During the pandemic, Illinois lawmakers temporarily modified several driver’s license requirements to ease the secretary of state’s office workload. One of the reduced requirements revolved around an age increase for driver testing.
Of the more than 9.1 million licensed drivers in Illinois, approximately 280,000 individuals are between the ages of 75 and 78 or 3% of the driving population. These are the drivers that the permanent implementation of this legislation would impact.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois General Assembly passed an act that temporarily raised the driving test age from 75 to 79. The act was scheduled to expire on January 1, 2023, until lawmakers extended the deadline to October 1, 2023, while also requesting the Secretary of State’s office to make a recommendation about the age increase being made permanent.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias released a report this week recommending an age increase for mandatory driving tests from 75 to 79. A study showed that senior drivers are among the safest in the state. Even with this change, Illinois would still have the strictest driving renewal laws in the nation.
For the past 12 years, Illinois has been the only state in the nation to require seniors to have their behind-the-wheel skills tested regularly. New Hampshire (2011) and Indiana (2005) were the last two states to remove mandatory age testing.
“As Secretary of State, road safety is a top priority of mine,” Giannoulias said. “Statistics show that seniors are among the safest drivers of any age category. This change would make Illinois driving standards for senior drivers more consistent compared to other states while keeping Illinois as one of the strictest states for license renewals.”
Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) 2022 statistics include a full year of data relating to the emergency rule that raised the age to 79. IDOT reported virtually no change in crash rates for drivers 75 and older, with a crash rate of 24.39 per 1,000 drivers, which is lower than every age range of drivers between 16 and 69 years old.
Wisconsin does not require older drivers to renew their licenses every eight years. They do not have to take a driving test, regardless of age. And senior crash rates are almost identical to seniors driving in Illinois.
Current Illinois law would remain unchanged for renewing drivers in any other age groups:
- All drivers below age 81 must renew their licenses every four years.
- Drivers aged 79 and 80 must take a vision and driving test (if their four-year renewal is up during this period).
- Drivers aged 81 to 86 must take a vision and driving test every two years.
- Drivers aged 87 and older must take a vision and driving test yearly.
Giannoulias is urging the state to adopt the rules immediately so seniors would not have to take driving tests after the October 1 deadline and before the requirements are permanent. He added that the Secretary of State’s office will continue to monitor state driving laws and advocate for changes as long Illinois roadways remain safe and Illinois drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists are protected.