Dohman Law Group Logo

Speeding Violations

If you’ve received an Illinois traffic ticket, the Chicago speeding ticket lawyers at Dohman Law Group can help you fight your charges. We offer effective and high-quality legal representation to drivers in need of representation for speeding violations. We have decades of experience helping clients throughout the Chicago area including Cook County, DuPage County, Kendall County, Lake County, and Will County. Our goal is to provide aggressive representation to help minimize or completely eliminate the negative impact on your driving record and ensure the best possible outcome.

To Schedule a free initial consultation, call our criminal defense law firm today at (847) 616-9993, or chat with us online to speak with one of our experienced traffic attorneys.

Is it Worth Getting a Traffic Attorney for a Speeding Ticket?

Often, people who choose to contest their speeding tickets represent themselves in traffic court. But is it worth hiring a speeding ticket lawyer? Typically, it depends on the circumstances of your case and the types of violations. For most defendants, hiring an experienced attorney for a speeding ticket is definitely worth the cost. However, sometimes, a driver is better off not hiring a Rolling Meadows traffic lawyer to help them with their traffic ticket.

There are primary differences between minor traffic violations, such as speeding or running a red light, and major traffic violations such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and reckless driving. Typically, the consequences of a minor traffic violation are much less than those for DUI criminal offense or other traffic convictions. Thus, it's essential to hire a Chicago traffic ticket lawyer to defend you.

However, the only “con” of hiring a traffic ticket defense lawyer is the cost. Of course, speeding ticket lawyers charge a range of fees. But in most circumstances, the cost of hiring a lawyer is about the same amount as or more than the amount of the speeding ticket. Thus, what’s the point of hiring a traffic attorney?

If you look below the surface, hiring an experienced traffic ticket attorney has many benefits, which justify the cost. Also, some traffic offenders have legal plans through their employers or union memberships, which pay all or a portion of the attorney fees. If you can find a traffic lawyer, you’re happy with, it’s a good option.

If you choose to fight a speeding ticket, you’ll need to go to traffic court at least twice. But if you hire a speeding ticket attorney, you won’t have to go to court because your attorney will represent you in court. Thus, it’s in your best interest to hire a skilled traffic attorney to help you with your speeding ticket.

One issue with self-representation is the lack of knowledge and experience. The average person doesn’t know what’s the best course of action in a given case. Experienced speeding ticket attorneys know the best tactics and legal options for getting favorable outcomes.

Traffic lawyers spend a lot of time in traffic court, and thus they know the tendencies of different judges and even law enforcement officers who write speeding tickets. This local knowledge can prove handy when defending against a ticket.

speeding tickets Chicago

Negotiations and plea bargaining can come into play in serious criminal cases. For example, sometimes you can avoid traffic violation points by negotiating a moving violation ticket down to a non-moving violation ticket. Chicago speeding ticket lawyers are more likely to win a trial than the average person. That’s because lawyers have spent tons of hours in a courtroom and they know the law to focus on during the trial.

When you’re facing a speeding ticket and many criminal penalties, such as jail time and hefty fines are possible, it’s common to feel overwhelmed and unsure of what legal option to take. Fortunately, the experienced attorneys at Dohman Law Group can help you beat your traffic charges.

At Dohman Law Group, we understand how much a traffic ticket can affect your life and we understand it’s a daunting task to fight back. With our driver defense team on your side, you’ll have a better chance of getting your speeding ticket dismissed. Our legal team has handled thousands of traffic tickets, and we’ll stop at nothing in ensuring the best possible result for you and your family.

Types of Speeding Violations in Illinois

Petty Speeding

Petty speeding is any speeding violation for going up to 25 mph over the posted speed limit. These are the tickets that most people are familiar with, and most offenders simply write a check and forget about them, but there are good reasons to defend these tickets instead of paying them outright.

At Dohman Law, our attorneys are in court every day. Our experience with the system, the judges, and the wide variety of circumstances surrounding a ticket can help you win a more favorable outcome from your speeding ticket.

If you pay the ticket in the mail, you’ll have no chance of getting it dismissed, and you’ll have to deal with the consequences that come with it. If you go to court by yourself, you’ll be allowed to simply enter a plea of “guilty” or “not guilty.” If you plead “guilty,” you’ll be sentenced. If you plead “not guilty,” you’ll have to go to trial, which is extremely expensive and time-consuming and may carry the risk of even harsher punishments.

