SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers advanced a measure that would eliminate mandatory road testing for drivers under 87 and allow people to report close relatives they believe are no longer capable of driving safely.
The bill, championed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, sailed through the Senate on Thursday by a 57-0 vote after passing 114-0 in the House last month. The bill now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk.
Lawmakers last year were unable to pass legislation that would have eliminated the road testing mandate for anyone 79 and older despite the bipartisan backing of more than 40 lawmakers and studies indicating older people get into crashes at lower rates than younger age groups.
Illinois is the only state that requires a behind-the-wheel driving test for seniors based on age, Giannoulias’ office said. New Hampshire in 2011 and Indiana in 2005 were among the last states to do away with mandatory road tests for seniors, according to the office.
The office also said Illinois is one of only a handful of states that doesn’t have a policy in place for immediate family members to report concerns about a relative’s driving ability.
Currently, drivers 79 and up are required to take vision and behind-the-wheel tests when renewing their licenses. Motorists 81 through 86 must renew their licenses every two years, instead of every four years as required for younger motorists, and drivers 87 and above must renew annually.
Under the bill now before Pritzker, vision and road testing for 87-and-up drivers would continue to be required annually. Those aged 79 through 86 would not have to take road tests, while the renewal cycles would remain the same. However, all drivers 79 and over still would have to show up in person at a driver’s services facility and take a vision exam to renew their licenses.
Giannoulias’ office said it has yet to determine the process for an “immediate family member” — defined in the legislation as a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling or child — to report to the secretary of state a relative’s unsafe driving, or how the office would respond. The reports would have to be submitted in writing and that information would remain confidential, according to the legislation.
Now, official reports on unsafe driving to the secretary of state’s office can only be made by police and other public safety or medical entities.
Giannoulias’ support for the new legislation was bolstered by a study conducted by his office that showed, going back to at least 2018, drivers 75 and over in Illinois have routinely had among the lowest rates of total crashes of any age group. While drivers from the 75-and-over age group tend to drive less than younger motorists, Giannoulias argues the study shows that older drivers do not pose a greater danger on the roads.
