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What Happens When You Drive Without Insurance in Illinois?
The state of Illinois requires all car owners to purchase an insurance policy for any car being operated. Failure to produce active insurance while driving will result in a traffic violation including heavy fines and suspension of a vehicle’s registration.
What Are the Illinois Insurance Requirements?
Illinois requires drivers to purchase a specific type of liability insurance for any automobile that is operated in the state. This insurance protects the driver if an accident occurs. The driver will not have to pay for damage repair to the other vehicle, however insurance prices will increase with every accident.
Insurance is required so anyone injured or involved in a collision can rest easy knowing they will not have to pay heavy compensation; that will be the responsibility of the at-fault driver’s insurance.
Illinois requires drivers to purchase insurance that will cover a minimum of:
What to Expect During an Illinois DUI Traffic Stop
During this time in Illinois, there are fewer cars on the road and with bars closed, there is less of a possibility to find a drunk driver. However, people have not completely stopped leaving their homes and since there are fewer cars out, it will be easier for police to spot a driver under the influence.
While patrolling the streets, police officers look for signs of intoxication such as braking hard or fast, swerving between lanes, disobeying traffic laws, running red lights, etc. Any of these signs will warrant a traffic stop so that the officer can determine if the driver is in fact drunk.
What Happens When a Car Is Stopped?
Illinois police officers have the right and responsibility to pull over any vehicle they suspect to be operated by a drunk driver. Once the stop has been made, the officer will approach the suspected vehicle and observe the state of the driver.
If the officer sees any signs of drunkenness, they can then perform a field sobriety test. Signs an officer will look for include:
What Crimes Can Be Expunged in Illinois?
Expungement is when Illinois government erases criminal charges from a person’s record. This is different from sealing which is when the charges are simply hidden from public view but still exist.
Not all crimes are qualified to be expunged and not every person has the ability to petition for an expungement. It boils down to the type of crime as well as the number of charges already against the person petitioning to expunge a crime.
Understanding the Expungement Process
The first step in getting a charge erased from a personal record is to determine whether or not the charge is qualified to be expunged. Also, a person must find out if they are a candidate that is able to petition for an expungement.
Factors that could keep a person from expungement include the amount of time that has passed since the crime was committed as well as the person’s citizenship status.
How is Fleeing the Scene of a Car Accident Punished in Illinois?
Being involved in a car accident can be a scary thing especially if you are the one who caused the collision. However, it is important that all persons involved in the crash remain at the scene so that police can arrive and take statements as to what happened. Fleeing the scene of a car accident is a crime in Illinois which can lead to fines and/or jail time. If the offending driver was under the influence at the time of the collision, they will also be charged with a DUI and can have their driving privileges suspended.
What Does the Law Require?
Illinois law says that all drivers involved in a crash must:
- Stop their vehicle immediately
- Check the other drivers and passengers for injuries
- Move their vehicle - if it can move - to the side of the road
- Turn on hazard lights so other cars can avoid the stopped cars
Is Kidnapping Considered Domestic Violence?
Abuse or domestic violence can come in all varieties. An alleged abuser can physically harm their victim or they can cause mental harm by verbal abuse or manipulation. Whichever form it comes in, domestic violence is a serious crime that can change the dynamic of a household.
Kidnapping is a felony offense and while it may not be directly considered domestic violence, in Illinois it is a way that an alleged abuser can violate an order of protection. This will bring about further consequences to the kidnapper.
What is an Order of Protection?
Most cases of domestic violence are when the woman in the relationship is the victim to the man. Some other cases see children as the victims to either parent. For each case, though, victims of domestic violence can elect to put an order of protection in place.
Is Forgery Punished as Harshly as Identity Theft?
Illinois has two separate laws covering forgery and identity theft, however, they are both deceptive practices that are taken seriously due to the harm it causes a victim. Forgery is a crime that could lead to identity theft because it starts with using someone else’s signature to steal money, goods, or personal information. Both crimes are felony offenses, but for identity theft, punishments become more severe depending on the harm done to a victim.
What Is the Difference?
Illinois law says that someone commits forgery when they do any of the following with the intent to defraud a victim:
- Make or alter a document that has false information
- Deliver false documents with the knowledge that the information is false
- Possession with intent to deliver false documents
What Is Aggravated DUI in Illinois?
There is a more severe DUI penalty in Illinois known as aggravated DUI that can be issued as a result of the nature of the offense. A driver can also be charged with aggravated DUI if they have three or more DUI violations on their driving record.
All charges of aggravated DUI are tried as felony offenses with mandatory jail time, community service, and heavy fines as punishment.
When Is Aggravated DUI Charged?
It is considered excessive if a person drives their vehicle under the influence three or more times. Therefore, charges are boosted to aggravated DUI felonies for just even being pulled over and arrested.
However, there are other aspects that can turn a DUI charge into an aggravated DUI offense:
- DUI is committed while driving a school bus with minors (under 18 years old) present
Is Driving on Worn-Out Tires Considered Reckless Driving?
It is against Illinois law to knowingly drive on tires that are old and worn out. The result of traveling on worn tires could be having a blowout and losing control of your vehicle. This is why driving with worn tires can be punishable as reckless driving.
The knowledge of the tires being worn out is what will convict a person of reckless driving. This is because the offending driver knew they were driving a vehicle that was unsafe, thus putting other drivers at risk of a crash.
How Do I Know if My Tires are Worn Out?
On average, a tire should be replaced every three or four years. If a driver does not remember when they changed their tires last, they can either refer to Illinois’ vehicle code regarding tire requirements or use the penny test.
If a driver inserts a penny into one of the grooves of the tire with Lincoln’s head facing down. If the tread does not cover Lincoln’s forehead, it is time to replace the tire. According to Illinois law, tires are considered “unsafe” if:
Can a Driver Go to Jail for Aggravated Speeding Violations?
Drivers should always be aware of the legal speed limit when they are driving. Illinois roadways are usually thorough about posting speed limit signs to make drivers aware of what speed they should not exceed.
Simple speeding is a traffic violation that is punished with a ticket to be paid, but aggravated speeding comes with heavier penalties because it is a more serious crime. It is an act that puts the driver and others around them in danger of a collision; therefore, it is possible to serve a jail term after a conviction of aggravated speeding.
Simple Speeding Versus Aggravated Speeding
Illinois law says that aggravated speeding is when a driver operates their vehicle in excess of 26 miles per hour over the legal limit. Everything lower than that - but still over the speed limit - is considered simple speeding.
Police officers patrol and enforce the speed limits with a handheld radar gun which uses wind speeds to measure the rate of a vehicle’s speed. Depending on the miles per hour over the limit, the traffic citation will be costly:
How Are ‘Porch Pirates’ Punished in Illinois?
Someone is known as a “porch pirate” when they steal packages from the doorstep of someone else’s house. The state of Illinois is the 13th worst state in the country when it comes to packages being taken. This offense is punished as theft because the person who commits the violation has the intention of keeping the items they take and they know it is against the law. Under Illinois’ theft law, porch pirating is considered a misdemeanor for items that value under $500 and a felony for items that value over $500.
The Penalty for Being Caught Pirating from Porches
On average, 11 million homeowners have packages stolen from their doorsteps in one year. As a result, victims find themselves changing their schedules when they know they have a package being delivered so they can be home to claim their box immediately.
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