The Illinois Vehicle Code violations you should recognize at 70 mph in the dark. Citations are to 625 ILCS 5 unless another chapter is shown. Search by keyword or statute number.
Verify before you cite. This table is a memory aid. Statute text, fine schedules, and classifications change every session. Confirm the current language at ilga.gov (625 ILCS 5) and against your department's citation guide.
Section
Violation
Category
Field notes
Key case law for the roadside
Whren v. United States (1996): any objective traffic violation justifies a stop regardless of subjective motive.
Heien v. North Carolina (2014): a reasonable mistake of law can support reasonable suspicion.
Rodriguez v. United States (2015): no extending the stop beyond its mission without independent reasonable suspicion.
Pennsylvania v. Mimms (1977) / Maryland v. Wilson (1997): driver and passengers may be ordered out.
Arizona v. Gant (2009): search incident to arrest of a vehicle only if arrestee is unsecured and within reach, or it is reasonable to believe evidence of the offense of arrest is inside.
Michigan v. Long (1983): protective sweep of passenger compartment on reasonable belief of danger and weapon access.
Illinois v. Caballes (2005): a K9 sniff during a lawful stop is not a search, but see Rodriguez on timing.
People v. Redmond (Ill. 2024): odor of burnt cannabis alone is not probable cause to search.
People v. Molina (Ill. 2024): odor of raw cannabis addressed under the odor-proof container requirement. Confirm current status with your State's Attorney.
People v. Hackett (Ill. 2012): a single, brief lane deviation can support a stop for improper lane usage where the officer observed the vehicle cross the lane line.
