Illinois Teen Driving Law changes??
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Illinois Teen Driving Law changes??
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Teen-driving reform gains momentum
Lawmakers vow to toughen state regulations
By Crystal Yednak
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 25, 2007
Lawmakers stood with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White on Wednesday and pledged to push teen-driving legislation that would make Illinois' licensing system one of the toughest in the nation.
Advocates for tightening teen-driving laws lauded the proposal, saying it will close gaps in Illinois law and make roads safer for everyone.
"It sends a very strong message from top state officials that they're very serious about trying to reduce the number of teen deaths," said Judie Stone, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
The legislation was drafted by a task force convened by White in response to the Tribune's yearlong examination of the root causes of accidents involving teen drivers.
The bill would triple the length of time a teen must hold a learner's permit, tighten night driving restrictions and make teen drivers wait longer before they are allowed to carry more than one unrelated teen passenger.
The law would also require students to get six hours of behind-the-wheel training from a certified driving instructor. The Tribune reported that some driver's education courses gave students less than two hours of behind-the-wheel instruction.
White and the lawmakers also seek to establish a true graduated licensing system that imposes restrictions on 16- and 17-year-old drivers, easing those limits as teens gain experience and maintain a clean record.
Stone's group evaluated each state's driving laws this month and gave Illinois a high rating. But passage of the bill would further elevate the state's record on driving laws, she said.
"If this package of laws is to pass, and I certainly hope it does, [Illinois] will have definitely improved its graduated driver licensing program to be among the very best in the nation," Stone said.
Underscoring the point of the legislation, White and lawmakers passed out a page from the Tribune's "Teens at the Wheel" series that features photos and names of 59 teens killed last year in crashes involving teen drivers.
"We understand [driving] is a rite of passage," said state Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Collinsville), co-chair of White's task force. "We understand it is important to many parts of Illinois to have 16-year-olds driving and we don't want to take that right away. But we want them as they grow up to make sure that they also will be able to grow old."
The lawmakers said the proposal will be brought to the legislature in February. While they are confident it will win broad support, they expect some opposition, especially to some of the more controversial elements of the plan.
The Democratic leaders who control the House and Senate have not weighed in, and lack of support from them would hurt the proposal's chances.
"In highway safety, for the most part, there's not really any organized lobbying efforts against the bill," said state Sen. John Cullerton (D-Chicago), a longtime supporter of highway safety bills in Illinois and the lead sponsor of the teen driving bill. "The problem is some legislators have a perception that some of their constituents do not want to have highway safety laws passed."
Also, some lawmakers will not welcome new driving restrictions in rural or suburban areas where mass transit isn't an option.
Among the more controversial elements is a restriction that newly licensed teens could not drive after 10 p.m. on weekdays, forcing parents to do more driving.
House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego applauded the task force's efforts and said provisions such as extending the learner's permit phase or restricting the number of teens in a car probably would be well received.
But Cross and other lawmakers said they need to see more details of the plan.
"This is something we need to dive into," he said.
Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville) said he has heard from parents in his district who are concerned about how nighttime restrictions would affect the ability of their children to get home from work or team practices. But Black said as long as the bill includes an exemption for teens driving to school activities or work--which the current version does include--those fears should be allayed.
Black also said the cost of a provision that would require schools to provide six hours of supervised driving time on the street could be a problem for some school districts.
"If we're going to mandate these things, we need to find money for it," he said.
White and the proposal's backers said they were prepared to press for more funding to schools to provide the six hours of supervised instruction.
"We must do more to protect our young drivers so they may live a long and productive life," White said.
Lawmakers vow to toughen state regulations
By Crystal Yednak
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 25, 2007
Lawmakers stood with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White on Wednesday and pledged to push teen-driving legislation that would make Illinois' licensing system one of the toughest in the nation.
Advocates for tightening teen-driving laws lauded the proposal, saying it will close gaps in Illinois law and make roads safer for everyone.
"It sends a very strong message from top state officials that they're very serious about trying to reduce the number of teen deaths," said Judie Stone, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
The legislation was drafted by a task force convened by White in response to the Tribune's yearlong examination of the root causes of accidents involving teen drivers.
The bill would triple the length of time a teen must hold a learner's permit, tighten night driving restrictions and make teen drivers wait longer before they are allowed to carry more than one unrelated teen passenger.
The law would also require students to get six hours of behind-the-wheel training from a certified driving instructor. The Tribune reported that some driver's education courses gave students less than two hours of behind-the-wheel instruction.
White and the lawmakers also seek to establish a true graduated licensing system that imposes restrictions on 16- and 17-year-old drivers, easing those limits as teens gain experience and maintain a clean record.
Stone's group evaluated each state's driving laws this month and gave Illinois a high rating. But passage of the bill would further elevate the state's record on driving laws, she said.
"If this package of laws is to pass, and I certainly hope it does, [Illinois] will have definitely improved its graduated driver licensing program to be among the very best in the nation," Stone said.
Underscoring the point of the legislation, White and lawmakers passed out a page from the Tribune's "Teens at the Wheel" series that features photos and names of 59 teens killed last year in crashes involving teen drivers.
"We understand [driving] is a rite of passage," said state Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Collinsville), co-chair of White's task force. "We understand it is important to many parts of Illinois to have 16-year-olds driving and we don't want to take that right away. But we want them as they grow up to make sure that they also will be able to grow old."
The lawmakers said the proposal will be brought to the legislature in February. While they are confident it will win broad support, they expect some opposition, especially to some of the more controversial elements of the plan.
The Democratic leaders who control the House and Senate have not weighed in, and lack of support from them would hurt the proposal's chances.
"In highway safety, for the most part, there's not really any organized lobbying efforts against the bill," said state Sen. John Cullerton (D-Chicago), a longtime supporter of highway safety bills in Illinois and the lead sponsor of the teen driving bill. "The problem is some legislators have a perception that some of their constituents do not want to have highway safety laws passed."
Also, some lawmakers will not welcome new driving restrictions in rural or suburban areas where mass transit isn't an option.
Among the more controversial elements is a restriction that newly licensed teens could not drive after 10 p.m. on weekdays, forcing parents to do more driving.
House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego applauded the task force's efforts and said provisions such as extending the learner's permit phase or restricting the number of teens in a car probably would be well received.
But Cross and other lawmakers said they need to see more details of the plan.
"This is something we need to dive into," he said.
Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville) said he has heard from parents in his district who are concerned about how nighttime restrictions would affect the ability of their children to get home from work or team practices. But Black said as long as the bill includes an exemption for teens driving to school activities or work--which the current version does include--those fears should be allayed.
Black also said the cost of a provision that would require schools to provide six hours of supervised driving time on the street could be a problem for some school districts.
"If we're going to mandate these things, we need to find money for it," he said.
White and the proposal's backers said they were prepared to press for more funding to schools to provide the six hours of supervised instruction.
"We must do more to protect our young drivers so they may live a long and productive life," White said.
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