Why Waiting to Get Your License Back is Costing You More Than You Think
When your license is revoked, it feels like your life is on hold. Many people think, “I’ll just wait until next year before I try to get my license back.”…
Getting pulled over by the police and getting a ticket is never fun.
For most tickets, you can just pay a fine — and you might be tempted to, right? It’s the fastest and easiest way to get rid of your ticket so you can move on.
But paying your fine means admitting guilt. Even if you avoid jail time and a larger fine, you could face a license suspension, points on your license, and increased car insurance premiums that, over time, can represent a big chunk of your earnings.
Our Chicago traffic lawyers can help.
Our experienced traffic attorneys at Driver Defense Team exclusively defend drivers charged with traffic violations.
We’re the leading choice for traffic defense in Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, and Lake County, Illinois, with a proven track record of getting real results.
We don’t doubt that when you choose Driver Defense Team, you’ll know you made the right choice. But we’re not all talk and no action — far from it. See for yourself by giving us a call and get a defense strategy — your GamePlan — tailored specifically to your case.
What Happens if I Plead Not Guilty?
When you plead guilty or no contest to a traffic ticket, you give up your right to fight it. Your other option is to plead not guilty. But what happens when you do?
If you plead not guilty, the court will schedule a hearing, where the police officer who issued your ticket must testify about the circumstances of your traffic stop and alleged traffic violation.
If your traffic violation is a criminal offense — like a DUI or aggravated speeding — you’ll appear before a criminal judge. You have the right to a speedy trial during which the prosecution must prove you committed the violation beyond a reasonable doubt.
Whether you’re charged with a minor violation in traffic court or a more serious criminal offense, going to court can be daunting.
We get it, which is why we’re here for you. Our Chicago traffic ticket attorneys appear in court nearly 6,000 times every year.
We know the court staff, prosecutors, and judges down to their unique quirks, habits, and preferences. And this gives you a massive leg up when it comes to building your defense.
Traffic Violations We Handle
Our Chicago traffic lawyers cover all common traffic violations. Traffic ticket cases we handle include:
Most of us are guilty of going over the speed limit at some point in our lives. Speeding tickets in Illinois are split into two types: petty speeding and aggravated speeding. Petty (or minor) speeding is the most common.
Unfortunately, a minor speeding ticket can significantly impact your life, finances, insurance premiums, and driving record. But you don’t have to accept your fate and pay the fine. Our Chicago traffic lawyers can help you fight your ticket.
Failing to yield to pedestrians, cyclists, or other vehicles with the right of way can result in a ticket. Failure to yield is a petty offense punishable by a fine, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fight it. We can help challenge your citation so you can move forward.
Disobeying a stop sign or failing to stop at a clearly marked stop line can lead to steep fines and points on your license. Our traffic ticket lawyers handle cases for these violations all throughout Chicago and can help you get the best possible outcome.
Tailgating tickets are unique in that they’re often proven solely by eyewitness testimony — and this type of evidence can be shaky. We can help you challenge the evidence against you and will use our knowledge gained from working on thousands of traffic ticket cases to secure the best result for you.
Whether you were pulled up by law enforcement or caught by a traffic camera, a red-light ticket can lead to hefty penalties and points on your license.
If running a red causes an accident or an officer believes you were driving recklessly, you could also face additional charges. Our traffic defense team will work to help you fight the ticket and protect your record.
Illinois takes distracted driving seriously. For several years now, texting while driving has been a moving violation, so if you get too many of them, you could have your license suspended. Our traffic ticket attorneys can determine if you’re covered by one of the state’s exceptions on cell phone use and will work to protect your driving record and defend your rights.
The police can issue an unsafe lane change — or improper lane usage — citation in many different situations. On its own, it’s not a jailable offense, but the stakes can be higher when it’s accompanied by more serious charges or when weaving causes an accident. However, the wording of the law leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and there are many valid reasons for exciting a lane. We can determine if these apply and build the best defense to your case.
Illinois law requires all drivers to have liability insurance. If you’re pulled over and don’t have your policy on hand, you’ll get a traffic ticket for driving without insurance. A conviction can result in a sizable fine and a license suspension, and you’ll also need to pay a reinstatement fee before you can get back on the road.
