"2018 DUI Illinois Fact Book" by Jesse White Makes For Sobering Reading

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Martin & Kent

Mar 23, 2018, 16:00 ET


WHEATON, Ill. (PRWEB) March 23, 2018 -- The "bible" of driving under the influence in Illinois – the “2018 DUI Illinois Fact Book” has recently come out and it has some rather compelling statistics and news.

For example:

  • There is zero tolerance for any amount of alcohol in drivers under 21 (In other words, a blood alcohol content of .01 would be enough to convict a driver under 21 of DUI.) The same goes for school bus drivers.
  • Commercial Driver's License holders are considered legally drunk if their BAC is 0.04 or higher
  • Passenger Car, Truck and Van Drivers 21 years old or older are legally drunk at 0.08 or higher
  • A typical male (approx. 170 pounds) reaches a BAC of .08 after just four drinks in a one hour period; a typical female (137 pounds) reaches a BAC of .08 after just three drinks in one hour
  • The typical person arrested for DUI in Illinois is a 34-year-old man arrested between 11 pm and 4 am on a weekend night, with a BAC of .16 -- twice the legal limit
  • 272 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in Illinois in 2016, approximately 25% of the total number of crash fatalities
  • 29,528 Illinois residents were arrested for DUI in 2016; 86% were first offenders

NEW DUI LAWS IN ILLINOIS

  • The Secretary of State will be notified whenever someone is convicted of or received a court supervision for operating a watercraft or snowmobile while impaired by alcohol or drugs
  • Enhanced penalties apply upon conviction for driving with a revoked license if the license was revoked for aggravated DUI that resulted in a death

COSTS OF A TYPICAL DUI IN ILLINOIS

Simply put, costs can be exorbitant if a driver is charged or convicted of DUI in this state. Costs begin, but certainly don't end with, legal fees and court costs, which can total $5500 or more, depending on the jurisdiction. Then there's the high-risk insurance, which can total $6000 or more (typically $2000 more a year than regular insurance, for a total of three years.) There's the BAIID ("Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device") which allows a person to drive during your statutory summary license suspension (which lasts from six months to a year) as long as he or she blows into it to prove they aren't under the influence. Costs for BAIID can run $1420 per year. Considering driver's license reinstatement fees, substance abuse classes and loss of income from time spent not working, total DUI charges can approach more than $18,000!

And we aren’t even factoring in accident costs, such as vehicle repair, medical bills and legal fees and judgments if there are injuries to the impaired driver, his passengers, other drivers and their passengers, pedestrians, etc.

There is much more than can be said about this subject but the point is clear: A DUI in Illinois can be a very expensive proposition, in terms of money, inconvenience and time.

Tim Martin, Martin & Kent, http://www.martinandkent.com, 630-474-3981, [email protected]