One of the last barriers to ageism in Illinois — driver’s license tests for senior citizens — may be coming down. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias wants to hike the age at which drivers must take a road test to 87.
Currently, Illinois is the only state in the nation that requires a behind-the-wheel driving test for seniors based on age. Giannoulias is teaming with AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, to change state law which now requires seniors to take road tests beginning at age 79.
In our neighbor to the north, Wisconsin, drivers are required to renew their licenses every eight years, but are not required to take a driving test, regardless of age. Indiana did away with mandated driving tests for seniors in 2005. The last state to drop the requirement was New Hampshire in 2011, leaving only Illinois forcing elder drivers to take road tests.
“Seniors are among the safest drivers of any age category,” Giannoulias said in a statement when announcing the legislative push last week. “This measure will align Illinois senior driving standards with the rest of the nation while increasing safeguards so that Illinois maintains its status as one of the strictest states when it comes to driver safety and license renewals.”
He also is proposing as part of the legislative package a law allowing aging drivers’ family members to submit a written report to the Secretary of State’s Office about a relative’s driving abilities which might be hampered by medical or cognitive reasons. Illinois is one of only five states that do not allow that to happen.
According to Giannoulias, one of the chief sponsors of House Bill 1226, the Road Safety & Fairness Act, to be filed for the legislature’s spring session, is 61st House District Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee. Accompanying legislation also will be drafted for consideration in the Illinois Senate.
Statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation show that in 2023 the crash rate for drivers 75 and older was 24.61 per 1,000 drivers, which is lower than every age range of drivers between 16 and 74 years old. Crash rates among senior drivers in the Badger State are comparable to those in Illinois.
However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says drivers age 70 and older have higher crash death rates per 1,000 accidents than middle-aged drivers (those age 35 to 54). That is because, according to the CDC, senior drivers are more vulnerable to injuries incurred in wrecks.
In 2022, the latest data showed there were almost 52 million licensed drivers age 65 and older in the U.S. That represented a 77% increase since 2004, according to the CDC.
The number of senior drivers is expected to increase in the coming decades. With life expectancy rising, those presently 65 years old can expect to live nearly another 20 years, according to demographers. In 2025, a record 4.2 million Americans will turn 65.
The age for mandatory driving tests for Illinois seniors was raised temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 75 to 79. That measure became permanent last year after a study commissioned by the Secretary of State’s Office found no significant increases in crashes per licensed driver in older age ranges.
Under the proposed legislation, drivers ages 79 and 80 still would be required to visit a DMV facility if they need to renew their driver’s licenses, but would not have to take a road test. They would, though, need to take a vision test, along with a written test depending on their driving record.
Additionally, drivers between the ages of 81 and 86 would still be required to visit a Secretary of State’s Office to renew their license every two years, which is a shorter renewal period than most Illinois drivers, which is every four years. They, again, would have to take a vision test, and written test if they have a driving violation, but would not have to take a road test.
For drivers age 87 and older, Giannoulias said they would continue to be required to renew their licenses every year, which would include vision and behind-the-wheel driving tests, as is current state law. Possibly a written exam would be compulsory depending on driving records.
Democrat Giannoulias, who took office in January 2023, has been compiling an impressive and sizable portfolio of innovations in the Secretary of State’s Office. Changing senior-citizen driving requirements is but one of them.
Others include license-renewal kiosks inside retail stores; “skip the line” appointment-only visits for in-person license and tag renewals; using iPhone or Apple watches to show driver’s licenses and state IDs; turning one of the state’s busiest DMVs in DuPage County into the state’s first drive-through kiosk; and installation of EV charging stations at DMV sites.
So far, it’s an enviable record and one that could be presented to voters if Giannoulias seeks higher office or re-election. The state post has seen several occupants, such as Republicans Jim Edgar and George Ryan, rise to governor.
Democrat Alan Dixon went from secretary of state to U.S. senator. Giannoulias ran for the Senate in 2010. He came close, but lost to Republican Mark Kirk of Highland Park. There may be a U.S. Senate opening if incumbent Dick Durbin decides soon not to seek re-election in 2026.
Such opportunities don’t come often, and Giannoulias surely would get backing from aging senior drivers who long have suffered from false narratives about their driving abilities.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
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