Traffic Violations in Illinois

 Posted on September 22, 2016 in Traffic Offenses

Many people have received a traffic citation for a mistake made behind the wheel. You might have been driving too fast, may have failed to use your turn signals, or may have placed your vehicle somewhere it should not have been. Furthermore, many people who end up with a traffic citation are unsure what to do about it. In this situation, contacting an experienced traffic offense lawyer could help.

Basics of A Traffic Citation

At its core, a traffic citation is a charge for violating a state or municipal traffic law. The citation is a piece of paper, or ticket, that includes your information, the information about your vehicle, and your alleged offense. The ticket provides you with the statute of the law that you allegedly violated along with the fine you are required to pay, and provides instructions on how to pay the ticket, or details about when you are required to appear in court.

For the most part, most traffic law violations are merely infractions of the law, which is punishable only by a fine. Infractions are mostly minor offenses. More serious traffic violations can rise to the criminal level, such as driving while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. These more serious traffic violations can carry steep fines and even jail time.

Traffic violations are broken down by the type of offense you have committed, and the seriousness of your offense. For instance, traffic violations are classified as either moving violations, or non-moving violations, which refers to whether your alleged offense involved a moving vehicle. For instance, speeding, driving without a fastened seatbelt, DUI, and failing to obey stop signs are all considered moving violations because each of these offenses involves a moving vehicle. Non-moving violations include things like driving an unregistered vehicle, not having your license plates attached to your vehicle, and parking offenses.

Next Steps After Receiving a Traffic Citation

When you receive a traffic ticket, you usually have a few options on how to proceed. For the most trivial of traffic violations, most people simply choose to pay the fine and be done with the ticket. Paying the ticket, however, means admitting guilt for your violation of the law. If you are generally a good driver who rarely receives tickets, then simply paying your fine might be how you choose to resolve your traffic ticket.

However, if you believe that the issuance of a ticket to you was a mistake or is wrong, you can dispute your ticket and fight it. To dispute your traffic citation, you must personally appear in court during your scheduled court appearance timeslot, and enter a not guilty plea. Next, you will be scheduled a trial date, where you can fight your traffic citation.

If you plan on fighting your traffic citation, you need to speak with an experienced Rolling Meadows traffic offenses lawyer soon after getting your ticket. You will have a scheduled court appearance time, and your lawyer may need to work quickly.

Source:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=062500050K11-601.5