As of January 2019, Illinois has a new law on the books that makes texting while driving not only a fine-able offense, but now it is also considered a moving violation. That type of violation can cause your license to be suspended and/or revoked. Our firm works hard for drivers across Southern Illinois to keep them on the road and legally driving. If you incur any infraction, please feel free to contact us for a free consultation.
In previous years, drivers were given a violation/infraction that was accompanied by a fine, and it did not affect the status of your license. With this new law taking effect this year, if a driver is caught operating a vehicle while texting/talking on a phone, it will be written as a moving violation and you’re only allowed 3 moving violations within a given year before your license faces suspension. For example, Driver A was using his cell phone, missed a stop sign, and then crashed into another vehicle. In this example, the officer was on scene when it all occurred and determined that Driver A was 1. Using his phone 2. Did not stop at the posted stop sign and finally 3. The officer deemed Driver A’s driving as wreckless in causing the incident. That is 3 tickets in one fell swoop, which within 45 days would lead to a suspension from the state. Driver A should be contacting an attorney to try and help with either reducing the amount of tickets received via a plea deal, or to represent them at summary suspension hearings.
Any time you receive any traffic violation or infraction, it is wise to seek the advice or representation of a knowledgeable attorney.
Let’s check another example. Driver B works 45 mins out of town. Some days on her way home from work she may speed, and she has been given a ticket previously for speeding which she promptly paid and pled guilty to. From the date of the previous ticket, she now has only 2 moving violations left before her license could be suspended or revoked within a years time. Four months after her initial speeding ticket, she received another, again paying the fine and now she has only one more moving violation left before her license may be in jeopardy with the state of Illinois. Three months after her 2nd ticket, she was stopped at an intersection and decided to send a text to a friend saying she was running late, during her texting an officer noticed she delayed to react to a traffic light, and issued moving violation for texting while driving. Driver B quickly collected 3 infractions within a year and now faces suspension.
What these examples show is that it is very easy to acquire 3 moving violations in a years time. Any time you receive any traffic violation or infraction, it is wise to seek the advice or representation of a knowledgeable attorney. Jason Drew has almost a decade of traffic law experience in several southern Illinois counties, we offer free consultations as well, and no case is to big or small. If you are in a situation where your driving rights are threatened, please contact us so we can do our best to keep you on the road.
