jail and a maximum fine of $1,500 plus any mandatory court costs. The defendant may be placed on a period of court supervision, conditional discharge or probation for a maximum of 2 years. Sentencing guidelines for a Class B misdemeanor can be found under Illinois law 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-60.

Speeding 26 to 34 mph over the posted speed limit is one of the most common Class B misdemeanor offenses in Illinois. This offense is also referred to as aggravated speeding, excessive speeding or misdemeanor speeding. Overall, Class B misdemeanors are actually far less common than Class A misdemeanors in Illinois.

Although Class B misdemeanors are not as severe as Class A misdemeanors or felony offenses, they are still criminal charges carrying serious potential consequences. Any criminal conviction on your record may have long term consequences on your personal or professional life.

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Drivers under 21 years old will have their driver’s license suspended by the Illinois Secretary of State if they receive two traffic ticket convictions within a period of two years (24 months). Illinois law holds drivers younger than 21 years old to a higher standard than other drivers.

Primarily, convictions for moving violations under the Illinois Vehicle Code count toward a license suspension. The offense does not need to occur within the State of Illinois. Out-of-state traffic tickets received by the driver may also be reported back to Illinois and used by the Secretary of State to impose a license suspension.

It is important to note that the Illinois Secretary of State uses the date the traffic ticket was issued, not the date that the conviction was entered to determine if the offenses occurred within the 24-month time period.

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This post is for informational purposes only. We are a law firm and CANNOT pay your Cook County traffic ticket.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County provides the following website that will allows you to pay certain traffic tickets for a conviction, request traffic school (if you are eligible) or request a court date: CLICK HERE.

This website currently does NOT allow you to pay fines that were assessed in court. It can only be used prior to your court appearance within the timeframe allowed, which is usually listed in the instructions on the back of your ticket (typically 14-21 days from date of issuance). You cannot use the system for tickets that are marked “Must Appear”.

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According to the Illinois Secretary of State, traffic tickets for moving violations will stay on your Illinois driving record for four to five years from the date of conviction. Moving violations include offenses such as speeding, disobeying a stop sign, disobeying a traffic control light, and improper lane usage.  The Secretary of State generally removes these offenses at their discretion during that timeframe.

Traffic tickets that result in a suspension or revocation will stay on your driving record for at least seven years from the date of license reinstatement. Convictions for alcohol and drug-related offenses (i.e. DUI) will permanently stay on your Illinois driving record.

Only court supervision or a dismissal will prevent a traffic ticket from showing up on your public driving record in Illinois. Convictions not only count toward the suspension of your driver’s license but can significantly affect insurance premiums.

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The Illinois Secretary of State uses a unique system to determine driver’s license suspensions and revocations based on the number of moving violations and a point system. A driver 21 years of age or older will have their license suspended if they receive three moving violation convictions within a 12 months period, while a driver under the age of 21 will have their license suspended if they receive two moving violation convictions within a twenty-four month period.

Every moving violation is assigned a specific number of points. Once a driver reaches the number of convictions outlined above, the Secretary of State will use the total number of points accumulated to determine the duration of suspension or revocation.

For those 21 or older, if you have three convictions for traffic violations within a 12-month period your Illinois driver’s license will be suspended as follows:

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The number of speeding tickets issued by Illinois State Police troopers has dropped significantly over the past 5 years according to a report by the State-Journal Register. The number of speeding tickets decreased by 40% from 211,857 in 2010 to 126,959 in 2015. In 2016, it is estimated that the Illinois State Police will issue approximately 104,000 speeding tickets.

The article analyzed data through Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act.

While the number of speeding tickets has declined, the number of traffic fatalities is up from 5 years ago. For the first time since 2008, the number of traffic fatalities in Illinois has surpassed 1,000. However, the number of fatalities is significantly lower than 15 years ago. In 2001, there were 1,414 fatalities and in the 1970’s, the numbers were typically around 2,000.

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