Explaining the ‘Roll Down Your Window’ Law When Being Pulled Over in Illinois

Most of us have probably experienced the heart-stopping moment of getting pulled over. You may be in fright mode when it happens, but there are some important things you need to know if it happens.

When I got pulled over for speeding, I had a literal pit in my stomach. I remember taking my Mom to lunch afterward and asking,  "On a scale of 1-10, 10 being good, what kind of mood are you in?" before I told her the news. She'll never let me live that question down haha!

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When I'm scared or nervous, my critical thinking skills go out the window. If you end up getting pulled over for some reason, there are important things you need to know. But even I didn't know there were literal rules about rolling your window down.

Laws About Rolling Your Window Down At Traffic Stops in Illinois

According to The Law Office of Doyle & James, LLC, this is the proper protocol.

While you may initially roll your window down partially to provide documents, the officer may request that you roll your window all the way down. Courts rule that this request does not violate the constitution and non-compliance could lead to additional charges.

This one's kind of a given, but it's important to know that you should keep your hands visible to the officer by keeping them on the wheel after providing documents.

So basically, it's situational. You can crack the window enough to speak and provide necessary documents, but if instructed to you should roll it down.

Hopefully, this isn't the future for you or me, but now it's good to know haha!