All DUI charges are extremely serious and carry severe consequences, but the more DUI convictions you have, the worse it will be. Escalating punishments are a way of trying to prevent people from becoming repeat DUI offenders. Eventually, charges go from misdemeanor to felony. Illinois judges do not show much leniency toward repeat DUI offenders and commonly punish to the full extent of the law. 

A Recent Multiple DUI Case

A 38-year-old Plano, Ill. woman was recently indicted on felony charges for a DUI after she crashed her vehicle last October. If convicted, this would be the woman’s fifth DUI conviction. She was arrested and charged with a DUI, along with being ticketed for driving too fast for conditions, and failure to reduce speed after she crashed her car. Police say the woman was slurring her speech, smelled of alcohol, and had unsteady balance, although she refused to submit to field sobriety testing.

Popular television shows like “Cops” have long shown amusing videos of DUI suspects attempting to recite the alphabet or walk in a straight line. While these TV shows have tried to entertain us with failed attempts to complete field sobriety tests during DUI traffic stops, neither DUIs or field sobriety tests are laughing matters. These tests are administered to DUI suspects as evidence to support an arrest and they can also be used as evidence in the court of law when a person is being tried for a DUI. 

Standardized vs. Non-Standardized Tests

When it comes to field sobriety tests, there are two types: standardized and non-standardized. Most police forces use a combination of both types of tests, though standardized tests are the most widely accepted. Standardized tests are also usually the only tests that hold up as evidence against a DUI suspect in court. In the 1970s, the three standardized field sobriety tests were developed. Over the years, these tests have been studied, and it has been determined that standardized field sobriety tests can detect if a person is too impaired to drive around 90 percent of the time.

There are many reasons why Illinois citizens can lose their driving privileges. The most common way is an arrest or conviction for DUI. Even if you do not earn a DUI conviction, an Illinois police officer can issue a notice of statutory summary suspension for your driver’s license if you fail a blood-alcohol content test, are unable to complete one or refuse to take a chemical test. The suspension goes into effect on the 46th day after your arrest, and lasts for six months to a year, depending on your circumstances. You may petition to get your driving privileges reinstated by using one of the following two driving permits available to you:

Monitoring Device Driving Permit (MDDP)

These driving permits are typically only available to first-time DUI offenders, but if you have not had a summary suspension within the past five years, you may still be eligible. An MDDP allows you to drive freely during your summary suspension, but you must have a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device (BAIID) installed in any vehicle you drive. After you complete the application for the MDDP, you must return it to the Secretary of State’s office, which will then give you 14 days to have a BAIID installed. 

Everyone knows a DUI conviction can get you into big legal trouble. In Illinois, a first-time conviction for DUI is classified as a Class A misdemeanor, and you could face up to a year in jail, a one-year revocation of your driving privileges, and suspension of your vehicle registration. If you were under the age of 21 at the time of the DUI, your driving privileges could be revoked for two years. If your blood-alcohol content was recorded at .16 or more, you face a mandatory minimum fine of $500 and 100 hours of community service. 

A DUI conviction also comes with other expenses that can affect many areas of your life:

Being able to drive legally is a privilege, not a right. When you are arrested for a DUI in Illinois, the Secretary of State’s Office automatically puts a statutory summary suspension into effect if you fail a blood alcohol content (BAC) test, or if you refuse to submit to a test. This suspension is separate from any criminal charges you might face, or suspension/revocation that may come with those charges. 

Driving is crucial for most Americans, so the loss of driving privileges can greatly impact your life. It can mean a tougher time getting to work or transporting your children to school or their activities. Fortunately, Illinois has options for those who have had their driver’s license suspended or revoked because of a DUI charge. All of them require the use of a breath alcohol ignition interlock device (BAIID).

Being charged for driving under the influence (DUI) is upsetting enough, no matter the circumstances surrounding the arrest. However, if you are arrested for drunk driving with a child in the car, the trouble multiplies. Under Illinois law, DUI with a passenger under age 16 in the vehicle carries additional penalties, including fines and community service. 

First-Time DUI Charge With Passenger Under Age 16

A first-time DUI offender generally has a good chance of being granted court supervision. During the supervision period, which typically lasts one year or more, they will be required to attend a drug/alcohol education course and probably perform community service. They usually will not have to pay a large fine or serve time in jail. At the end of the supervision period, as long as they meet all the requirements set by the judge, their case will be dismissed, and they will not have a DUI conviction on their record.

However, the State will typically impose heavier penalties if a DUI involved a passenger under age 16. A first conviction for DUI committed while transporting a child carries the following additional penalties:

If your Illinois driver’s license has been revoked for driving under the influence, you anxiously await the day when you are free to drive again with no restrictions. However, Illinois does not make it easy to get your license reinstated after a DUI conviction. 

If you live in Illinois, you will have to appear in person before a Secretary of State hearing officer, who will consider your request for reinstatement, and they may choose to deny your request for any number of reasons. Good preparation is key to success at these hearings. Here are a few of the important steps you must complete before you can even have that hearing:

Determine if You Are Eligible to Apply Yet 

You cannot apply for reinstatement of your driver’s license until your revocation period is up. For example, let us assume that you received the usual six-month statutory summary suspension of your driver’s license for testing over the legal limit for drugs or alcohol at the time of your DUI arrest. Then, at your sentencing, your license was revoked for a minimum of one year. On that date, you had already served three months of your suspension. Those three months will be credited toward your minimum period of revocation, leaving you with nine more months of revocation to serve. At the end of that nine months, you can apply for reinstatement.