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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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In order to stop a vehicle, a police officer must have reasonable suspicion that the driver is committing a violation of Illinois law. The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution requires that law enforcement have specific and articulable facts that a crime has been committed, or is about to be committed, to justify the stop of a vehicle. An exception to this requirement is known as the community caretaking function, which allows a police officer to investigate if the driver appears to be in need of assistance.

Of course, there are a wide variety of offenses that can justify a vehicle stop. In DUI cases, the officer does not need to have a basis to believe that the driver is under the influence at the time of the stop. Minor moving violations or even equipment violations (i.e. a burnt out taillight or cracked windshield) are valid grounds to stop a vehicle. Most Illinois DUI investigations will begin with an allegation of improper lane usage, speeding or other common moving violations under the Illinois Vehicle Code.

When conducting an Illinois DUI arrest, the police officer must have probable cause to believe that a driver is under the influence. Probable cause is a higher standard than the reasonable suspicion necessary to stop a vehicle. Once a police officer has stopped a vehicle, that officer must be able to articulate specific facts supporting a belief that the driver is under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, medical cannabis, or another intoxicating compound in order to arrest the person for DUI. This can be based on factors relating to the driver’s speech, appearance, and odor. Specifically, officers will often point to sign of impairment including bloodshot and/or glassy eyes, slurred speech, soiled clothing, unusual actions, inconsistent responses and the odor of alcohol and/or marijuana.

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If you fail to pay fines or court costs for a traffic ticket, the court may request that the Illinois Secretary of State to place a hold on your driver’s license which would prevent you from renewing an expired license or obtaining a license for the first time. This hold is also referred to as a “Failure to Pay Stop”. Technically, it is not a license suspension. In order to clear your driver’s license, you must satisfy the amount due to the court and/or file a motion to reopen the case.

You may attempt to contact the specific courthouse where the ticket is assigned by phone to determine the amount owed and your payment options. However, it may be beneficial to appear in-person at the Clerk’s Office located within the courthouse to obtain this information.

Once you pay the amount owed on the traffic ticket, you should obtain a Failure to Pay Fines Receipt for the Illinois Secretary of State. This receipt should be submitted to the Secretary of State either in-person or by mail. You may rely on the courthouse to notify the Secretary of State, but this can take additional time. However, in Cook County, the Clerk’s Office will notify the Secretary of State electronically and you do not need obtain and submit the paperwork yourself. Once it is processed by the Secretary of State, the hold will come off of your driving record.

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If you failed to appear in court or respond to a traffic ticket within the required timeframe, the court may direct the Illinois Secretary of State to suspend your driver’s license. The type of suspension is referred to as a “Failure to Appear” suspension or as an “09” suspension (625 ILCS 5/6-6-306.3). In order to reinstate your driver’s license, you must resolve the traffic ticket, provide proof to the Illinois Secretary of State, and pay a reinstatement fee.

Often, resolving the old ticket will require you, or your attorney, to file a motion with the court. The case will have to be brought back into court, where you will appear in front of a judge. Every county and courthouse has rules and procedures that must be followed. Often, it is beneficial to hire legal representation to ensure that the process is handled properly and efficiently. Depending on how long ago the traffic ticket was issued, the file may even need to be ordered by the Clerk.  Also, your motion may need to be filed days or weeks in advance of seeing the judge. As a result, the process may require multiple court appearances. An attorney familiar with the specific courthouse will be able to guide you through the process and handle many of the necessary steps on your behalf.

After the case is resolved, the Clerk’s Office may provide you with a certified transcript or receipt acknowledging the disposition of the case. This document should be submitted to the Illinois Secretary of State to ensure proper removal of the Failure to Appear suspension. In addition, the Secretary of State will require the payment of a reinstatement fee.

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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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A  Portable Breath Test (PBT) is commonly used by police officers in the field to establish probable cause to arrest a driver for DUI. Recent Illinois caselaw says that a driver must have a choice to take or refuse a PBT. The driver must provide some form of consent prior to taking a PBT. Although the officer is not required to inform the driver that he or she may refuse the breath test, the driver must have a reasonable opportunity to do so.

In People v. Taylor (2016 IL App (2d) 150634), the defendant was given less than 2 seconds after being told “what I want you to do is take a deep breath and blow…” to question what he was being told by the officer before the officer placed the device at a minimum within 1-2 inches of the driver’s mouth. In fact, the officer testified that he placed the stem of the device directly in the driver’s mouth. The Court found that this did not present the driver with a reasonable opportunity to refuse the test. As a result, the court suppressed the result of the PBT based on noncompliance with the PBT statute.

While a portable breath test may be used to establish probable cause, a PBT result is not admissible evidence at trial. It should be noted that additional procedures must be followed for the use of an evidentiary breath test offered at the police station, which may be admissible at trial.