Traffic Tickets and the Illinois Points System

For many Illinois residents, a traffic ticket is little more than an inconvenience. They get the ticket, pay the fine and forget about it.

For others, a traffic ticket can be a much more serious matter. For a driver who has a lot of points on their record, a new traffic ticket could mean having their driver’s license suspended.

What is the points system?

The Illinois points system is quite complex. In this blog post, we will give a general overview.

After certain traffic offenses, a driver will have their license immediately suspended or even revoked. Many others have no such requirement but can be counted against a driver’s record using the Illinois points system.

The system assigns a number of points to each of a long list of offenses, with more points awarded for offenses that are considered to be more serious. For instance, a person convicted of driving 1-10 mph over the speed limit can have 5 points added to their record. A person who is convicted of driving 15-25 mph over the speed limit can have 20 points added to their record. A conviction of speeding more than 25 mph over the speed limit can result in 50 points added to one’s record.

After a driver acquires a certain number of points, Illinois can start limiting their driving privileges.

Points stay on a driver’s record for two years or more. A driver who accumulates too many points within a designated period can have their license suspended or face other penalties. They may also see their insurance rates rise.

Defending your license

Put all this together and you can see that multiple traffic tickets within a relatively short period can add up to serious penalties, even if the individual offenses were not particularly serious. With that in mind, you can see why it may be extremely important for you to defend your rights after every ticket.