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Speeding and Other Areas of Illinois Traffic Law

If you are convicted of a speeding violation, you are at a greater risk of having your license suspended or revoked, your insurance rates may increase, there will be fines, and there’s the possibility of jail time depending on how fast you were going. Sometimes, it’s something you can handle on your own without an attorney (first offense, minor violation); other times, you will want an attorney to help you avoid a large fine or loss of your driving privileges.

Speeding

Minor speeding tickets generally are petty offenses, not criminal offenses. These are tickets for going up to 29 mph over the limit. If you are speeding 30 mph or more over the limit, it can be charged as a misdemeanor – a criminal offense.

For a minor speeding ticket, you have a few options. You can pay the fine (which is basically pleading guilty), choose to attend traffic school (to avoid a conviction), or request a court date to challenge the ticket in court. Be aware that pleading guilty by paying the fine means a conviction on your driving record. If you get more than three convictions in 12 months, your license will be suspended (more than two in 24 months if you’re under 21). If your goal is to get the ticket dismissed or reduced, you should talk to an attorney. You have the right to attempt this on your own, but it’s not usually successful without hiring someone who knows the system.

For a major speeding ticket, you are going to have to go to court, and you are looking at a possible criminal conviction. Speeding 30-39 mph over the limit is a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of $1,500. Speeding more than 40 mph over the limit is a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $2,500. For a first offense, you should be able to avoid jail time, but if it were us, we’d hire an experienced traffic defense attorney to make sure. Even if a ticket can’t be dismissed, an attorney may be able to get the violation reduced to something less serious.

Court supervision is considered a good outcome in many cases, if you’re eligible (depends on the offense and your record). If you don’t get another ticket during the period of supervision, then it won’t go on your record. More serious violations are not eligible for supervision, such as speeding 40 mph over the limit or more.

Other traffic violations

Speeding is just one of many types of traffic violations you can be ticketed for. How you should handle it often depends on whether you need to appear in court.

For minor violations that are punishable by fine only (no jail time), appearing in court generally isn’t required, and often you can handle it without an attorney. Just make sure you understand the option you choose and the consequences of pleading guilty.

For more serious violations, a court appearance is usually mandatory. If you are facing something like driving on a suspended or revoked license, DUI, speeding in a construction zone, speeding more than 30 mph over the limit, driving without insurance, reckless driving or your second or third speeding ticket in a year, we highly recommend meeting with a traffic attorney to learn about your options.

CDLs

If you have a commercial driver’s license, the consequences of a traffic ticket are greater. Having even a minor violation on your abstract can affect your employment. There are attorneys with a lot of experience representing truck drivers in traffic cases. Let us know if you need a referral to one of these attorneys.

Tickets after an accident

If you are given a ticket after a vehicle accident, it’s even more important to do what you can to avoid a conviction. It won’t just affect your driving record – it could make you a target of a civil lawsuit.

If you are unsure of how to handle a recent traffic violation, or if you’re looking for a referral, please contact us. We’ll always be honest about whether we think you need an attorney, and if you do, our goal is to recommend the best match for your case.