Sign and drive bill passes House
Friday, May 23, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Good news about a good idea…
Legislation approved Thursday by the Illinois House would allow drivers to simply sign their ticket rather than surrender their license when they receive a traffic citation.
The “sign-and-drive” legislation passed unanimously in the House, 116-0, and had already been approved in the Senate. It now goes to the governor.
Currently, drivers in many Illinois jurisdictions are required to surrender their driver’s license to the police officer when they receive a traffic ticket. The driver gets the license back after the ticket is resolved. The system is designed to ensure that the driver doesn’t skip court or otherwise disregard the ticket.
Under the bill, the secretary of state’s office would be required to temporarily suspend the driver’s license if he or she doesn’t appear for court.
In the post 9/11 world, people need their driver’s licenses for identification. It’s as simple as that.
- McDouble - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 8:51 am:
What’s the bill number?
- Finally Out (formerly Ready to Get Out) - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 8:58 am:
Finally, some intelligent legislation!
- Dan Johnson - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 9:04 am:
It’s SB2583 and it is actually back in the Senate on concurrence.
- frustrated GOP - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 9:04 am:
thank god. Perhaps tax reform is next for them.
this actually makes sense and yes, you need it to walk into more and more buildings. no ID, no entrance.
- Nation - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 9:06 am:
In the post 9/11 world, people should also need their drivers license to vote, buy alcohol, sign contracts, get married, etc. but, since we live in the great state of illegal activity, you won’t need to show an ID to vote.
- Skeptic - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 9:10 am:
Nation: Yes you do. You have to sign a form and your signature has to match the signature you provided when you registered. With your ID.
- Da Moat - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 9:17 am:
Not so sure about that Illinois, Skeptic. The election judge, if doing their job correctly, matches the voters signature on his voter registration application in the book against the ballot application the voter signed immediately prior at the polling place. No ID required.
- Skeptic - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 9:22 am:
Da Moat: That’s actually what I said (or at least meant to say.) The ID is provided at registration, not at voting time. And I was further arguing (implicitly, I admit) that the signature *is* the ID at voting time.
- A guy... - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 9:23 am:
I once had to use a Passport to get from O’Hare to Ohio because of this. About time.
- VanillaMan - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 10:08 am:
Good.
If getting a ticket wasn’t bad enough, losing your license made the situation worse.
- Union Man - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 10:26 am:
Wish the GA would do something about all those without insurance or driving on a suspended license. Every week our local paper lists 3 - 5 traffic stops where the driver has either no insurance or is driving on a suspended license. The local police said if we arrested everyone with either of these issues our jails would be full. So what! I follow the laws, I get hit and the other driver has no insurance, I get screwed. Simple fix… no insurance, suspended license, just impound the car!! $500.00 to get it back or the police sell it. After people start losing their ride, they’ll either wise up or walk!! Common sense people.
- downstate commissioner - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 11:46 am:
Union Man-our local police seldom write speeding tickets-more money from suspended or revoked licenses- amazes me how many people have multiple violations of this-same names in the paper all the time. Looks like a 2nd offense would at least have jail time.
- Excessively Rabid - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 12:11 pm:
==It’s as simple as that. ==
Guess I’m the only one who would still whip out his Farm Bureau bail bond card if I got a ticket.
- onevoter - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 12:55 pm:
Thanks, this bill makes sense
- Chris - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 1:10 pm:
“Guess I’m the only one who would still whip out his Farm Bureau bail bond card if I got a ticket.”
AAA Bond Card, here.
But I also spent the $5 to get a state ID, to have just in case.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 1:26 pm:
==The local police said if we arrested everyone with either of these issues our jails would be full.==
We’d have room after all the wasted space is cleared out from ending our racist drug war.
- Just The Way It Is One - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 3:26 pm:
Good. It’s about time. This reform was LONG-overdue. (Plus, there was something that just FELT pugnacious, like adding salt to a wound in a matter in which you might end up NOT being found to have committed a violation after all, and about just seeing that Officer walking away with something of such importance to the Holder of that License, and knowing you’d have to live withOUT a Card so vital for an array of things for so long, like needing it at your Bank to make a withdrawal or something)…!
- Palanon - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 3:36 pm:
I thought that we *used* to have a policy like this in Illinois…
More recently, I had a big ticket and had to get a State of Illinois ID in order to fly out to my brother’s wedding in California. Once there, I used that same ID to rent a car. =:-O
- Retired ISP - Friday, May 23, 14 @ 4:14 pm:
To Palanon,
Illinois did have sign and drive for Illinois licensed drivers in the mid 80s……it did not last long because so many Illinois drivers did not pay the fine or go to court if required. I believe the Illinois Supreme Court rescinded the sign and drive program for Illinois drivers shortly thereafter via Supreme Court bonding rules.