Latest news with #RoadSafetyandFairnessAct
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Raising age for mandatory driving tests an assault on common sense
May 30—Members of the House and Senate recently passed a bill that increases the age requiring an annual driving test from 79 to 87. It's an obvious ploy designed to appeal to older voters. Unfortunately, it's also an affront to public safety. It's probably unrealistic to expect Gov. J.B. Pritzker to veto this legislative monstrosity. After all, he's not above appealing to specific interest groups to collect a few extra votes. But in the name of common sense, he needs to act responsibly. So what if he runs the risk of a veto override? Under current law, a driver between 79 and 81 who seeks a license renewal must take a driver's test. Those between 81 and 86 are required to take a test every two years. Those 87 and older have to take a test every year. Under proposed rules, drivers between 79 and 86 will only have to take a vision test and, if they have a driving violation, a written test. Mandatory testing is for those 87 and up. The legislation is dubbed the "Road Safety and Fairness Act." Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with either. It's no more unfair to require a super senior to take a mandatory test than it is unfair to ask new 16-year-old drivers to meet special conditions to obtain a license. Further, what does public safety have to do with allowing those 79 and above not to have to prove their ability to drive in a safe manner? Very young people suffer from immaturity, poor judgment and impulsive behavior. Very old people lack the physical strength, mental acuity and strong reflexes they enjoyed during their middle and older ages. Those are just facts, whether people want to recognize them or not. Denying reality in this case is a prescription for easily avoidable danger on our roads and highways. Those who foolishly defend this grant of deference to super seniors claim that they are, at least statistically, among the safest driving groups. That's mostly because they do not drive much, prefer not to drive at night and try to avoid heavily congested areas. What does that tell the public? Super seniors know, better than anyone, that they are not now what they once were. Now, obviously, that does not apply across the board. There may well be many seniors who still have what it takes to drive in their 80s. What's the harm in requiring them to demonstrate their capabilities? The current age of 79 for mandatory testing looks more than fair. It's nonsensical to suggest, as some have, that it's unduly burdensome to require super seniors to show up at a license facility to take a test. On the other hand, there's great potential of harm in allowing super seniors, willy nilly, to get behind the wheel, where they might pose a threat to themselves and others. This new law represents a total abandonment of common sense for what appears to be a purely political purpose. Please, Gov. Pritzker, save the pubic from what the yahoos in the House and Senate have wrought.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Illinois lawmakers pass bill to raise age of senior driving tests
If signed by governor, seniors won't have to take an annual driving test until the age of 87 By JADE AUBREYCapitol News Illinoisjaubrey@ SPRINGFIELD – A bill unanimously passed by the Senate on Thursday and on its way to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk will increase the age that senior drivers in Illinois are required to take an annual driver's test. Currently, if a driver renews their driver's license between the ages of 79 and 80, they are required to take a driving test. Drivers between 81 and 86 are required to take a driving test every two years, and drivers 87 and older have to take the test annually. If Pritzker signs House Bill 1226, sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, only drivers 87 and older will have to take an annual driver's test. Illinois drivers between 79 and 86 won't be required to take a driver's test to renew their license; instead, they'll only have to take a vision test, and if they have a driving violation, a written test. The bill would also allow a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling or child of any Illinois driver to submit medical information about the driver to the secretary of state if they think the person's medical condition interferes with their driving abilities. Currently, only medical officials, police officers and state's attorneys can submit such information. HB 1226, also called the Road Safety and Fairness Act, has garnered bipartisan support. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced his support for the bill in January alongside lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. The bill was conceived by a constituent of Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, last year. The bill has 86 cosponsors in the House and 35 in the Senate. Illinois is the only state that requires seniors to pass a driving test solely due to their age. But state data indicates that older drivers tend to have lower crash rates. In 2023, the crash rate for drivers aged 75 and older was 24.61 per 1,000 drivers, which was lower than any other age group, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. The low crash rate has been consistent since at least 2018, according to the Secretary of State's Office's 2023 Study on Age-Related Driving Abilities. The crash rate is more than double for many of the other age groups.
