If you drive to work every day, you cannot afford to lose your driving privileges. On the other hand, even if you take advantage of other transportation options, not being able to drive legally is apt to impinge on other life activities. Fortunately, you no longer have to worry about dealing with a driver’s license suspension for non-moving traffic violations.
As part of legislation designed to increase employment opportunities for residents of the Land of Lincoln, the new suspension rules became law on January 17, 2020. To take full advantage of new legal protections, however, you should understand a few things about the License to Work Act.
Non-moving traffic violations
In the past, Illinois drivers who could not pay certain fines faced a suspension of their driver’s license. Now, provided that you only have non-moving violations, your driving privileges should remain intact. As its name suggests, a non-moving violation happens when a vehicle is not moving. Parking tickets are a common example of non-moving traffic violations. Note, however, that even though you may not lose your driver’s license, you may still have to pay stiff fines for these types of infractions.
Moving traffic violations
It is important to realize that the new law only applies to non-moving traffic violations. Said differently, it is still possible to have a license suspension or revocation for moving infractions. Speeding, reckless driving and drag racing are common examples of moving traffic violations. Typically, if you pay a fine for a moving violation, the Secretary of State assesses demerit points to your driving record. Accumulating too many or engaging in serious misconduct results in a suspension of your driver’s license.
Any type of traffic violation has the potential to cause you some type of hardship. While you may no longer lose your driver’s license because of non-moving violations, you may still need to fight a citation vigorously. Nonetheless, by understanding license suspensions, you can better plan for staying out of trouble and behind the wheel.