Senate approves Sen. Brady's teen driving safety legislation         

[March 30, 2007]  SPRINGFIELD -- Keeping young people safer by strengthening the requirements for their first driver's license is the goal of legislation co-sponsored by state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, and approved Tuesday by the Senate.

Based on recommendations by Secretary of State Jesse White's Teen Driver Safety Task Force, Senate Bill 172 will strengthen the state's Graduated Driver Licensing program for young drivers.

"The need for this legislation became very apparent when one of the seven counties I represent -- Tazewell County -- suffered 15 teen-driving fatalities in just 15 months," Brady said. "Sadly, there are too many more such accidents happening in other communities across the state. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among adolescents."

Senate Bill 172 increases the required permit phase for drivers younger than 18 from three months to nine months, proposes a stricter driving curfew for new drivers and sets tough penalties -- including license revocation and vehicle impoundment -- for drivers who are involved in street racing. The legislation also imposes increased penalties for new drivers who commit a moving or seatbelt violation and prohibits graduated license holders younger than 18 from having more than one passenger younger than 20 in the car for the first year they have the permit.

White's task force -- composed of legislators, traffic safety experts, law enforcement officials, educators, judges and victim advocates -- conducted public hearings in Springfield, Carterville and Chicago to study proposals aimed at keeping teen drivers safe.

Passed by a 54-2 Senate vote, Senate Bill 172 now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration. The legislation is also sponsored by state Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago.

[Text from news release sent on behalf of Sen. Bill Brady and received from Illinois Senate Republican staff]