Understanding a Notice of Statutory Summary Suspension

On Behalf of | Sep 9, 2019 | Firm News

No one probably needs to tell you that drunk driving is a mistake. After all, not only may you injure yourself or others when driving under the influence of alcohol, but you may also derail your professional, educational or other plans. 

If an officer arrests you for drunk driving in Illinois, you are likely to face a variety of consequences. One of these, of course, is a suspension of your driving privileges. When looking through your post-arrest paperwork, you may come across a Notice of Statutory Summary Suspension.

What is the notice? 

During a DUI stop, officers are likely to ask you to submit to either a breath, blood or urine test to determine if your blood alcohol concentration is above the 0.08% legal limit. If you refuse this testing or have too much alcohol in your system, the arresting officer has the authority to automatically suspend your driver’s license.

When does the suspension start? 

If an officer issues you a Notice of Statutory Summary Suspension, the suspension begins 46 days after the notice date. In most cases, the notice date corresponds to the time of your arrest. The length of your suspension depends on a variety of factors, but it may be as long as three years. Note, it is possible to contest a suspension.

What happens to your driver’s license? 

As part of a DUI arrest, an officer may confiscate your driver’s license. If so, he or she should complete the backside of the Notice of Statutory Summary Suspension. This completed document serves as your driver’s license for the 46 days that you may continue to drive.

Facing a suspension of your driving privileges may be the least of your worries after a DUI arrest. Still, if you regularly drive, you should understand what a Notice of Statutory Summary Suspension means for you and your family.