Legal Question in Traffic Law in Illinois

I live in Belleville, Illinois and just recently received a ticket for passing a stopped school bus on a 3 lane roadway, with the center lane being a left turn lane. The bus was stopped in the opposite lane I was traveling in and the center left turn lane seperated us. From what I've read, Illinois law only talks about passing a school bus on two and four lane roadways not a 3 lane roadway. Is this a true violation? What are my chances of having the violation amended to a lesser offense seeing how I have a clean driving record with no tickets in over 10+ years? Should I retain a lawyer?


Asked on 2/12/13, 11:08 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Stephen Messutta

Based on your information, you are right and wrong as this is not a "3-lane" roadway, but a 2-lane with center turn lane. The center turn lane is not meant for driving as such, so it is not counted for these purposes. A true 3-lane roadway would have 2-driving lanes in one direction and 1 in the opposite direction. If you can afford 1 moving violation for any reason, you can try to explain the situation to the judge but remember that ignorance of the law is generally no excuse, so if you want to try to keep that perfect driving record it would be worth while to have an attorney accompany you.

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Answered on 2/12/13, 2:57 pm


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