What Happens If You Don't Pay A Traffic Ticket In Illinois?

A newly passed bill by the Illinois General Assembly permits drivers to accumulate up to three unpaid traffic tickets per year before facing license suspension.

Sure, we could get into the technicalities of the bill itself, but I'll shorten it for you so we can talk about our thoughts on it instead.

“HB277 is designed to modernize our procedures for people who receive tickets, minor traffic offenses, and fail to appear in court,” said Slaughter. “Current law grants our judges the power to suspend an individual's driver’s license if he or she fails to appear in court. From a fairness and equity perspective, this current process is creating a significant challenge for individuals at risk as they seek to hold onto their jobs.” [advantagenews]

I didn't know the current law was that drivers could get their license suspended after just one unpaid ticket. That seems kinda harsh.

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Personally, if I was a driver that was "way too familiar" with receiving traffic tickets, I'd be excited for this bill to become law. Why? Because I could push off on paying three tickets until I'm on the brink of suspension... I know I'm not the only one thinking this!

“If this becomes law an individual would get three unpaid tickets before their license is suspended, therefore it’s a great disincentive until you get to that third ticket to pay your tickets to the local government,” said Windhorst.

Now that it's headed to the governor for review, our local governments could see a major impact on their budgets if this passes. More drivers would wait to pay their three unpaid tickets, which means longer wait times for local governments to collect a big check.

What are your thoughts on this bill becoming law?