You’re on your way to finding a great car insurance rate, but what else do you need to know? Illinois auto insurance comes with its own unique set of laws. You are not only a smart, savvy shopper but a good citizen, so we have outlined the most important driving and insurance laws in Illinois for you.
Driving in Illinois with a blood alcohol content (including that from medications) at or below the set limits WILL put you at risk of being arrested for driving under the influence. The consequences are real, and they are as harsh as you would suspect.
Texting and driving in Illinois can also have extreme consequences. Watch this video with your family to understand that what we often think is just a safe, quick glance could mean permanent damage, our own death or even homicide. The fact is, a one-second glance away from the road is what the Journal of Adolescent Health has deemed safe, but the average text message takes five seconds. You wouldn’t drink and drive, so don’t text and drive either.
While it might seem like all of these driving laws go without saying, the statistics tell us otherwise. SmartFinancial encourages you to avoid all non-driving activities while driving. Keep yourself, your passengers and other drivers safe by limiting your road activities strictly to driving while driving.
The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act requires that all kids under the age of 8 be properly secured in a Federally approved car seat or booster seat. Up to age 1 and 20 pounds, babies should ride in a rear-facing car seat. It should be installed in the back seat; if a back seat is unavailable, the front passenger seat may be used, provided it doesn’t have an enabled airbag.
It’s safest to continue using the rear-facing car seat up to age 2, or whenever the child reaches the manufacturer’s weight and height limit. Then, use a front-facing car seat with a harness system until the child reaches its size limit. After that, a belt-positioning booster seat is appropriate.
The booster seat should be used until the child outgrows its size limit, although under State law it’s only required up to age 8. However, children can’t usually be properly restrained by a vehicle’s built-in seat belts until reaching 4′ 9” tall. At this height, kids can sit up straight in the seat with their knees bent over the front, with the shoulder strap crossing their shoulder and chest and the lap belt passing over their upper thighs.
It’s against the law in Illinois to knowingly endanger a minor. It’s also against the law to leave a child 6 or younger unsupervised in a vehicle by someone who’s at least 14 years old for more than 10 minutes. A first-time violation of this law is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to $2,500 in fines and 1 year’s imprisonment.
Children are at risk of injury, abduction, violence, hypothermia, and hyperthermia when left alone in a vehicle. Interior temperatures can reach extreme levels and become dangerous—even potentially fatal—in under half an hour. Don’t leave kids (or pets) unattended in a vehicle.
307
Fatal Accidents Testing Positive for Drug Involvement in Illinois
292,437
Annual Distracted Driving Related Crashes in Illinois
28
Years in Illinois Prison for Vehicular Homicide Caused by a Drunk Driver
