SPRINGFIELD, IL (Chambana Today) – A new bill passed unanimously by the Illinois Senate is on its way to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk, aiming to change the requirements for senior drivers renewing their licenses.
House Bill 1226, also known as the Road Safety and Fairness Act, proposes raising the age at which Illinois drivers must undergo an annual driving test.
Current Illinois law requires:
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Drivers renewing between ages 79 and 80 must take a driving test;
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Drivers ages 81 to 86 must take a driving test every two years;
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Drivers 87 and older must take the test annually.
The new bill states that only drivers 87 or older will be required to take an annual driving test, while drivers between ages 79 and 86 will need to take a vision test if applicable and a written test following a driving violation. HB 1226 will also broaden who can report a potentially unsafe driver. Current law states that only medical professionals, police officers, and state’s attorneys can submit medical concerns to the Secretary of State’s office.
The bill allows family members to submit medical information if they believe a driver is potentially unsafe. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) and was originally conceived by a constituent of Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore). According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, in 2023, drivers aged 75 and older had a crash rate of 24.61 per 1,000 drivers, which has been consistent since at least 2018.
Illinois is currently the only U.S. state requiring seniors to pass a driving test solely due to age. If signed into law, HB 1226 would align Illinois more closely with other states’ renewal policies, while still maintaining safeguards for road safety through vision and written testing and medical reporting.
Governor Pritzker is expected to make a decision on the bill in the coming weeks.
