In Illinois, the minimum legal drinking age is 21 years. Licenses for
drivers under 21 are issued with a red header and a blue photo
background. Effective January 2003 under 21 licenses say “Under 21 Until”
… and “Under 18 Until” …. Under 21 licenses issued prior to January
2003 have a red header above the photo and the words “Under 21.” If you
are under age 21 and convicted of DUI:
- the Secretary of State’s office will revoke your driving privileges
for a minimum of two years. A second DUI conviction will result in a
license revocation for a minimum of five years or until you reach age
21, whichever is longer. A third DUI conviction, which is a Class 4
felony, will result in a minimum 10-year revocation. A fourth DUI
conviction will result in a lifetime revocation. Your license also will
be suspended for conviction of illegal transportation or possession of
alcohol. - the Secretary of State’s office may issue you a restricted license
after one year, but under no conditions will an RDP be issued until the
age of 16. This license may be used between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9
p.m. or as otherwise provided. It is valid for one year. Then, you
would be evaluated again by the Secretary of State’s office. - you may be fined up to $2,500 and given a jail sentence of up to
one year. - you may be directed to participate in a Youthful Intoxicated
Driver’s Visitation Program.
If you are under 21 and are arrested for any traffic violation and
found to have a trace of alcohol in your system while operating a motor
vehicle, your driving privileges will be suspended for three months. If
you refuse to submit to testing, your driving privileges will be
suspended for six months. If you are a second offender, your privileges
will be suspended for 12 months if you fail or 24 months if you refuse to
test. Your suspension begins on the 46th day from the notice date and
will not be terminated until you pay the reinstatement fee and your
record is updated. If you were suspended prior to age 18, you will be
required to successfully complete a driver remedial education course to
make your driving privileges valid again. In addition, you may be
required to submit to a complete driver’s license examination to be
re-issued a driver’s license. A traffic stop for Zero Tolerance can be
upgraded to a DUI arrest depending on test results or a test refusal, at
the discretion of the investigating officer.
Any person under the age of 21 that is convicted of illegal
consumption, attempting to purchase or possession of alcohol, or
accepting an alcoholic beverage as a gift, will lose their driving
privileges for one year.
