New Illinois law on expunging traffic tickets

by Sami Azhari on February 16, 2012

Driver handing male police officer driver's license

Expungement is the process in which a person who was charged with a crime but cleared of any wrongdoing can go to court and request that the court erase the record of the case. The person can file a petition to expunge and then go before a judge for a hearing. If the prosecutor does […]

rainy view of the back of a police car with lights on

The Secretary of State can take away a commercial driver’s license for traffic violations. While a driver’s license can be suspended or revoked, a CDL is cancelled. A person whose CDL is cancelled usually can still drive a non-commercial motor vehicle. The fact that a CDL is cancelled does not automatically take away that person’s […]

State lawmakers changed the Illinois Vehicle Code for 2012 to regulate how municipalities tow vehicles after an arrest for driving under the influence. The police practice of towing a vehicle after a DUI arrest has been generally unregulated by state law until now. In the past, each city had its own procedures for towing, the […]

Cook County Seat Belt Violation

Illinois lawmakers passed a bill that makes an important change to the vehicle code this year. Starting January 1, 2012, anyone who drives or rides in a motor vehicle in the state of Illinois will be required to wear a seat belt. In the past, a backseat passenger was not obligated to wear a seat […]

Black wrecked car

In the seconds after a traffic accident, most people’s thoughts are to check that no one is injured. There is something altruistic in human nature that causes us to look out for the safety of others in a crisis. But as long as no one is hurt, that altruistic feeling passes quickly. The next thought […]

Angry judge pointing at you

Illinois is one of the toughest states when it comes to a young person’s driving privileges. In addition to the Zero Tolerance law, which suspends a person’s driver’s license for consuming alcohol before age 21, the Secretary of State has multiple laws it can use to take away your license. In fact, a driver who […]

Crashed silver car on highway with ambulance next to it

If you have been charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death, you have to be concerned not only with the potential penalty in court, but also with the loss of driving privileges. This crime can result hypothetically in a lifetime loss of driving privileges. The Illinois Secretary of State is […]

Explaining the Illinois DUI evaluation process

by Sami Azhari on January 22, 2012

DUI Evaluation

Driving under the influence is the only offense in Illinois that requires the offender to undergo an evaluation before sentencing. The evaluation is mandated by statute. There is one exception to this rule, and it shows how seriously the law treats a DUI. The only other case in which the defendant is required to have […]

Penalties for a first DUI in Illinois in 2012

by Sami Azhari on January 16, 2012

Illinois DUI Laws 2012

We return in 2012 for an update on the law against driving under the influence in the state of Illinois. While crimes such as domestic battery, theft, and murder have not changed in decades, the laws on DUI are changing every year. The statute that prohibits driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs remains […]

Activist group pays cash to people reporting DUI

by Sami Azhari on December 23, 2011

AAIM | Illinois Drunk Busters

Call the cops on a drunk driver, win $100. This is the Drunk Busters program in Illinois sponsored by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM). Drunk Busters started in Illinois in 1990 and has spread nationwide. AAIM promises to pay $100 to anyone who calls 911 to report an intoxicated driver and later the call […]