In 2017, there were 330 people killed in alcohol-related car crashes in the state of Illinois. Those 330 people represented about 30 percent of all car crash fatalities in Illinois in 2017. It is not unusual for a simple DUI case to turn deadly, which is why Illinois police take drunk driving cases so seriously. In 2017, there were 27,046 DUI arrests recorded throughout the state by the Secretary of State’s office. Though DUI arrests are common, many people do not know what to expect when they are arrested for driving under the influence. Here is a breakdown the of the process that a DUI case goes through when you are arrested in Illinois: 

Before the Arrest

Before you can be arrested for a DUI, an officer must have had a reason to pull you over. This can be called reasonable suspicion or unusual operation. For them to pull you over, you would have had to been driving erratically or given the officer another reason to suspect you were under the influence.

Once the officer has pulled you over, you will probably be asked to submit to field sobriety tests, which will give the officer probable cause to arrest you if you fail them. 

Driving under the influence (DUI) is not a uniform charge. Rather, there are many different factors that affect how a specific incident of alleged drunk driving is charged. These include the driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at the time of the arrest, his or her age, whether the driver has previous DUI charges on his or her record, and whether the drunk driving caused a victim to suffer an injury or death.

A “regular” first time DUI is charged as a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois. However, there are circumstances under which a first offense DUI may be charged as a felony. Specific factors that cause a DUI charge to be “upgraded” are known as aggravating factors. An upgraded DUI charge is known as an aggravated DUI.

When a DUI is a Class 2 Felony

DUI is charged as a Class 2 felony under the following circumstances:

Nationwide, 75 percent of states permit DUI checkpoints. Therefore, it is important to understand your rights and how to evade checkpoints if necessary. In addition, you have the right to record your interactions at these checkpoints should you encounter one this summer.

How to Search for a DUI Checkpoint Near You

If you go online and search for your local DUI checkpoint website, or in some cases a checkpoint app, you will find information stating where and when a DUI checkpoint will be operational. It is common for a DUI checkpoint to be set up on one road at a particular time, and then to have it subsequently move miles away the next night—checkpoints are rarely set up in the same place, at the same time, multiple nights in a row.