Our last post looked at a handful of new criminal laws in Illinois, including theft and some new DUI rules. However, there are plenty more new laws to consider.
Using a Driver Under 18 As Your Designated Driver
Now, it is a crime to use your son or daughter under 18 as your driver on the way home from the family barbeque or the golf outing after you’ve had a few too many to drink. Even though you will not be driving if arrested for this, you will still be charged with a moving violation and a class A misdemeanor. The prior law stated only that a driver needed to accompany the permitted driver. The new change has added the term that your must be in direct supervision of the driver and has defined what direct supervision means—essentially, you can’t be under the influence of anything.
Passing on the Left Too Close to a Bicyclist or Jogger
When passing another vehicle on the left, if you come unnecessarily close to a jogger or bicyclist in the oncoming lane you can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. This law was enacted after a few tragic accidents involving drivers and bicyclists. Clearly the question of what is unnecessarily close is up for interpretation. If you cause an accident, you can be charged with a felony.
Aggravated DUI Involving Great Bodily Harm Now an 85% Sentence
Most jail sentences in Illinois have what is known as “day for day credit” which means, in essence, you would serve 50% of your time. A sentence of two years would mean one year behind bars. There are other miscellaneous factors that can increase or decrease this time, but for simplicity sake, most sentences are done with 50% or half the time sentenced.
Now, aggravated DUI involving great bodily harm will require you to do 85% of your sentence, or a little over 4/5 of your time.
Falsely Stating You Are the Parent of A Minor Getting a Tattoo Now a Crime
If you know a person under 18 who is just DYING to get a tattoo and their parents are forbidding it, it’s now a crime to help them out by lying that you are their parent at the tattoo parlor. This particular crime will be a Class C misdemeanor.
There are always new laws being proposed and new laws being added to the books. If you ever have a question about your own case or know someone who needs the assistance of an attorney, give Botto, Gilbert, Schottland & Andrle a call.
Botto, Gilbert, Schottland and Andrle, P.C. are attorneys specializing in criminal defense, workman’s comp, personal injury and family law in McHenry, Kane, Boone and Cook Counties. Call us at (815) 338-3838 at any time.
Botto Gilbert Schottland & Andrle is a limited general practice law firm with practices in Workers’ Compensation, Personal Injury, Family Law, Criminal Law, Traffic Law and Juvenile Law. Our attorneys are licensed in the state of Illinois and take cases in various Illinois counties, including but not limited to Boone County, Kane County, McHenry County, Cook County, and Winnebago County, with a particular focus on those cases occurring in the cities of Woodstock, Crystal Lake, McHenry, Harvard, Hebron, Marengo, Island Lake, Prairie Grove, Fox River Grove, Richmond, Johnsburg, Belvidere, Spring Grove, Ringwood, Union, Greenwook, Wonder Lake, Lakewood, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Cary, McCullom Lake and Lakemoor.
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