In a unanimous decision by the Illinois Senate, a bill has been dispatched to Governor JB Pritzker's desk that may amend the frequency of required driving tests for senior drivers. Currently, Illinois is unique among states for mandating driving tests based purely on age. Under the existing system, drivers aged 79 to 80 face an obligatory driving test for license renewal, while those in the bracket of 81 to 86 years old take the test every two years, and those from 87 upwards must undergo annual evaluation, as reported by ABC 7 Chicago.
If the proposed House Bill 1226, introduced by Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, is ratified, this would change; the requirement for annual tests would only apply to drivers aged 87 and over, for others between 79 and 86 a mere vision test would suffice—coupled with a written test in case of a driving violation, according to Capitol News Illinois.
Moreover, the bill allows familial stakeholders—specifically, a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, or child—to contribute medical information when they perceive any medical condition that could thwart safe driving habits. A shift from the current law, which limits such reporting to solely medical officials, police officers, or state's attorneys, as per Capitol News Illinois.
To underscore its necessity, state data reveals that drivers aged 75 and older had a crash rate of 24.61 per 1,000 drivers in 2023, making them statistically safer than most other age groups—a trend that's been consistent since at least 2018, as highlighted in the Secretary of State’s Office's 2023 Study on Age-Related Driving Abilities, Capitol News Illinois noted.
