Effingham, IL Traffic Lawyers

Illinois uses a demerit point system, meaning, if you get convicted of any type of traffic offense then points are attached to your driver’s license. While these points might seem meaningless to you, they can actually have some consequences. For example, if you receive enough points your driver’s license could actually be suspended. If you get convicted of a speeding ticket, which would mean you just pay the fine for the ticket, your insurance premiums could raise costing you way more in the long run. For Illinois speeding tickets, these are the points attached to your driver’s license when you’re convicted of a speeding ticket:

• Speeding 1 to 10 mph over limit – 5 points
• Speeding 11 to 14 mph over limit – 15 points
• Speeding 15 to 25 mph limit – 20 points
• Speeding 25+ mph over limit – 50 points

Effingham County Courthouse
120 W Jefferson Ave
Effingham, IL 62401

In Illinois, speeding tickets can have various consequences. Even if you’re not from Illinois, a speeding ticket or other traffic citation can affect your driving record in other states.

The different types of Illinois Speeding Tickets are as follows:

1 to 20mph over the limit – This is a standard petty speeding ticket. If you were to just pay the fine, the standard fine amount would be $120
21 to 25mph over the limit – This is also considered a petty speeding ticket. If you were to just pay the fine, the total would be $140
26 to 34mph over the limit – While this is a speeding ticket, it is actually a Class B misdemeanor and can carry up to 6 months in jail and a $1,500 fine! This is not a petty speeding ticket. It is an actual criminal offense. Examples of other Illinois Class B misdemeanors would be Possession of Cannabis between 10g to 30g and criminal trespass to property.
35mph+ over the limit – Anything over 35mph is a Class A misdemeanor and can carry up to one year in jail and a maximum of $2,500 in fines! A 35mph+ speeding ticket is a serious criminal charge. Examples of other class A misdemeanors in Illinois would be a first-time DUI offense or domestic battery. If you’re facing a class A speeding ticket do not take it lightly. These tickets can also sometimes be up-charged to a reckless driving offense.

If you received a court date for Illinois traffic ticket and you missed your court date, a few things could happen. Many people’s first instinct is that they are going to go to jail. Missing a court date for a traffic ticket in Illinois does not automatically mean the judge issued a warrant for your arrest, in fact, a vast majority of the time that isn’t the case. A majority of drivers with court dates are there for what are known as “petty offenses.” Normal speeding tickets would be an example of these.

When a driver misses court for a petty offense, a judge will usually do one of two things:

1. They will have the Circuit Clerks Office of the county send you a Notice of Appearance through the mail. This Notice is assigning you a New Court date for missing your first court date.
2. The judge may also enter an ex parte judgment against you. In essence, an ex parte judgment means the court has found you guilty in your absence and you will be ordered to pay the fine. This means you are being convicted of the traffic offense.

If the judge does have to issue an ex parte judgment against you, then a traffic lawyer can assist you by filing a “Motion to Vacate” and having the case re-opened. Oftentimes, there is a filing fee associated with a Motion to Vacate. For most tickets in Southern Illinois it is generally $40.

If your ticket was a misdemeanor offense and you miss your court date, a judge may have the clerk send you notice to appear, however, a judge will more than likely issue a warrant for your arrest.

If a judge has issued a warrant for your arrest don’t panic. An attorney can assist you by filing a “Motion to Quash Warrant.” A vast majority of the time in traffic offense cases the State will agree to quash the warrant and the judge will not have a problem with it.

While many drivers are tempted to just pay their Illinois Speeding Ticket, they should seriously reconsider that.

According to a recent study, the true cost of a speeding ticket in Illinois can be as much as $1,124. The analysis found that a 40-year-old driver with a speeding conviction in Illinois can expect to pay 27.5% more for full coverage car insurance.

For younger drivers, the increase in insurance rates would be even higher. According to the study, a 25-year-old driver on average would pay an additional $1,092 over three years.

According to an article on Allstate Insurances website, which can be found by following this link, they acknowledge that if you get a speeding ticket it will increase the amount you pay for car insurance due to the perception that you’re at higher risk of an accident because of traffic violations on your driving record may affect the cost of your insurance.

If you do in fact receive an Illinois speeding ticket you should consider reaching out to our Southern Illinois Traffic Lawyers for a Free Traffic Ticket Evaluation to discuss your options and how we can help you avoid an increase in your car insurance rates.

For most drivers, a single speeding ticket or minor traffic violation will not suspend your license. The bigger risk is convictions adding up: three or more moving-violation convictions within 12 months (two within 24 months for drivers under 21) can trigger a suspension. That is why keeping a conviction off your record matters.

Some Illinois tickets can suspend your driving privileges on their own, including:

• Driving Without Insurance
• Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle / Scott’s Law
• Passing a School Bus Receiving or Discharging Children
• Operating a Motor Vehicle Without a Valid License or Permit
• Driving During a Suspension or Revocation Period
• Fleeing or Eluding
• DUI

For the Illinois Secretary of State’s full list of offenses that suspend or revoke driving privileges, see their publication here.

Court supervision is the best common outcome for an Illinois traffic ticket. Under 730 ILCS 5/5-6-1, supervision is not a conviction, so no points are added to your driving record and nothing is reported to the Secretary of State as a conviction once you complete it.

Because supervision is not a conviction, it also does not count toward the three-convictions-in-12-months rule that suspends a license. Illinois generally limits you to supervision on a moving violation twice within any 12-month period, and a few offenses (such as speeding in a school zone) are not eligible. Supervision is not automatic. The prosecutor and judge have to agree to it, and a clean driving record helps.

One important exception: if you hold a CDL, supervision still counts against your commercial license, so a CDL ticket calls for a different strategy.

Effingham County traffic tickets are handled at the Effingham County Courthouse (Government Center) at 120 W Jefferson Ave in Effingham, part of the Fourth Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Clerk’s office there processes payments and court dates. In most cases we can appear for you, so you never have to make the trip.

One local note: no electronics (cell phones, laptops, tablets) are allowed inside the Effingham courthouse, so anything you need has to be printed in advance. When you hire our office, we handle the court date and the paperwork for you and deal directly with the Circuit Clerk and State’s Attorney.

Yes. The I-57/I-70 interchange in Effingham is one of the most heavily patrolled stretches in central Illinois, and we regularly handle tickets written there, on the exit ramps, and on US-40. Whether you were stopped on the interstate or in town, our office can handle the case at the Effingham County Courthouse.

Illinois State Police Troop 9 is headquartered in Effingham and focuses its enforcement on the interstates, so many of the drivers we help are travelers passing through. In most cases we can appear for you, so a ticket on the way through does not have to mean a return trip.