Chicagoland’s most-trusted speeding ticket lawyers explain the potential fines and penalties you face, and your legal options.
Even the most careful drivers can get a speeding ticket. Maybe you were running late for work or in a rush to get to an appointment after being stuck in a traffic jam. Maybe the flow of traffic was moving faster than the posted limit, and you were just keeping up, or perhaps you just lost track of how fast you were going. Intentional or not, an Illinois speeding ticket can have serious consequences.
The bad news is that being in a rush or following other drivers around aren’t valid defenses in court. But the good news? You don’t have to just accept the ticket and pay the fine.
Driver Defense Team is a driving-focused law firm representing drivers throughout Chicagoland. Our Chicago speeding ticket lawyers know how local courts handle these cases, and we use that insight to help you avoid points, limit insurance increases, and protect your driving record.
How much you were speeding makes a big difference to what you’ll be charged with
The first thing you need to know about getting a speeding ticket in Illinois is that there are several types. The number of miles over the limit that law enforcement claims you were driving makes a massive difference in the potential penalties you can face if you plead guilty or are convicted of a speeding offense in traffic court.
The easiest way to determine which type of speeding ticket you have is to pull out your ticket and do a quick bit of math.
Take how fast the ticket says you were driving and subtract it from the speed limit.
If that number is between 1 and 25 miles per hour (mph) over the speed limit, you have a petty traffic ticket. Petty speeding is the most common type of speeding offense, punishable by a fine.
If you’re going 26+ mph over the limit, you’re looking at aggravated speeding. Aggravated speeding is a more serious offense as it’s not just a ticket — it’s a criminal charge, and the potential penalties reflect this. Aggravated speeding is either a Class B or Class A misdemeanor:
- 26-34 mph over the limit: Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,500.
- 35+ mph over the limit: Class A misdemeanor, with penalties of up to a year in jail and up to $2,500 in fines.
The real cost of a speeding ticket in Illinois
Pleading guilty to a petty speeding fine will typically set you back $164. This might seem reasonable for a minor brush with the law, and you might be tempted to think, “Well, the officer got me — I was speeding. I’ll just pay the ticket and move on with my life.”
But the fine on your ticket is just the start.
Can a Chicago speeding ticket affect your driving privileges and insurance costs?
Petty speeding is a moving violation, which means you’ll get points on your license. Not only does this inch you closer to getting your license suspended, but it can also affect your insurance rates.
Insurance companies see driving violations as a red flag, as they indicate you might be a high-risk driver. In many cases, an increase in insurance premiums lasts several years, and a $164 fine can quite easily cost you thousands of dollars in additional insurance over this time.
What’s the impact of a criminal speeding conviction?
The penalties for a misdemeanor aggravated speeding charge can have even more of an impact. Jail time is rare, especially for first-time offenders. But a criminal record can affect you in other ways. A conviction will appear in background checks, potentially affecting your future employment prospects or barring you from specific professions entirely (particularly those involving driving). It can also influence your eligibility for college admission and financial aid and make it harder for you to secure housing.
For these reasons, it’s rarely advisable to simply admit defeat and hope for the best.
How Driver Defense Team’s speeding ticket lawyers can help
There are many possible defenses to Illinois traffic tickets, and our speeding ticket attorneys at Driver Defense Team will use our knowledge of the law and experience in local courts across Chicagoland to help you fight your ticket.
We’ll research what happened, dive into the evidence to figure out how the police officer determined your speed, and develop a personalized defense designed to achieve the best outcome.
We will never make guarantees about being able to make speeding tickets disappear — it’s unethical and impossible to predict — but we can say that we’ve handled thousands of speeding tickets across Illinois and have thousands of satisfied clients who rate us 5 stars for our service and representation.
