Driving Age Change?

By Rachael Harlan
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Viewed 28846 times.

To many 16-year-olds, getting a driver's license is their chance for freedom. but something might be stopping them in their tracks.

"The bill's interesting. it actually comes up almost every year."

State Representative John D'Amico has proposed a bill to raise the minimum driving age in Illinois to the highest in the nation.

"I hope they don't really raise is to 18."

"It's very difficult on the parents if you do something like that."

Despite opposition, capitol driving school president David Phillips says there is cause for concern.

"There's a lot of statistics that say that drivers under the age of 18 are involved in much higher percentage of actually even fatal crashes."

To sit in this seat in the state of Illinois you have to meet three requirements. be at least 16, pass a driver's education course and have your parents verify you've spent at minimum 25 hours behind the wheel.

D'Amico's proposal is steering things in another direction.
Upping the age of receiving a learners permit from 15 to 17 and making sure no one under 18 has a license or a restricted license. But he says there could be an alternative.

"We are looking at right now, is the possibility of increasing the amount of hours that you put behind a wheel with your parent or an adult."

So, what are the chances these changes will happen?

"The support is there for it. People are definitely aware right now."

"Don't worry. It's not gonna happen."

The future legal age of Illinois drivers is uncertain. But if the bill becomes law Phillips says he's afraid drivers ed classrooms will be looking a lot more like this.