Crime & Traffic

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Driver's license suspension for accident or unpaid judgment

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If you are in a car accident, the Secretary of State may suspend your license. You cannot drive if your license is suspended. Your license may be suspended if:

• You were at least 50% at fault,
• You drove without insurance, and
• There was property damage above $500, personal injury, or death.

If you were using an electronic device while driving, your license may be suspended for one year and you may be assessed a $1,000 fine if:

• Your use of the electronic device caused the accident,
• Someone was seriously injured, and
• Your use of the electronic device did not fall under an exception.

Your use of the electronic device may be an exception if you were using the electronic device as a:

• First responder responding to an emergency situation,
• Driver reporting an emergency,
• Driver only operating the hands-free or voice-operated mode,
• Driver using electronic device parked on the side of the road,
• Driver using electronic device while car is in park or neutral, or
• Driver using two-way/citizen band radio service.

The Secretary of State will notify you by mail of the pending suspension.

If you are in a car accident, notify your insurance company immediately. If the accident causes death, injury, or property damage, you must file an accident report. The report is filed with the Illinois Department of Transportation, also known as IDOT. You must do this within ten days after the accident. IDOT will investigate the crash and will report the names of any drivers without insurance involved in the accident.

Your license may not be suspended if:

• The was no property damage, death, or injury, and
• You had insurance at the time of the accident.

What if the accident is not your fault?

If the accident is not your fault, you may fight the suspension by asking for a hearing in writing. You must do this the date before the suspension begins. The letter received from the Secretary of State will list the things you need to prove the accident was not your fault. You also need to prove you had insurance when the accident occurred or the ability to pay the damages. The Secretary will notify all persons involved in a scheduled hearing.

If you had insurance or were able to pay the damages from the crash, then you need to provide proof. Proof could be a bond issued by an insurance company or surety company or a security deposit in the amount of the damages.

If a court said you were not at fault, you must provide a stamped or certified copy of the court document saying this. If you are not at fault, you will not have to prove that you can pay damages.

If you are not insured, you may have to get an SR-22 insurance policy from a private insurance company. Financial responsibility insurance is also known as SR-22. You need this insurance to reinstate your license. The coverage is sent directly to the Secretary of State from your insurance company. If the SR-22 is accepted, you will receive the SR-22 from the agency and a letter from the Secretary of State.

Driver’s license suspension for unpaid [no-lexicon] judgment [/no-lexicon]

If you are uninsured and get into a car accident, and the other person sues you, a court can order you to pay damages. This includes all money owed to the defendant as well as court costs.

The Secretary of State will suspend your driving privileges if you do not pay what you owe or make payments as agreed under an installment plan after 30 days from the judgment.

If you do not pay any part of your debt, your driver's license will be taken away. The things you need to drive legally in Illinois will also be taken away:

• Your registration card,
• Your registration stickers, and
• Your license plates

The suspension will last until:

• You pay the full amount of the judgment; make sure you receive a court-certified, file-stamped copy of a satisfaction of judgment form,
• You file for bankruptcy. This does not apply to alcohol-related cases,
• A chapter XIII Wage Earner Plan is put in place. This is a plan where the money is deducted from your paycheck to pay for damages,
• You reach an installment payment agreement with the creditor. See details about how to do this here. If you do not follow the agreement, your license will be suspended again,
• The judgment order is not renewed after seven years from the date the court issued it,
• The court vacates or removes the judgment from your record, or
• Any suspension of more than 20 years old may be terminated by the Secretary of State.

Driver’s license suspension hearing

Getting a lawyer for your hearing is not required. However, one is recommended if you can afford it. There are no legal aid attorneys for these types of hearings.

To request a hearing, you will need to fill out a form called Formal Hearing Request. You will also need to pay a $50 fee to schedule the hearing. You may qualify to file for free if you can’t pay the fee. You can request a hearing at the following locations in Illinois:

• Chicago
• Joliet
• Springfield
• Mount Vernon

In Cook County hearings are held at Secretary of State 17 N. State Street, Suite 1200 Chicago, Illinois 60602 (312) 793-3722

If you live outside of the state, you can apply for a hearing by email, by writing a letter, or by faxing a hearing request to:

Illinois Secretary of State
Dept. of Administrative Hearing
Howlett Building, Room 293
Springfield, Illinois 62756
Fax: (217) 524-7982
Email: [email protected]

Losing a driver’s license suspension hearing

You may appeal any adverse decision at a formal hearing to the circuit court within 35 days.

What if the accident is your fault?

If the accident is your fault and you have no insurance, you must prove you can pay for the damages. You can provide a bond or deposit money into a security deposit account. You may also enter into an installment agreement with the other person. This agreement will allow you to make a set amount of payments over time to pay off the damages. You will have to provide a court stamped or certified copy of the installment agreement to the Secretary of State.

If a judgment for $500 or more is entered against you, you must purchase and maintain financial responsibility insurance from a private insurance company for three years. Financial responsibility insurance is a particular type of insurance known as SR-22. You must also file the SR-22 insurance with the Secretary of State.

If the other person involved in the accident states that they will not sue you, you should get a signed statement from the other person releasing you from all damages. The report has to be notarized. The promise not to sue cannot be conditional. This means neither of the sides in the accident can require the other to do something in return for promising not to sue.

What if the driver’s license suspension was entered in error?

If the judgment was entered against you in error, you must ask the court to reverse or throw out the decision by filing a Motion to Vacate or Dismiss in the court where the judgment was entered. You should speak with an attorney for assistance with this process. For more information, see Filing a motion to vacate a judgment.

Once the court issues an Order to Vacate or Dismiss, you will need to bring a certified or file-stamped copy of the order to the Secretary of State's office. Please see Illinois Secretary of State facility locations for the location near you. Obtain a court-certified or file-stamped copy of an order showing that the judgment was removed from your record. (This is often called a vacating or dismissal order.) Bring this to the Illinois Secretary of State (see address below).

Restricted driving permit when a driver’s license is suspended

You may apply to the Secretary of State for a Restricted Driving Permit, or an RDP, to allow you to drive to work, school, or a doctor’s office. You would not be able to apply for the RDP if your license was suspended due to a second or third DUI charge within the past five years.

Suspended driver’s license and installment agreements

An installment agreement order must be certified or file-stamped by the court in the county where the judgment was entered and given to the Secretary of State's office. If you do not make all the payments on time, your license may be suspended again, so be careful about entering into a payment plan that you cannot afford.

How to get a suspended driver’s license back after an accident

If your license is suspended because of a car accident and you are uninsured, you must show the Secretary of State any one of the following:

• A court found not liable for the damages,
• The accident victim released you from liability with a document signed by both parties and notarized,
• Bankruptcy was filed and granted (does not apply to DUIs),
• An installment agreement was entered,
• A deposit in the amount of the damages was made into a security deposit account, or
• Wage garnishment order is in place.