Here's a list of front seat laws by state. There are no laws on the back seat issue in Illinois, only laws that say [a]ny person transporting a child under the age of 8 years shall be responsible for securing that child in an appropriate child restraint system, more commonly called a child safety seat..
- A defendant shall serve his answer within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint upon him. A party served with a pleading stating a crossclaim against him shall serve an answer thereto within 30 days after service upon him.
Summons must be applied for within 6 months of the offence. It may be issued after the six months. It may be served months after it is issued. I have seen summons served 10 months after the offence. It frequently happens that the first day in court is nearly a year after the offence. The most likely scenario is that the summons will be posted and if there is no appearance the matter will go ahead in the absence of the accused.