Our Chicago traffic lawyers can appear in court on your behalf and achieve a favorable result so you can get back behind the wheel as fast as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to questions you might have about Chicago traffic tickets
Some traffic tickets require a court appearance, while others can be resolved out of court. Your ticket will state whether or not you need to go to court, along with which Illinois court your hearing will be held in.
Illinois Supreme Court Rule 551 outlines the types of violations requiring a court appearance. These include:
- Class A misdemeanors
- Class B misdemeanors
- Driving without insurance, while suspended, or without a license
- Violations causing accidents leading to injury or death
- Violations with a minimum fine of more than $95.
But what if you’re required to appear in court and can’t make it?
You might have a work conflict, a hospital appointment, or a prearranged meeting you can’t miss. You might even be nervous about standing in front of a judge. Whatever the case, we can often represent you without you needing to appear in court personally. We’ll need you to sign an affidavit that authorizes your attorneys to appear on your behalf, and we’ll call you before and after your court appearance to keep you up to speed.
Driving a commercial vehicle like a semi-truck requires a higher level of knowledge, experience, skill, and physical ability than your average passenger car. Their size and weight also mean a moving violation like speeding or weaving can be devastating in an accident. Because of this, Illinois law holds CDL holders to a higher standard, and truckers face more severe potential consequences, including license suspension.
When driving is your livelihood, we know how worrying it can be to get a ticket. Even a single violation on your MVR can affect your employment and ability to provide for your family. Our Chicago traffic ticket attorneys specialize in driving offenses. It’s our bread and butter — it’s what we do. We understand the strict regulations governing CDL holders and can help you understand your options and develop the best defense to fight your ticket.
There are over 300 intersections across Chicago where digital cameras have been installed to catch drivers speeding. Usually, you won’t even realize you were speeding until you receive a ticket in the mail.
The good news? These tickets are administrative violations, which means you won’t get points on your license or face insurance premium hikes for paying them off.
The bad news? It’s tricky to dispute photo and video evidence and a radar measurement of your speed, making these cases hard to win. In most cases, you’ll pay more in legal fees than the cost of the ticket, so it’s often not worth it.
We don’t like it, but that’s how it goes.
We won’t dupe you into thinking you can challenge these tickets when the only outcome is you being worse off financially, which is why we won’t represent you in defending these tickets.
These traffic tickets double if you fail to pay, and the Illinois Secretary of State can seize your vehicle and suspend your license to prevent you from driving if you have unpaid tickets. Ultimately, it’s just not worth it.
Our best advice is to take the money you would have spent on an attorney and use it to pay your ticket.
Most traffic convictions will add points to your record. If you get three moving violations in 12 months — or two violations if you’re under 21 — and the Illinois Secretary of State can suspend or revoke your license.
The number of points assigned varies by offense.
Serious offenses like driving under the influence of alcohol or driving without insurance result in immediate suspension or revocation, while other offenses incur between 5 and 55 points.
Examples include:
- Driving 1-10 miles per hour (mph) above the speed limit: 5 points
- Making an improper turn at an intersection: 10 points
- Moving unsafely from a parked position: 15 points
- Improperly passing a motorcyclist, bicyclist, or pedestrian: 20 points
- Following too closely (tailgating): 25 points
- Failing to render aid or exchange driver information after an accident causing personal injury: 50 points
- Reckless driving: 55 points.
The length of suspension increases with the more points on your record. All it takes is 15 points to be suspended from driving for two months, and you can quite easily achieve that with a few minor violations. For example, if you’ve received two moving violations in the past for driving two miles per hour over the limit, and you get a third speeding ticket to take your points total to 15, your license will be suspended — even though you were only slightly above the speed limit.
It might seem easier to just pay off your fine, especially for a minor infraction, but as we can see, it’s too easy to rack up points on your record. Driver Defense Team can fight your ticket and help you stay on the road.
You can trust Illinois’ top traffic attorneys
We’ve helped thousands of people get back on the road.
Here’s what some of them have to say.
Get a tailored GamePlan
Your winning defense strategy
We devise every defense strategy based on our battle-tested PlayBook of winning tactics, developed from our 114+ years of collective experience and analysis of over 5,000 winning cases for driving offenses.
We use this to develop your custom GamePlan, which is delivered in three parts.
Briefing. Development. Execution.
The result? No cookie-cutter or copy-and-pasted strategies, but a roadmap tailored to you — and only you.
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