My husband and I are going through divorce and we have a teenage son. We don’t know yet as to who will have his custody. He already has his license and uses my car all the time. What happens if I don’t list him in my car insurance policy in Illinois?

Nina

Schaumburg, IL

If you do not list your teenage son in your car insurance policy Schaumburg, Illinois, you have to be prepared for the potential consequences. Your car insurance policy can be cancelled, non-renewed or you may have surcharges because of that. Some car insurance providers would drop your insurance policy for misrepresentation if do not list your son at the time of the application process or when he gets his driver’s license. Since your teenage son has access to your vehicle, you may be required to list him on your car insurance policy.

If your state lets insurance companies to void policies for misrepresentation, not listing your teenage son on your insurance policy could be a huge mistake. If he gets into an accident and you file a claim, your insurance provider can void your insurance policy since you failed to let them know about your teenage son. If you are not sure if your teenage son is properly covered, get in touch with your insurance agent or your car insurance company.

Why do people, especially here in Illinois, think that drunk driving or DUI is a serious offense? Isn’t it that DUI is just a simple offense?

Oliver

Berwyn, IL

People, most especially there in Berwyn, Illinois, think that drunk driving or driving under the influence is a serious offense because it simply is. DUI is not just any other traffic offense because it is nevertheless a criminal offense. In fact, DUI is one of the most serious driving offenses in the US. Although there are a lot of driving offenses, DUI often results in serious consequences and it is likely to have grave implications on your future. It is a crime if you are driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or more and driver’s license could be suspended or revoked if you are found guilty of the DUI offense. It would also make life difficult and costly through increased insurance fees and hefty fines.

The US takes DUI offense very seriously, as it should be. Drunk driving in states like Illinois are set forth by a statute and Illinois DUI Laws could be incredibly complex. The consequences could vary in different states and with different instances, but the basic penalties under the DUI laws tend to remain almost the same.

A friend of mine was arrested for DUI in Skokie, Illinois for the first time and from what I know, they have a strong case against him. Could you please educate me on what he could be facing because of his DUI charge, what are the penalties involved?

Aldrin

Skokie, IL

After your friend was arrested for DUI in Skokie, Illinois, he would be facing two different cases; one is an administrative driver’s license suspension that starts automatically, unless appealed and the other one is on the court system. He would need to request for a DMV hearing which should be done quickly after the DUI arrest so that he can be able to appeal against the suspension of his driver’s license. He would also have to make sure that he hires a qualified DUI lawyer to help him with his appeal to ensure that it is received in time and that all of the necessary paperworks are filled in correctly.

If he tries to do all of these by himself, he is risking making a serious mistake and losing his without the chance for appeal. Aside from that, if convicted for DUI, he would have penalties that are truly unacceptable. Since this is his first DUI offense, it would be considered as Class A misdemeanor charge. If he gets convicted, he can expect to have consequences such as fines of up to $2,500, jail time of up to 364 days, potential Victim Impact Program requirement, alcohol evaluation with potential counselling, potential community service and any other consequence deemed necessary by the judge.

My 17-year old son was arrested a little over a week ago and was charged with DUI here in Illinois. What is the underage drunk driving law here in Illinois? Will my son go to jail? Should I hire a DUI lawyer to fight the charge?

Jerome

Rockford, IL

Drinking and driving is a high risk proposition for someone under the age of 21. Even if the blood alcohol content (BAC) is under the legal limit of .08 percent that only applies to drivers over the age of 21.

In the state of Illinois, your son might be facing a harsh sentence. If he will be convicted with DUI, he will face consequences for his actions.

His driver’s license will be revoked for a minimum of two years but he may be issued a restricted license after one year. He may be fined up to $2500 and will serve a jail sentence of up to one year. He may also be directed to join a Youthful Intoxicated Driver’s Visitation Program.

The sentence may seem unpleasant for someone who is under 21 but the law aims the threat of losing the freedom to drive for two years would convince people under 21 to not drink and drive.

Reasons why you’re probably going to need a DUI attorney.

• while the consequences for a second DUI arrest are not quite as heavy as those for a third or a fourth or a fifth, they’re still a long stretch away from whatever consequences you suffered with your first one. If you’re on number two, you most likely need to call up a lawyer.
• if you had a baby in the backseat. When you have someone under 18 driving with you when you’re drunk, then you’re in trouble for endangerment of a minor on top of DUI, and so you’re likely going to need some more help.
• drunk is drunk, but sometimes the drunker you are, the heavier your sentence. If, when you were arrested, your BAC was two times the legal limit, you’re in even deeper waters.

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 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.

• Speak for you in court.

The primary purpose of a Chicago DUI lawyer is representation. They can stand for you in court and argue in order to get you an easier time, fewer consequences, lower fines, and so on. Without a lawyer to do this for you, you could suffer much more because of your DUI.

• Figure you out and tell you what’s what.

You may not know what you need for your case on your own, but a DUI lawyer can look at it and explain to you what it all means, and then they can tell you what kinds of consequences you may face because of it.

• Take care of the little stuff.

Being convicted of a DUI is stressful enough already, and a lawyer can ease some of the stress by taking all of the menial work onto their hands–all that paperwork, all those phone calls. They can make sure your court date coincides with your schedule and so on.