Reader’s Question:

I have just gotten into a serious accident and currently in the process of replacing my car. I’m not quite sure if I have rental car coverage on my auto insurance here in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Would it be advisable to just rent a car or just take public transportation in the mean time?

Billy

Oak Lawn, IL

You need to move forward and get going after you had a serious accident. Make sure that you perfectly understand the coverage that you have on your car insurance in Oak Lawn, Illinois. To find out for sure if you have a rental car coverage on your policy, grasp the nettle and get in touch with your car insurance provider or talk to your insurance agent. They would be able to tell you specifically what your car insurance policy covers. You may also go over the copy of the insurance policy and review the details to determine if you have rental car coverage.

Renting a car than taking public transportation if you have rental car coverage would be so much sensible until you have your car replaced. You have to rent the finest vehicle that your insurance coverage lets you. Depending on your car insurance policy, the rental car you get could not be as nice as the one that you own. Nevertheless, you will not be marooned at home or cause trouble to your friends for rides in the course of getting a replacement car. Before you rent a car, make sure that you talk to your insurance agent first because you could still be responsible for collision damage to the rental vehicle.

Tags: auto insurance, car insurance policy, rental car insurance

Reader’s Question:

I was charged with DUI in Peoria, Illinois and it’s nearing my first court date and I don’t know what would happen. Could you give me an idea as to what should I expect during the arraignment of my DUI case?

MJ

Peoria, IL

If you haven’t hired a DUI lawyer to represent you on your DUI charge in Peoria, Illinois, you would have to attend your arraignment. The date, time and location of your first court meeting are on your ticket or somewhere else in your paperwork. At some point during your arraignment, the judge would ask you to enter a plea to the charges. Then you would have to plead either guilty or not guilty to the DUI charge. Depending on the plea that you would enter, the judge would ask you several questions to determine if you want to waive your constitutional rights, including your right to a speedy jury trial.

If you enter a guilty plea on your DUI charge, the judge would likely pass sentence immediately. The sentence would vary depending on the charges you face, the specific judge assigned to your case and the county you are charged in. At minimum, most DUI cases entail some time in jail or a program that counts as jail, a substantial fine, probation and DUI school.

Tags: DUI, DUI lawyer, DUI school, DUI trial, probation

Reader’s Question:

A friend’s Dad was arrested for drunk driving in Peoria, Illinois. He was asked to file an SR22. What happens if he refuses to do this?

Karen

Peoria, IL

Good Question, Karen.

An SR22 is one of the means in Illinois to monitor the insurance of problem drivers. Through this process, mandatory insurance is enforced in the most efficient way. Illinois citizens are protected from uninsured motorists through the Financial Responsibility Law.

SR22 is required in Illinois by individuals with safety responsibility suspensions, unsatisfied judgment suspensions, revocations, mandatory insurance supervisions and individuals who receive three or more convictions for mandatory insurance violations.

In short, your Dad’s friend cannot refuse to file an SR22. This certificate of insurance is filed by the home office of an insurance company directly to the Secretary of State. This may be obtained by contacting an insurance company that is authorized to write SR-22 policies for Illinois.

READER QUESTION:

Is it better to get an AV rated Illinois DUI attorney?

Marisa

Thanks for your question, Marisa.

An AV rated Illinois DUI attorney has a lot of things conferred to them. The rating means that they are respected within the lawyer community, as well as by customers. They have a limited or zero history of screw ups. They are extremely knowledgeable in the area of law which they practice. They have a high success rate. And so on. And so on.

The benefits of hiring an AV rated Illinois DUI attorney are enormous, because you are dealing with a person who can perform a very subtle and intelligent navigation of the legal DUI minefield. One of the problems is that AV rated attoneys have the luxury of being able to charge more for their services, and so they are out of reach for a lot of people.

There are certain ways you can control this cost. Most lawyers don’t require a lump sum, but have you pay your bill by month. If your lawyer is charging you by each hour of work, you can also work together with him/her to have them contact you whenever more work is required, so that you are always conscious of how much you’re spending and can veto any extra work.

–Fashun.

READER QUESTION:

What extra Illinois DUI lawyer costs might I have to deal with?

Princeton

EXCELLENT QUESTION.

Many people factor in, obviously, the flat fee when they are budgeting for a lawyer without realizing that there are additional Illinois DUI lawyer costs. Here are some that you may need to be aware of.

• fees for printing, faxing, etc., and employing those who do this
• for hiring someone to take down testimonials and interviews in shorthand
• for delivering legal paperwork to witnesses
• for costs of travel
• for investigation
• for court filing and related fees
• for jury, if so requested
• for witnesses
• for consultation

Rather than just jump in the water with all your clothes on, discuss all of the potential Illinois DUI lawyer costs at your very first meeting so that you can decide which ones might be necessary in your case, which ones you can avoid, and whether the amount your laywer charges for such fees is worth keeping them.

Never go to see your IL DUI lawyer unprepared. There are a few things you should do first. Maybe not absolutely necessary, but definitely advisable.

• Visit the library.

Head over to your local library branch and check out resources for your state DUI laws. You can assess the knowledge of your IL DUI lawyer better if you have a vague idea of what they should know. I’m not saying memorize all of the DUI laws there are, but just skimming some information and taking a few lines of notes could go a long way.

• Know what’s against you.

Your IL DUI lawyer will need to know for your case what kind of evidence there is against you. When you were pulled over, did you give off physical signs of drunkenness such as slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and all of that? Did behaviour such as erratic driving draw the police’s attention to you to begin with? Did you say anything incriminating? Were you tested for blood alcohol concentration, and if so, what were the results?

There are time when you have no choice but to hire a Peoria IL DUI attorney. By doing anything but this, you are basically setting yourself up for a terrible disaster. Even if you don’t have the money, talk with your DMV and find out what other options you have for representation, because you could suffer quite a bit if you don’t have any.

Why you absolutely need a Peoria IL DUI attorney.

• if you’re face is well known in drunk driving court, then yeah, you’re probably going to need a Peoria IL DUI attorney and a good one. No matter what the particular laws say, in every state the more times you are convicted of driving under the influence, the worse the consequences you will face are.
• you’re DUI may result from something pretty disastrous. If you were driving drunk and got into the car accident, and in this accident someone was injured or, even worse, killed, then you better run to the lawyer’s office. You would need one even if you hadn’t been drunk.
• if losing your license means losing your job, then, well, you can’t risk that, so you need a lawyer to argue the particulars of your case.