If you drive in Illinois, you may well get pulled over by a traffic officer at some point. This may happen for a range of reasons, some more serious than others. For example, a police officer might stop you if your vehicle tail light goes out and you did not know about it. You might get stopped if you drive faster than the posted speed limit.
Regardless of the reason an officer stops you, if you receive an official traffic violation notice, you should know that a certain number of points may add to your driving record. These points may contribute to your loss of driving privileges.
Point assessments by severity
In general, the number of points associated with different violations aligns to the determined severity of the violation. CyberDrive Illinois indicates that point assessments begin with five and increase in increments of five points up to 30 points. From there, point assessments jump to 50 points per violation.
Sample assessments by violation type
A citation for a motorcycle shield violation carries with it an assessment of five points on your record. If you pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone, you will receive 10 points on your record. Driving on the sidewalk adds 20 points to your driving record. Aggravated use of a cell phone while driving finds your record reflecting another 30 points. Driving at a speed of 25 miles per hour or more beyond the legal limit adds 50 points to your record.
This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is instead meant to give drivers in Illinois an overview of how they may receive points that may contribute to their loss of driving privileges after different traffic violations.