In my office it is an extremely common occurrence for a parent to contact me with the unfortunate news that his son has a suspended driver’s license. Often times a teen motorist who is cited for speeding or a red light violation elects to pay the ticket through the mail or over the internet without researching the consequences of his actions. Section 625 ILCS 5/6-206(a)(36) of the Illinois vehicle code vests the Secretary of State’s Office with the authority to suspend the driver’s license of a motorist who is under 21 and has obtained 2 moving violation convictions within a 24 month period of time. The good news is that most of the time this is a problem that can be fixed.
When a client comes to me with such a problem the first thing I do is identify which Courthouse(s) that the convictions originated from and how old they are. So long as there are only 2 convictions the hold on the client’s driver’s license can be lifted by motioning one of the convictions up before a Judge and requesting that the conviction be vacated. Most Judges are sympathetic to this situation and are often receptive to such a reasonable request. If the Judge elects to vacate one of the convictions notice must be sent to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. When the Secretary of State receives notification that the motorist now only has 1 conviction in the past 24 months as opposed to 2, section 625 ILCS 5/6-206(a)(36) will no longer be applicable and the hold on the motorist’s license resulting from the 2 convictions is lifted.
