Accessing Illinois DWI Records
In Illinois, all kinds of impaired driving due to alcohol, illegal drugs, over the counter drugs or prescribed drugs are called DUI. So, in this state the laws for DUI and DWI are one and the same. Freeways of Illinois are high speed zones, so Illinois follows a very stringent anti-DUI/DWI Program. As a result, every year, more than 50,000 arrests are made on this ground. In Illinois, any factor causing impaired driving, be it alcohol, or illegal, prescribed or over the counter drugs, are considered DUI. So, the laws applicable to Illinois DUI are identical as Illinois DWI. And these laws are very strict. As you re-offend within five to ten years, the penalties of fines, imprisonment, license suspension and revocation, installing ignition interlock device etc keep increasing and your misdemeanor offenses become felonies. When you drive under influence, you pose life threat to many. And these stringent penalties ensure that you don’t repeat the crime again.
Illinois DWI Records:
Records of Illinois DWI or DUI are maintained by Department of Motor Vehicles and known as Motor Vehicles Record (MVR). To get a copy of your driving record which holds you DWI history as well, go to your local office for Secretary of State. You will get the address of your nearest Secretary of State office. You will be asked to fill up a request form and pay a fee of $12 in cash or check. No cards are accepted. And you will be handed a print out of your driving record on the spot.
The copy received at the office is not a certified one. If you seek certified document, fill up the request form and mail it at Driver Analysis Section, Secretary of State, 2701 S. Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, IL 62723. Send you check along and give your full details that are first and last names, your date of birth and your Illinois driver’s license. It will take about ten business days to process your request. If you are an employer looking for driving record to know about the DWI/DUI records of your prospective employee, or if you seek driving history of someone else, the process will take ten additional days. In this record, all personal details would be omitted and contain only the information on violations, convictions, license suspensions and/or revocations and accidents. Pending cases will not be reflected in the record until they are converted to conviction.
If you have moved to some other state, they may ask for a clearance letter before issuing you a driving permit. Illinois State has so such provision to issue letter of clearance. A certified driving record is a compatible alternative to clearance letter. To know more about it, you can call the Abstract Information Unit at (217) 782-2720. Also the concerned authority can call the office of Secretary of State to verify the information.
Illinois DWI Expungement Laws:
Illinois DWI is a criminal offense thus if you are arrested for one, your name would be registered with the criminal database of State as well as Department of Motor Vehicles, even if you are not convicted. In most of the states of US, these records can be sealed or expunged. But in Illinois, these records can never be expunged from the public records, though the case can be dismissed. It is a myth that after years of your first conviction and a clean driving record after that will automatically remove your name from the criminal database. There are strict regulations related to expungement of DUI or DWI in Illinois. http://www.state.il.us/defender/expforms/07instguide.pdf can give you a detailed idea about it. If you were placed on supervision or had been convicted by the court for a misdemeanor or felony Illinois DWI offense, your record can not be expunged or sealed unless you receive a pardon. To know about its procedure, visit the website of Prisoner Review Board at http://www.state.il.us/prb/prbexclemex.htm.
|