Because of the toll on Illinois roads that distracted driving is taking, legislatures including Illinois’ now make operating a cell phone while driving a moving violation. Likewise, Scott’s law, which mandates slowing down and moving over for a first responder’s vehicle with lights activated, is being vigorously enforced in light of a record number of Illinois State Trooper fatalities in 2019. 

You may have heard traffic enforcement is down in Chicago, which is true, because now officers have to appear in traffic cases in the circuit court rather than face a layman hearing officer in an administrative hearing. Regardless, these are highly fact intensive situations. Traffic safety experts, engineers, and statisticians generally agree that distracted driving may be as responsible for automotive accidents in an amount equal to or greater than drunken driving! Distracted driving can be as old fashioned as a housewife frequently taking her eyes off the road to turn around and yell at her children in the minivan or as modern as someone juggling their cell phone, onboard navigation system, or possibly both!

Drive carefully, or you could be charged with distracted driving, and you may face severe criminal penalties. Do not, however, just wonder or try to do your own legal research via internet search! Call the actual DuPage County traffic violation lawyers at Ramsell & Kunowski, L.L.C., LLC at 630-665-8780 whenever you get a traffic ticket and we can advise you how best to proceed!

Those of us of a certain vintage can remember old depictions of DUI investigations such as from United States Department of Transportation public service shorts featuring the likes of actor Dana Andrews and from TV and the movies where lawmen seemingly decided a driver’s sobriety by made up and widely different on the spot tests.

To avoid this scenario of different tests and presumably different results, field sobriety tests for alcohol have been standardized nationwide into the basic three: horizontal gaze nystagmus, nine step walk and turn, and one leg stand. Thus, if an officer deviates from the standard tests and asks you to close your eyes, tilt your head back, and touch the tip of your nose with each of your index fingers, that is a per se invalid test, as it is not among the standard three. Likewise, if a policeman asks you to recite the Gettysburg Address or the alphabet backwards, those too are per se invalid. Even if in haste, you tell the policeman, “Take me drunk ossifer, I’m home!” relying on that alone to judge a man impaired by alcohol would be a deviation from the standard tests and invalid. 

Regardless, these nonstandard tests can, in some instances, be used as persuasive but not controlling evidence of impairment, so do not rack your brain trying to figure out if your arrest was standard versus atypical, call the Wheaton DUI defense professionals at Ramsell & Kunowski, L.L.C. LLC and come in immediately for your free, no obligation attorney consultation! 

In Illinois, when someone is facing a DUI charge, it is important to know if he or she has previously been arrested for a prior DUI and what the result of that case was.  Unfortunately, in Illinois, prior DUIs do not go away, and the prosecutor can look back over the entire period of your life. This is unfortunate for many reasons.

First, it is always important to remember that there are two sides to a DUI – a civil portion and a criminal portion. The civil portion essentially refers to your driving privileges. There is a five-year look-back. So, when there is a prior DUI within in the past five years, you are no longer a first offender. So, if you are arrested for a DUI, and you refused chemical testing, you are now facing a three-year summary suspension, as opposed to one year, but WITHOUT the ability to get a BAIID. And if you did provide a chemical test, and it came back as one of the prohibited substances, then you are now looking at a one-year summary suspension, as opposed to six months, without the ability to get a BAIID installed. This can dramatically change how to approach your case. Call and speak to a skilled DuPage County DUI defense lawyer at Ramsell & Kunowski, L.L.C. to start building a defense.

The criminal portion of a DUI is handled differently. Here, the prosecutor will look back over your entire life. So, if you had a prior DUI in the 90s and have been a law-abiding citizen ever since, the prosecutor can still put that prior DUI and use it against you during sentencing. This means that not only are you facing a criminal conviction, but you are facing a driver’s license revocation.

This also applies to felonies too. So, if you had two DUIs when you were younger in the 80s and have been a law-abiding citizen ever since, you are still looking at a felony DUI.

It is very important you contact a skilled DUI defense lawyer in Illinois. Being able to analyze your case includes your prior DUI arrests. Call and speak to a skilled Wheaton DUI defense lawyer at Ramsell & Kunowski, L.L.C. to start building a defense NOW.

There are a range of penalties for a first time DUI in Illinois involving drugs.

For one, a first time DUI without any aggravating factors is a class A misdemeanor in Illinois. There is a range a punishment for any class A misdemeanor that a judge can impose, the maximum being 364 days in the county jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

However, as a first offender, you are eligible for what is known as court supervision. If you are found guilty or plead guilty, the judge will sentence you to a period of time (usually between 12 and 24 months). During that time, you would have to complete some counseling and attend a victim’s impact panel. The most important thing is NOT getting arrested during those months. At the end of the period, you will have to come back to court, show the judge you completed everything, as well as not picked up any new charges, and the case will be dismissed. Please contact a DUI attorney NOW to see if you qualify for this type of outcome.

Court supervision, however, can be stressful. You are still guilty, and now you are under the court’s power for the next 12 to 24 months. For some cases, court supervision can be an excellent outcome. But for someone who is NOT guilty, it is not so desirable. You will need a skilled DUI defense attorney to analyze your case and tell you whether you should attempt to negotiate for court supervision or fight it.

Also, DUI involving drugs still involves either a 6- or 12-month summary suspension. If you provided urine, blood, or other bodily fluids, and an illegal substance came back, or a prescription drug in which impaired you, or a certain amount of cannabis, then you are facing a six-month suspension. If you refused, then you will face a 12-month suspension.

You are still eligible for driving relief. Assuming you are a first offender, you can get a BAIID installed. However, the BAIID is used to detect alcohol consumption, not drugs. This may seem ridiculous, and it is. But it is the law as it stands right now.

Contact a knowledgeable DuPage County DUI defense attorney at Ramsell & Kunowski, L.L.C. right away to see what you qualify for and to see if there is any way to stop the suspension from happening.

Police officers make many mistakes. You will need a knowledgeable DUI defense attorney at Ramsell & Kunowski, L.L.C. to figure out the best way to fight this case.

Please do wait, and contact Ramsell & Kunowski, L.L.C. immediately to get started. A DUI is severe., and you will probably have to fight it tooth and nail. Every little detail matters. Being found guilty of this type of offense is life-ruining.

The short answer is not if the bicycle is powered exclusively by a human pedaling it. The best answer, however, is call your defense team at Ramsell & Kunowski, L.L.C. LLC for a free no obligation, no cost legal consultation if you get arrested for DUI while on a bicycle or bike type vehicle.

In general terms, a bicycle does not meet the definition of vehicle in Illinois statutes, and therefore, you cannot get arrested for driving one under the influence. 

However, some bicycles are now borderline mopeds or motorcycles. The most obvious examples are bicycles outfitted with loud unmufflered external engines that drive the wheels so pedaling is not necessary. More elaborate examples include expensive multi-speed bikes that sometimes include remarkably small battery powered engines that can silently power a bike without pedaling at impressive speeds. 

Generally speaking though, you do not have to worry about a DUI on a bicycle so long as it is powered by an engine that generates less than one horsepower and is capable of generating speeds not greater than 20 MPH. Regardless, do not muddle through your situation alone, call the Wheaton DUI defense professionals at Ramsell & Kunowski, L.L.C. LLC.