Teens
to spend more time behind wheel before licensed
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[JUNE 23, 2006]
SPRINGFIELD -- On Thursday, Gov. Rod R.
Blagojevich signed a new law, initiated by Secretary of State Jesse
White, that increases the amount of time teenage drivers must spend
in behind-the-wheel instruction before they can receive their
driver's license.
House Bill 4768, sponsored by Rep. John D'Amico, D-Chicago, and
Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, doubles the amount of
behind-the-wheel training teens must have from 25 to 50 hours and
requires that 10 of those hours be driven at night. Traffic crashes
are the leading cause of teenage fatalities -- and teenage drivers
have a fatality rate that is nearly two times higher than older
drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death
for 15- to 20-year-olds nationwide.
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"Defensive driving means
that even if you're doing everything right, you still have to worry
about everyone else on the road," Blagojevich said. "And there's
probably no group of drivers on the road that worry the rest of us
more than teenage drivers. Driving is about instinct. It's about
experience. And when you first start driving, those are two things
you just don't have. The bill I'm signing today will help make sure
that teenage drivers are better trained and more experienced, and
that should make the roads safer for all of us." According to the
Centers for Disease Control, two out of five deaths among U.S. teens
are the result of a motor vehicle crash. The Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety reports that, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16
to 19 are four times more likely to crash than older drivers.
"I want to commend Governor Blagojevich and the members of the
General Assembly for helping establish this new law that will
undoubtedly save the lives of more young drivers," said White.
"Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age
15 to 20. I believe this proposal will help give our young people
more experience behind the wheel, in a variety of situations,
helping them to become better, safer drivers."
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In addition to doubling the amount time of time teens must spend
practicing driving from 25 hours to 50 hours, and requiring 10
night-driving hours, House Bill 4768 also clarifies that written
consent from a parent or guardian must accompany a teen's driver's
license application, regardless of whether or not a consent form
accompanied a previous application for an instruction permit. The
bill is effective immediately.
"This a good bill because it gives teenagers more experience
before they get behind the wheel," said D'Amico, who sponsored the
legislation in the House. "It gives parents one more tool to work
with before their child gets behind the wheel. Hopefully it will
save lives along the way."
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"It takes practice to become a good driver," said Cullerton, Senate
sponsor of the bill. "Novice teen drivers will be better prepared
for situations on the road if they have logged more time behind the
wheel with an instructor." The governor has made improving traffic
safety issues a priority for his administration and has actively
supported legislation to reduce fatalities on our state's highways.
Previous traffic safety measures signed by the governor include
these:
-
A law that bans teen
drivers from carrying more than one passenger for the first six
months after receiving his or her license.
-
A law that bans cell
phone use by drivers under 18.
-
Requiring drivers
under 18 to make sure that their teen passengers are buckled
properly in the front and back seats.
-
The primary seat belt
enforcement law, which allows officers to stop and ticket
drivers for not wearing a seat belt.
-
A law that raised the
age at which children must be in booster seats from 4 to 8.
Officials at the Illinois Department of Transportation credit
these measures with helping reduce the number of fatalities from
1,454 in 2003 to 1,355 in 2004 and 2005. In addition, an annual
survey found that seat belt usage increased by 10 percent from 2003
to 2005, from 76 percent to 86 percent.
"We've certainly made progress in terms of reducing fatalities
and encouraging greater seat belt use," said Illinois Department of
Transportation Secretary Timothy W. Martin. "But we've still got
more work to do. These measures signed by the governor should help
save more lives."
[News release from the governor's
office]
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