The stakes in many trials on speeding charges in Illinois are about to get much more serious. The Illinois legislature enacted a new law, referred to as Julie’s Law, which will go into effect at the start of July of 2013. This statute greatly enhances the penalties for violations of speeding laws which are deemed serious, which could result in those convicted facing incarceration rather than simply supervision. The law was passed in response to an accident in which a 17-year-old woman named Julie was killed while a passenger in a car struck by a speeding motorist traveling 76 mph in a 40 mph zone.
Once the new law is in place, a trial judge will lose any discretion to give supervision as a sentence for a motorist charged and found guilty for traveling at a speed that is 31 miles per hour or more above a posted speed limit if the speeding took place on a highway in Illinois. The same harsh rule will also apply to speeding charges arising in urban districts such as cities and most small towns if the speeding is found to have involved speeds that were 25 miles an hour or more over posted speed limits.
In this way, the trial judge will lose any ability to take the particular circumstances of the incident or the particular circumstances of the motorist into account, which may result in many more speeders being incarcerated. Because this law significantly ups the ante involved in speeding charges, motorists charged with speeding cannot afford to take such charges lightly or to try to defend themselves without the assistance of a knowledgeable and experienced Chicago criminal defense attorney.
The Law Offices of Goldman & Associates, Chicago criminal lawyers, stand ready to provide a vigorous defense for people in Illinois charged with violations of this law or other traffic or criminal offenses. Contact our office at 773-484-3131 or 847-215-2600 if you or a family member are facing prosecution on such charges.
