Traffic Violation Attorney FAQs

If you receive a traffic ticket in the mail or from an officer, you have other options besides paying. In fact, paying the ticket denies you any chance to defend yourself, since the law treats the payment as an admission of guilt that will result in a conviction on your record. Taking the ticket to court gives you the opportunity to have the charges against you reduced or dropped, and your chances of a positive outcome will be higher with a skilled traffic defense lawyer at your side.

Yes, it is entirely possible to have your license suspended or revoked after receiving a traffic ticket. Illinois has a traffic points system that ranks moving violations by severity. Convictions for three moving violations within 12 months will result in your driver's license automatically being suspended for anywhere from two months to a year. If you accumulate enough points, your license may even be revoked. These points remain on your driving record for multiple years if you are convicted of an offense, and as such, you should fight a traffic violation in court whenever possible.

In court proceedings, certain traffic offenses like DUI or speeding may be eligible for a sentence known as court supervision. Court supervision is essentially a period of good behavior that will usually last for a couple of months. If you do not incur any further moving violations, the court supervision will end, and the charge will be dismissed. While this may be a favorable outcome in many cases, it may only be granted at the discretion of a judge, who will consider your driving record. Most of the time, court supervision is only awarded for a first offense.

In cases involving charges of DUI or reckless driving, you may only appeal for court supervision oncein the state of Illinois. If you are facing either charge, you can discuss your case with a legal advocate to figure out if court supervision is right for you. Our skilled traffic violation lawyer will examine every potential avenue to determine whether the charges against you can be reduced or dropped.

For every conviction of a traffic violation, you get points added to your driving record according to the severity of the violation. For example, failing to signal is worth 15 points, while reckless driving is worth 55 points. If you are found guilty of three traffic violations within a one-year period, the Secretary of State will suspend your driver’s license for a length of time proportionate to your points on record. Convictions of traffic violations will remain on your driving record for four to five years after the verdict.

The maximum amount of time your license can be suspended is twelve months. However, if you accrue 110 points or more, your license will be revoked outright.

By itself, driving without insurance is a petty offense in Illinois, carrying a fine between $500 and $1,000. However, if you get in an accident without insurance that results in someone else getting hurt, you could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, with a possible jail sentence of one year and no more than $2,500 in fines. A valid auto insurance policy in Illinois must cover $25,000 for bodily injuries per person, $20,000 for property damage, and $50,000 for bodily injuries per accident.