Reinstating a revoked license in Illinois is an overly complicated process. Without the assistance of an experienced attorney, it can be nearly impossible to navigate the red tape. Some of the ways in which Illinois can revoke a driver’s license, the overly complicated process of getting a driver’s license reinstated and the benefits of obtaining a reinstated driver’s license are outlined below.
What Types of Offenses Result in a Revoked Driver’s License?
In Illinois, a driver’s license will be revoked when the driver is convicted of any of the following offenses:
- Committing a felony while using a motor vehicle.
- Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Drag racing in a vehicle.
- Fleeing a car accident that resulted in injury or death to a person.
- Three reckless driving convictions within the same year.
- Conviction of assault with a motor vehicle.
A license may also be revoked for lesser offenses. When a license is revoked, the state takes it away for a set amount of time, typically one, five, or 10 years. In some cases, you can end up with a lifetime revocation. In order to have a license reinstated after revocation, the driver must appear at a hearing in front of the Secretary of State of Illinois and pay a $500 fine.
Why is Getting a License Reinstated so Excessively Complicated?
The statutory requirements regarding driver’s licenses are tediously set forth in the Illinois Driver’s License Law (625 ILCS 5/Ch. 6). These laws set forth different requirements, fee amounts, re-eligibility date requirements, etc. The consequences and reinstatement eligibility dates often change depending on if the offense is the driver’s first, second, or third offense.
The rules for informal and formal hearings and timelines that determine when a driver may petition for a hearing are similarly complicated and fact dependent. At your formal hearing, you must offer both testimony and documentary evidence that you will be a safe and responsible driver.
Further, decisions about reinstatement are subject to the Administrative Review Law. Drivers may receive information about reinstatement that is not correct. A driver may call the Illinois Secretary of State and receive differing instructions depending on the employee due to the complicated nature of the process and the varying set of rules that apply to differing situations and client fact patterns. This is not a simple process in which a driver walks in, pays a fee, and leaves with an intact license.
What are the Benefits of Obtaining a Reinstated License?
Trying to live your life with a suspended or revoked driver’s license can be extremely difficult. Using unreliable public transportation, having to walk and/or paying for expensive Ubers or taxis will drain you of time and money. When your license is reinstated, you can drive with the knowledge that you are independently driving legally.
The process of reinstating one’s license can be fraught with complications. If you hire an attorney who is not experienced in the complex process of reinstatement, it could not only delay your reinstatement but derail a successful reinstatement entirely by an experienced lawyer in the future.
Attorney Thomas Glasgow has extensive experience with successful Illinois license reinstatements. Due to the diligence of him and his partner Stephanie Olsson over 1000 clients have had their driver’s license reinstated over the past 25 years of practice.
Contact our Schaumburg, Illinois license reinstatement attorneys today. Our lawyers represent clients throughout Cook, Lake, DuPage, McHenry, and Kane Counties, and we are available to tell you more about your legal options.
(image courtesy of Guillermo Sanchez)