With a new plan that would raise the age for the state-mandated yearly driver’s test, Illinois lawmakers are taking steps to help older drivers preserve their independence behind the wheel.
About 350,000 people in Illinois may be impacted by House Bill 1226, also known as the Road Safety and Fairness Act, which would raise the bar for requiring this test from 79 to 87.
If approved, the bill would align Illinois’ driving laws with those of other states, where tests for older drivers are generally less frequent.
Campaigns to improve the driving test results for license renewals
Recently, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias declared his support for the Road Safety and Fairness Act, which would raise the legal age at which drivers in Illinois must undergo a road test in order to renew their licenses.
Illinois is the only state with such a stringent age-based requirement, requiring drivers 79 years of age and older to take this “behind-the-wheel” test.
After years of lobbying by lawmakers and safety advocates to raise the test’s age threshold, the proposed bill has gained support from lawmakers of all parties. It also seeks to establish more transparent protocols for detecting and reporting dangerous drivers.
If approved, this bill would address issues of road safety and equity for senior drivers while also bringing Illinois closer to other states’ driving regulations.
Seniors in the state are most concerned about road tests
In fact, compared to other age groups, older drivers have lower crash rates, according to state data. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the crash rate for drivers 75 and older was the lowest of any age group in 2023, at just 24.61 per 1,000 drivers.
According to the Secretary of State’s 2023 Study on Age-Related Driving Abilities, this trend has persisted since at least 2018.
On the other hand, younger and middle-aged drivers have crash rates that are more than twice as high as those of senior drivers. Seniors in his area, which includes Chicago, are particularly concerned about the road test requirement, according to state senator Ram Villivalam, who chairs the Illinois Senate Transportation Committee.
The test was previously only applicable to people over 75, but during the pandemic, a temporary measure increased the threshold to 79. Last year, the age restriction was made permanent after a study found no discernible rise in collisions among senior drivers.
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Depending on the age of the driver, the proposed law would still require in-person license renewals at a DMV location every one to four years, even though it would eliminate the driving test requirement for some age groups. Every four years, drivers between the ages of 79 and 80 would have to renew their licenses in person.
Individuals aged 87 and above would have to renew in person every year, while those between the ages of 81 and 86 would have to do it every two years. All age groups would also need to take a vision test.
Family members would also be able to report concerns about unsafe driving under the Road Safety and Fairness Act. Illinois is currently one of only five states that forbids members of one’s immediate family from bringing up concerns regarding a relative’s driving skills.
AARP Illinois is in favor of this new legislation, which aims to alter that policy.
The nation’s driving laws are constantly being updated, and license renewal changes are just one of many changes that states are witnessing.
