How Many Points Does It Take To Lose Your License in Illinois?

Understanding the points system for traffic violations in Illinois is crucial for all drivers. Accumulating too many points on your driving record can lead to severe consequences, including the suspension or revocation of your driver's license. This system is designed to identify and penalize repeat offenders to promote safer driving habits. Knowing how many points it takes to lose your license and which violations carry the most points can help you avoid the pitfalls of losing your driving privileges.

If you find yourself facing the possibility of losing your license due to accumulated points, it is essential to seek professional legal advice immediately. A knowledgeable traffic attorney in Lake County can guide you through the complexities of traffic laws and help you navigate the process to minimize the impact on your driving record. Contact our experienced legal team today at (847) 999-7616 to protect your driving record and ensure your rights are upheld.

Point System Overview

In Illinois, every time that you receive a moving violation, points will be added to your license. However, the exact number of points will vary based on the severity of the moving violation. For example, reckless driving will come with a much higher penalty than a simple traffic ticket does. 

Depending on the speed, a speeding ticket can leave you with anywhere from 5 to 50 points on your license. Things like failure to obey signs and improper merging will typically leave you with 20 points on your license. The offenses with the highest automatic penalties are reckless driving and aggravated speeding with a total of 55 points for just one offense.

Accumulation of Points

Points accumulate against your record for a 12-month period before they are removed. After 12 months, the points are removed from your license record, leaving you with a clean driving record once more. 

If you reach the maximum number of moving violations or points on your license, there is the possibility that you will receive a license suspension. The exact length of this suspension will vary depending on the violations but it could be anywhere from 1 month to 12 months, or even a license revocation. 

Point Thresholds for License Action

Although license suspension is usually considered after a certain number of violations have been reached, it can also be done based on the number of points. 

For example, if a driver who is over the age of 21 reaches 110 points within a 12-month period, their license can be revoked. Even if they have not had a total of three lesser violations, with that many points the traffic offenses will have been severe enough that they can receive a suspension or revocation.

The rules are similar for drivers under the age of 21, but stricter. Their accumulation of points is considered within a 24-month time period. If they reach a total of 80 or more points during that 24-month period, they can face an automatic license revocation.

At each threshold, there are different lengths of license suspension. The longest possible suspension is a 12-month suspension period. After that, it will become a license revocation, making it much more difficult to get your license back. 

Threshold Over 21

For drivers over 21 the license point system before suspension works as follows:

Threshold Under 21

Drivers under 21 are affected by points on their license differently:

License Suspension and Revocation Periods

When looking at the suspension periods for different point thresholds, there is one very important factor to be considered: the driver's age. Drivers under the age of 21 have stricter thresholds than drivers over the age of 21. 

For drivers under 21, they will get a license suspension after receiving two moving violations within a 12 month period. The exact length of this suspension will vary depending on the number of points from those moving violations. 34 points or less will lead to a 1-month license suspension, 35-49 is a 3-month license suspension, 50-64 is a 6-month driver's license suspension, 65-79 is a 12-month suspension, and anything above 79 will cause a license revocation. 

For drivers over 21, the rules are a little more lenient. 15-44 points is a 2-month license suspension, 45-74 is a 3-month suspension, 75-89 is a 6-month license suspension, 90-99 points is a 9-month license suspension, 100-109 will be a full year, and anything over that will cause your license to be revoked.

If your license has just been suspended, an automatic license reinstatement will usually occur after the suspension period is over. However, if it has been revoked then there is no automatic reinstatement. You will need to file a motion to have your license reinstated and go to court with an attorney.

Depending on the nature of the original charges, your traffic court hearing may be formal or informal. Formal hearings are typically only required for major traffic violations, DUIs, or if you want to get a driving device removed from your vehicle. 

For the majority of convictions for traffic violations, an informal hearing will suffice. This means that you will present your request to a hearing officer instead of a full judge and jury. 

After that, you will receive a notice about whether or not your license has been reinstated. If it has, you will simply need to follow the waiting period listed in the notice and you will be good to be on the roads again. 

Importance of Monitoring Points

As an Illinois driver, it is important to regularly monitor your driving record to see how many points you have. If you do not keep track of it, you could find yourself dealing with an automatic license suspension and receive further consequences for driving with a suspended license. This can result in insurance companies increasing their rates. If you are not paying your even minor traffic offenses on time, this can also hurt your credit score. 

To check your driving record and see if you have any points you will need to check your driving record. There are three main ways to do this: online, at the DMV, or by mail.

Online is the fastest way to do this. You will simply need to provide all of your information on the Illinois Secretary of State website and pay the processing fee to access your official record.

If you decide to request your record at the DMV the process is also very quick, you will just need to take the time to drive there and wait in line to be seen. After that you will just need to provide identification and pay the fee, then they will give you an official copy of your record. 

Defenses and Legal Options

If you have received a large number of traffic violation convictions and are concerned about the points accumulating on your license, there are steps that you can take. First and foremost, the best thing that you can do is try to fight some of the violations with a traffic violation defense attorney.

A traffic violations defense lawyer will help you to contest your traffic violations. If they can prove that some of the common traffic violations are unfounded, the points will not be counted against your license.

One of the most common ways that they can do this is by contesting the evidence collected by the police officer. In cases where they are not able to entirely disprove the ticket, they may be able to lower the conviction so you do not receive as many points against your license. Traffic lawyers can help you file for this and make sure all of the paperwork is filed correctly. 

Schedule a Free Consultation For Help With a Traffic Violation

In the state of Illinois, convictions for traffic tickets apply points to your license. Depending on your age, this point system resets every 1 to 2 years. If you reach certain point thresholds before it resets, you run the risk of having your license suspended or even revoked in some cases. 

To get your license reinstated you will need to file a request which often involves going to court and presenting your case to a hearing officer or in front of a jury. 

The best way to avoid getting traffic infractions on your driver record is to simply avoid breaking traffic laws in the first place. By staying within the speed limit. practicing safe driving, and avoiding traffic convictions, you will be able to avoid having to hire a lawyer and go to court. You can also eliminate having to go through numerous other consequences such as taking a defensive driving course, going to traffic school, and a higher auto insurance rate.

If you do find yourself with a suspended license as the result of traffic infractions, contact our Illinois traffic attorneys for legal representation at (847) 999-7616.