Subject Index Vehicle Code

In August, legislation amended the Illinois Vehicle Code by eliminating the three-year limit on a prison sentence for a first-time DUI offense.

In July, new legislation amended the Unified Code of Corrections making drivers who are convicted of a fourth or subsequent DUI offense ineligible for probation.

Before adjourning, the General Assembly sent a number of bills to Gov. Ryan to amend the Illinois Vehicle Code.

Representative Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, hopes a new proposal will cut down on the number of "rubbernecking" drivers who fail to yield to emergency vehicles.

Senate Bill 28, sponsored by Senator John Cullerton, D-Chicago, would make leaving a child under the age of 11 unattended in a motor vehicle a misdemeanor.

A law requiring motorists on Illinois highways to use tarpaulins or covers in some instances will now require many of those same vehicles to have effective tailgates.

Drivers operating amplified stereo systems that can be heard for more than 75 feet outside the vehicle are once again subject to punishment by state law.

During one of the briefest legislative sessions in recent memory, the General Assembly ended a four-month controversy over whether illegally transporting firearms should be considered a felony or misdemeanor in Illinois.

Pursuant to Public Act 91-469, "[a] person who drives a vehicle ... at a speed that is 40 miles per hour or more in excess of the applicable maximum speed limit" commits a Class A misdemeanor.

As of January 1, 2000, Illinois drivers who own or operate vehicles containing hidden compartments may be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. Public Act 91-359 amends the Vehicle Code by making it illegal to own or operate a motor vehicle when a person knows the vehicle contains a false or secret compartment.

On November 18, 1999, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the appellate court s finding that the sound amplification statute, known as section 12-611 of the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/12-611 (West 1999)), is an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.

Public Act 91-130 amends 625 ILCS 5/12-201 to require all motor vehicles except motorcycles to ''exhibit at least 2 lighted head lamps ... during the period from sunset to sunrise ...''

Public Act 91-487 creates 625 ILCS 5/11-1304.5, which prohibits parking a motor vehicle with an expired Illinois registration on a public thoroughfare.

On September 28, 1998 the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency adopted 24 amendments and added 16 new subsections to section 276. 35 Ill Adm Code 276.