Your Illinois driving record is used first and foremost by the Secretary of State's office, to keep track of your driving habits and the number of accidents and violations you have accumulated. If your Illinois driving record indicates that you consistently use poor judgment or violate the rules of the road, the Secretary of State's office may take away your driving privileges. For example, if you are over 21 and you are convicted of 3 or more traffic offenses in a one-year period, you may lose your license. If you are under 21 and get convicted of 2 or more traffic offenses in 2 years, you could also lose your license.

You won't necessarily lose your license after 3 tickets, however. Whether or not the state actually takes it away depends on how severe the violations were. To track the severity of traffic offenses, Illinois uses a point system. Each time you get convicted of a traffic ticket, points are added to your license. The number of points you have when you get that final conviction determines the action that the state takes against your license. Another factor that influences the actions taken against you is if you've had your license suspended or revoked within the past 7 years.

Here are some helpful tables to give you a better picture of how this system works:

If you are under 21 and have 2 or more convictions BUT you have never had your license suspended before:

If you are under 21 and have 2 or more convictions AND your license has already been suspended or revoked within the past 7 years:

If you are over 21 and have 3 or more convictions in one year BUT your license has not been suspended or revoked in the past 7 years: 

If you are over 21, have 3 or more convictions in 12 months, and your license has been suspended or revoked within the past 7 years:

We hope this will never be an issue for you, but you should understand that if you get 3 or more traffic convictions in a year and you have more than 2 suspensions or revocations in a 7 year period on your record, the penalties do continue to get harsher, with longer suspensions for fewer points. Also, if you have traffic convictions on your record, you'll have to re-take the driving test once every 8 years in order to renew your driver's license.

The Illinois Secretary of State's office does not just use your driving record to punish you, however. Illinois residents without any accidents or violations on their driving record for the past 4 years or more can renew their driver's licenses easily through the Safe Driver Renewal Program. This program allows Illinois drivers to renew their driver's licenses conveniently from home, using the telephone, Internet or the postal service.

Employers also use your Illinois driving record, particularly if you have a company car or if you drive for a living. In these circumstances, having accidents or traffic convictions on your Illinois driving

record could cause your employer to re-evaluate your fitness for your current position. If you are looking for a new job, be aware that many employers will look at your driving record and use the information contained on it as part of their screening process.