Safe Teen Driving Blog

Teenage drivers in Illinois may soon face even tighter restrictions on their driving privileges. On March 27th, the Illinois Senate passed Senate Bill 172, which was sponsored by Senator John Cullerton, a Democrat from Chicago. The intention of the Bill is to restrict the conditions under which newer drivers are on the road, in order to reduce the number of fatalities among teenage drivers.

The new laws would toughen the older version of restrictions placed on drivers within this age group. These changes would make the teenage driving laws and graduated license program in Illinois the strictest in the country. Changes to the old regulations would include:

• Decreasing the nighttime hours of the driving curfew, requiring teens to be off the roads by 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends.
• Further restrictions on who is permitted to be a passenger in a car with a teenage driver.
• An extended period for learners permits, triple the length of time of a current learners permit.
  

These laws have been well received within the Senate, passing with a 54-2 vote. Of the two who voted against the Bill, one claimed to not understand the package. The other opposed to the new laws claimed that the responsibility for these teenage drivers should be in the hands of their parents, not the state. The Bill will head to the State House of Representatives for their approval before becoming law.

Outside the State Legislature, Senator Jesse White was recognized for his contributions to reducing teenage driving fatalities by the National Highway Safety Administration. He received a Public Service Award for his work in establishing the Teen Driver Safety Task Force. With research from this project, Senator White's office drafted the Bill that was just passed by the Senate.

Sen. White received his award in front of 2500 people at the National Lifesavers Conference in Chicago. He stated that he was honored to have the recognition for his office in their work toward reducing the number of teen traffic deaths and injuries within the state. He hopes that the new Bill will further reduce the fatalities and deaths among young drivers.