Sami Azhari, Attorney at Law
Driving under the influence is one of the very few crimes in which the defendant’s guilt or innocence depends almost completely on another person’s opinion. It is a troubling proposition that a court of law could impose a judgment on someone based on another’s subjective thoughts. But that is exactly what Illinois courts do for […]
A traffic ticket for reckless driving in Illinois can cause serious problems. First, the police officer can decide to, rather than ticket the offender, make an arrest and take the driver into custody. If this happens, the police officer will have the vehicle towed. The driver will have to pay a fee to get it […]
There is something inherently unfair about it law that allows a police officer to suspend a person’s driver’s license for DUI before he is found guilty. But this is the law in Illinois. A police officer can suspend a person’s license for failing or refusing chemical testing. Illinois courts recognize a concept called implied consent. […]
The state of Illinois has some of the toughest traffic laws in the country. A person who drives 40 miles per hour over the posted speed limit can be arrested, charged with a crime, and even put in jail. 625 ILCS 5/11-601.5(b). Speeding 40 mph over the limit, years ago, was called aggravated speeding. If […]
A ticket for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle is a moving violation. As such, it has the potential to result in a suspended license. The statute that governs these cases is 625 ILCS 5/11-907. The law says that on the approach of an authorized emergency vehicle making use of audible and visual signals […]
The state legislature added an important statute to the vehicle code in 2011. In response to a Chicago Tribune article that exposed how Cook County traffic court judges were going easy on speeders, Springfield lawmakers made it a crime to speed in excess of 30 mph over the limit. The problem with the new law […]
As an attorney I cannot count the number of times clients say to me, “I did not get arrested for driving while suspended. I just got a ticket.” Many people are misinformed. The law in Illinois says that a person does not have to be handcuffed in order to be, in legal terms, arrested. A […]
The spring and summer traffic season is fast approaching in the Chicago area. As is the case every year, motorists can expect increased delays due to construction, and holiday traffic jams. But motorists can also expect what has become an annual tradition on Chicago region highways: increased enforcement of work zone speed limits by automated […]
If you were pulled over by a police officer and given a ticket for driving without a valid license, you are looking at some serious problems. Contrary to what many people believe, getting a ticket for driving without a valid license, 625 ILCS 5/6-101, is the same as getting arrested. Legally speaking, the fact that […]
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 […]
- by Sami Azhari, DUI Lawyer
