Traffic Tickets

Traffic tickets are also known as Moving Violations or Traffic Citations. If you got a Traffic Ticket in Chicago, the Northern Suburbs or Lake County we can help. Being a Northfield Traffic Ticket lawyer enables us to appear in Court in either Lake or Cook Counties easily. Our Traffic ticket practice, since 1977, focuses on achieving the best possible outcome. In many cases, the traffic citation you received allows you to pay by mail and avoid going to court. Unfortunately, this option is only about convenience. It does not give you the full variety of dispositions that are available when we appear in court and negotiate with the prosecutor. If you pay by mail, you will not have a right to trial or have a chance for your lawyer to negotiate a better resolution for your case.

Many of our clients tell us that they do not wish to force the officer to testify about the alleged traffic violation as they believe they are guilty. Sometimes they are right and the Government can prove it. In that situation, your lawyer should negotiate a plea bargain seeking to avoid conviction. In Illinois, Supervision is a form of Probation where conviction is avoided. On the other hand, sometimes our client committed the alleged offense, but the Government is not able to prove it in a court of law. Here, the person should plead not guilty. If you did commit the violation, but it cannot be proven, your lawyer should advise you to plead Not Guilty. If you did not commit the traffic violation, you should plead Not Guilty and go to trial. Only an experienced Northfield Traffic Ticket Attorney or Northfield DUI Lawyer can help you determine which situation you are in. We like to win!

We are your Northfield Traffic Ticket Lawyer and Northfield DUI Lawyer serving Northfield and surrounding areas and our practice routinely includes:

Driving While License Suspended (DWLS) and Driving While License Revoked (DWLR) are misdemeanor offenses in most circumstances. This type of charge is placed when a driver is caught operating a vehicle, on a public road, after having lost the privilege to operate a motor vehicle. If you were caught driving AND your license was suspended or revoked, do not go to court without a lawyer expecting leniency because you were not aware of the suspension or revocation. Lack of knowledge is not a defense and, if you talk to the prosecutor, you will be admitting your guilt. Depending on the nature of the suspension or revocation, sometimes reinstatement can be accomplished before the court date. When reinstatement is accomplished, prosecutors tend to be more lenient.

An Illinois driver’s license can be suspended or revoked for numerous reasons. Some of them are: Conviction of three (3) moving violations in a 12-month period; Pending or unpaid parking citations; DUI/DWI breath test failure or refusal; DWI/OUI/DUI conviction(s); Driving While Suspended or Revoked conviction(s); Failure to pay court-imposed obligations e.g. Child support. Another form of unlicensed driving occurs when a person never had a Driver’s License.

Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Ordinary violations committed by commercial drivers can result in enhanced penalties. These drivers are subject to special strict regulations. Many ordinary traffic tickets, including Speeding, can usually be resolved with a period of Supervision which does not result in conviction. However, for a CDL holder, Supervision counts as a conviction. Our understanding of these circumstances usually causes us to seek dismissal, amendments to the charges or trial. The most important part of this situation is keeping our client licensed and able to continue earning a living.

Speeding and Aggravated Speeding. Sometimes, our clients have been followed by the Police, also known as pacing, to determine their alleged improper excessive speed. Other times radar is employed. The Police have both stationary and moving radar (LIDAR). Each of these methods has its’ own shortcomings and can be successfully challenged in the right circumstances. Because Aggravated Speeding is a misdemeanor (criminal) offense, it is important to be sensitive to that fact. A conviction of this offense can result in consequences significantly in excess of what is possible if the charge is only a petty moving violation. Aggravated Speeding is not a petty offense. A conviction for this offense appears on your criminal record as a misdemeanor and on your driver’s record and cannot be expunged. In the right circumstances, a Traffic Lawyer will be able to get this misdemeanor charge reduced to a petty offense. However, it is not uncommon for fines, fees and costs to reflect the seriousness of the original charge even when reduced to a petty offense. Prosecutors see this as a fair trade-off.

Improper lane Usage is another offense associated with poor car control and often serves as the reason for the Police to stop a car and investigate the sobriety of it’s driver. Improper Lane Usage occurs when a vehicle strays over the lane dividers and is generally proceeding down the road in a less than controlled manner. The car can be moving within it’s own lane or over the lane dividers. This driving behavior is also referred to as “Weaving”.

Improper Left Turns and Improper Right Turns, Improper U-Turns, Turning on Red, violations are defended and common in our practice. In order to prove their case, the police often testify that the accused driver turned into wrong lane. Because the Illinois Turn Statute is not as demanding as many police officers believe, they will frequently issue a citation for an alleged Improper Turn when the actual turn was well within the requirements of the law. In this situation, the accused Driver should plead not guilty and demand trial. Usually these types of citations are issued when the Police are suspicious that another offense e.g. DWI is being committed. Stopping your vehicle gives the police the opportunity to investigate to determine whether you are drunk and driving illegally. Only a consultation with an experienced Northfield Traffic Lawyer will help you understand what is involved in your case. Call today to speak to me.

Passing a School Bus violations are more and more frequent these days. This is the offense or charge when a moving vehicle passes a school bus when it has the arm with flashing lights by the bus driver’s window extended away from the side of the bus and school children are present. Police are becoming more sensitive to this offense and always issue the ticket or citation. It is a normal traffic offense, except for the extraordinary penalty of a minimum three (3) month driver’s license suspension upon conviction. An experienced Northfield Traffic lawyer will negotiate with the prosecutor to resolve the case in a way that avoids such a harsh result.

Fleeing a Police Officer or Eluding a Police Officer is a charge placed when a Police Officer in pursuing a vehicle for possible issuance of a traffic ticket determines that the driver of the pursued vehicle is attempting to defeat the traffic stop. This could be because the pursued car engages in high speed driving not appropriate for the circumstances; weaving through traffic; multiple turns intended to “shake off” the pursuing police vehicle or other driving activity thought to be used for that purpose. A driver cannot be guilty of Fleeing a Police Officer or Eluding a Police Officer if the police are not known to be in pursuit.

If you are involved in an accident, the law requires you to remain at the scene to provide information and assistance. If you leave the scene without providing the required information or assistance, you can be cited for Leaving the Scene of An Accident, Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Accident or Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident. Depending on the circumstances, this can be very minor or as serious as a felony charge. In our practice we have even seen a client accused of the felony version of this offense when he was not actually involved in the accident. The case was ultimately dismissed.

Our practice also includes the following Traffic offenses:

If you are in a moving vehicle in the lane next to the road’s shoulder and you pass a vehicle stopped along the side of the road without slowing or attempting to change lanes away from the stopped vehicle, you may have violated Scott’s Law. This law was passed in an effort to reduce the number and severity of accidents between stalled vehicles on the side of the road and vehicles in traffic.

We can also help defend charges of:

• Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle
• Disobeying Traffic Controls (Red Lights/arrows/Stop Signs)
• Failure to Signal
• Failure to Reduce Speed to avoid an Accident
• Following Too Closely
• Reckless Driving
• Seat Belt Violations
• Railroad Crossings
• Drag Racing
• Cellphone violations/Texting
• Open Alcohol containers

If you are not able to appear in court on the date set by the police officer, with proper written authorization from you, we may be able to resolve the case without you coming to Court. Please immediately contact your Traffic Ticket Attorney and DUI Attorney serving Northfield and surrounding areas for a Free Consultation.