South Beloit, IL asked in Traffic Tickets for Illinois

Q: I got a no insurance ticket in winebego county Illinois but within a few hours I got insurance what can I expect

What can I expect to happen it was my first offence can I possibly get the charge reduced or dissmissed

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1 Lawyer Answer
Jason A. Wilkins
Jason A. Wilkins
Answered
  • Traffic Tickets Lawyer
  • Carol Stream, IL
  • Licensed in Illinois

A: Yes, you can reasonably expect the charge to be at a minimum reduced. This is pretty standard procedure across numerous counties. In some counties, dismissal is possible as well though not necessarily as common. In my experience, I typically only see this in Cook County. The best way to make this happen is to answer questions very strategically. The judge will most likely ask you if you have insurance. If he does, let him know you do and hand it up to him. If he asks you if you had insurance at the time of the offense, let him know you did not but you acquired it hours later and have a good reason why you didn't have it. Note that lying will NOT do you any good.

The reduced penalty will be court supervision with a fine. This is beneficial in that it prevents your license from being suspended for an insurance conviction. It will however require that you acquire SR-22 Insurance for a period of 36 months after the date of the offense. Please find a link below that explains SR-22 and how it works. You must maintain this for the entire period and failure to keep it current will automatically suspend your license.

Last and most important, this offense REQUIRES a court appearance. Even if you ticket doesn't have a court date, you have one. Call the clerk's office to find out your court date and time. Be there. If you miss your court date, you will not only have bond forfeiture of a few thousand dollars but you also face the likelihood for an ex part conviction and mandatory license suspension.

https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_sr84.pdf

Hope this helps!

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