DUI charge reduced to reckless driving not completely accurate

December 3, 2011
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A preferred outcome in many driving under the influence cases is reckless driving. The reason is reckless driving does not impact a person’s driving privileges in the same way as a DUI. The Secretary of State is mandated by law to revoke the driver’s license of any person who is convicted of DUI. The statute [...]

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Driver’s license suspension and DUI: not related

Thumbnail image for Driver’s license suspension and DUI: not related November 8, 2011

One issue from an arrest for driving under the influence that is confusing is the difference between the summary suspension and the criminal offense of DUI. Many people believe that if you are found not guilty of DUI, then your driver’s license will not be suspended.  This is not true. Unfortunately, the law on DUI [...]

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Advice on what to do after a DUI and choosing an attorney

October 20, 2011
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Every person who is arrested for driving under the influence goes through the same process of evaluating what happened, and then deciding how to respond. On the day following the arrest, the first priority is usually getting the vehicle out of impound. After that comes the unpleasant experience of explaining the situation to a spouse, [...]

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Summary suspension and supervision: not the same

September 8, 2011
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Many people are confused about the difference between a summary suspension and supervision. The two may sound alike, but they are very different. A summary suspension concerns your driver’s license. Your license to drive is suspended usually 46 days after an arrest for driving under the influence. The suspension is called a statutory summary suspension. [...]

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Illinois law on expunging a record of DUI

August 11, 2011
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Most people who are arrested for DUI are not aware of the fact that an arrest by itself creates a criminal record. It does not matter that they have not been found guilty in a court of law. Rather, an arrest for DUI is recorded by the police department to the Illinois State Police. The [...]

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Quick fact: percentage of summary suspensions rescinded in Illinois courts

June 3, 2011
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Each year, the Secretary of State releases a DUI Fact Book explaining the law and number of arrests for driving under the influence in Illinois. The Secretary compares these figures for each county, as well as year-over-year. The Secretary also tracks the reasons why statutory summary suspensions are rescinded. For instance, a record is made [...]

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Disqualification of commercial driver’s license for vehicle code offenses

May 25, 2011
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There are very strict rules under Illinois law governing a commercial driver’s license. If you have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), you have to be careful. There are certain offenses that will cause the Secretary of State to disqualify you. These charges may look like any other traffic ticket. You may have a traffic court [...]

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An illustration of 11-501(a)(2) DUI charges in Illinois

May 25, 2011
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Examine the numbers of arrests for driving under the influence in Illinois, and you can see that on average, the driver takes a breathalyzer test. When the driver takes a breathalyzer test, and fails, he is charged with violating 625 ILCS 5/11-501(a)(1) for having an alcohol concentration is breath of 0.08 or higher. Despite the [...]

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DUI charges under section 11-501(a)(1) – the 0.08 legal limit

May 24, 2011
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A charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in Illinois generally takes two forms. One, the driver is charged with violating section 625 ILCS 5/11-501(a)(1). Two, the driver is accused of violating section 11-501(a)(2). Each charge has its own implications. In this article, we are going to look at charge of 11-501(a)(1). This type [...]

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Traffic tickets that violate court supervision for Illinois DUI

May 20, 2011
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If a person is found guilty of driving under the influence in Illinois, and he has no prior offenses of DUI or reckless driving, then the judge is authorized to sentence the defendant to court supervision. Supervision is generally the disposition sought after by attorneys. As discussed in other articles on this blog, supervision is [...]

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