If you bring an experienced attorney to court with you, however, you’ll be in a better position to negotiate with the prosecutor. This may result in a number of favorable outcomes, from outright dismissal of the ticket to a reduced fine to driver’s school or community service in lieu of a fine.

AGGRAVATED SPEEDING

Aggravated speeding is when you’re ticketed for going 26 or more miles per hour above the speed limit. It’s a criminal offense and can have extremely serious consequences, including jail time, if not handled properly.

Traveling 26-34 miles per hour over the posted speed limit is classified as a Class B misdemeanor, a criminal offense punishable by up to 6 months in jail, a $1500 fine, and mandatory court costs.

Traveling 35 or more miles an hour over the limit carries even steeper penalties, and either one can result in a criminal record, increased insurance premiums, and a possible license suspension.

How Can a Speeding Ticket be Dismissed?

A speeding ticket can be dismissed based on several reasons, including:

  • Failure of the arresting police officer to appear in court. Police officers must appear in court hearings to prove the reason for the arrest. If they don’t appear in court, there’s no one to prove the validity of the arrest. With no sufficient evidence, the judge has no choice but to dismiss your case.
  • Incorrect information on the speeding ticket. Inaccurate or missing information on the traffic ticket can be grounds for dismissal.
  • Use of faulty devices. Using faulty devices can cause inaccurate evidence. If you can prove this in court, the judge may dismiss your case.
  • Presenting evidence of defensive driving courses. Often, a judge may dismiss a case if the defendant can’t prove they’re taking a course in defensive driving from a reputable defensive driving school. 
  • Ask for court-ordered supervision. Under Illinois law, if a traffic offender has a clean driving record, they can get the minimum sentence, which is court-imposed supervision. Court supervision leads to case dismissal after a certain amount of time, if you meet certain conditions.

How Long Does a Speeding Ticket Stay on Your Record in Illinois?

Speeding tickets and other moving violations, including running a red light, will remain on your record for four to five years from the date of the traffic conviction. If the speeding ticket causes the loss of driving privileges, then it will remain on your driving record for a minimum of seven years from the date of your driver’s license reinstatement.

What Happens If I Can't Pay A Speeding Ticket?

Failure to pay a speeding ticket can cause severe consequences, including harsh criminal penalties and hefty fines. If you can’t go to court and pay your fines, you’ll be subject to penalties for late payment. Those penalties will pile up and increase every time a payment period lapses. All the uncollected debts are passed to a collection agency that will handle the collection of your debt payments.

driver being written a speeding ticket in Chicago

For multiple unpaid traffic tickets, you’ll receive a notice requiring you to pay or contest the tickets. Also, you’ll receive a schedule to reply. Failure to appear in court on time to pay or contest your speeding tickets will cause hefty fines, double the initial amount and you’ll be sent to a collection agency. Further, you may be clamped forcing you to pay the fines in 24 hours plus an additional booking fee. 

Having five unpaid traffic camera tickets or ten parking tickets can result in driver’s license suspension. Although this might be temporary, failure to pay your fines after a certain amount of time can cause driver’s license revocation. You can reapply for license reinstatement after a minimum of one year.

Will One Speeding Ticket Raise My Insurance?

After being pulled over for driving above the posted speed limit, you may wonder if a speeding ticket can affect your insurance premiums. Yes, speeding tickets can increase your insurance rates.

Speeding tickets are part of your driving record. And once insurance companies check your driving record, they’ll use this information to determine your risk of causing a motor vehicle traffic accident or filing for an insurance claim. The belief that you’re likely to cause a car accident because of traffic violations on your record may increase your insurance costs.

Further, the more traffic violations you have, the more the cost of your insurance will be. Also, drivers who receive speeding tickets are a higher risk group and are likely to be charged more for car insurance even though they haven’t made an insurance claim in the past. Also, if you have too many traffic violations, including a lot of moving violations, your insurance company may refuse to renew your insurance policy.

The Chicago traffic ticket lawyers at Dohman Law Group have decades of combined experience defending drivers throughout the Chicago area, including Cook County, Dupage County, Kendall County, Lake County, and Will County. Our driver defense team is happy to help you get your traffic offenses dismissed and keep your driving record clean. We provide the effective driver defense you need to beat your charges.

For a no-cost initial consultation, call our Cook County law offices today at (847) 616-9993 or fill the contact form below for a free case review.

Home
Free
Case
Review
Text Us
homebubblecrossmenu linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram