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Teen Drivers Targeted by New Illinois Law

Governor Rod Blagojevich Signs the Teen Driving Bill, Takes Effect January 1, 2008

By Nick Howes, published Aug 22, 2007
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Teen drivers in Illinois must hold learner permits for three times as long before qualifying for solo driving and get an earlier nighttime driving curfew under a new law.

Governor Rod Blagojevich has signed the Teen Driving Bill which takes effect January 1, 2008. According to a press release , the governor hopes to reduce traffic accidents, the leading cause of teen fatalities in the United States.

"As the father of two young girls who will someday be getting behind the wheel for the first time, it gives me a lot of comfort to sign this bill," said Gov. Blagojevich. "Driving takes practice and concentration -- and the consequences of not being fully trained and prepared can be deadly."

A task force commissioned by Secretary of State Jesse White provided the recommendations on which the bill covering learner's permit and graduated driver's license (GDL) requirements was based.

WHAT THE BILL COVERS

The learner's permit period goes from three to nine months.

Nighttime driving curfew applies to those up to 17-years-old instead of 16-years-old.

Weekday curfew goes from 10pm to 11pm and weekend curfew from 11pm to midnight. Exceptions are if the teen is driving with an adult, to and from work or school, and in emergency situations.

The under-18 driver may carry only one unrelated passenger under the age of 20 for 12 months rather than six. Exceptions are siblings.

Related to that provision, all passengers 15-20 riding in the car operated by a new driver may be ticketed. Previously, only the driver got ticketed.

Student drivers must complete six full fours of actual, on-the-street driving with a certified instructor. Currently, up to five of the six hours may be substituted for other educational methods such as computer simulation.

New drivers must have six months violation-free driving with a GDL before the age of 18 before becoming eligible for an unrestricted GDL license. With the nine months, 15 months violation-free driving is needed to become eligible for a full license.

New penalties are established for street racing and penalties are toughed for repeat violations for drivers under 21.

WHY?

 
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Teen Drivers Targeted by New Illinois Law
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Takeaways
  • Three month learners permit goes to nine months
  • Nighttime driving curfew applies up to 17-years-old instead of 16
  • Weekday curfew 10pm, not 11pm, weekend curfew 11pm, not midnight
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Comments
Showing Comments 1 - 15 of 29
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dem po po iz jus tryn to make life harder for us pimps and hoes

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Posted on 07/01/2008 at 10:07:15 PM

 
lets just start a riot and move to canada!!!!!!!!!! woo hoooo

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Posted on 07/01/2008 at 10:07:56 PM

 
lets just start a riot and move to canada!!!!!!!!!! woo hoooo

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Posted on 07/01/2008 at 10:07:47 PM

 
Only an ignorant Democratic System, of which we have in Illinois, could conjure up such a perversion of generalization. In no way shape or form will this ever help with problems ie.: Teen Drinking and Driving, Teen Car Fatalities, or Teen Drug Problems. Furthermore, the punishment is directed towards the minor;however, the impact is directly harsh towards the parents. Instead, they should put more time and effort into school prgrams funded by the state that inform teens of responsibility and consequence. These Left winged hippies would rather bring 17 year old kids home at 10:00 than fight the real cause of the issue which is DRUNK DRIVING AMONGST ADULTS. Teens are not being killed drinking themselves or other drunk teens, they are being killed by Adults over 21 who are probably Democrat themselves. BLAGOYAVICH! Stop using my taxes for jet fuel to appease your "Family Vlaues", and learn how to deal with youth.

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Posted on 05/27/2008 at 6:05:47 PM

 
I know that nothing I say will affect anything, but I feel so cheated. My previous generations ruined this for me, and everyone else. I'm the first group of teenagers to get effected by the new 9 month law, I for one am aggravated. My childhood is being slowed because I wanted to get a job this summer and actually start working on the future of my life, now I have to wait untill the end of Junior year to pretty much get my lisense. All I can say is that these politics should really see what is causing the problems, and its not the teenagers. They blame the booze and the curfew, how do you think were getting the booze in the first place?

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Posted on 04/28/2008 at 8:04:44 PM

 
AHAHAHA, wow I'm very impressed with the intelligence all us young people are using in writing about this ludicrous new law. New restrictions are not going to change a freaking thing. I am 17 and I will drive to any hour I please because I and my parents both know I can handle driving when it's "getting dark out." This whole argument is pathetic. The only way to make people feel better and not piss the other off is to make getting your license a bigger screening and skill test. Experience behind the wheel and putting on curfew on teens will not change the fact that there are many stupid individuals who cause accidents. Yes teens are in accidents but so is every one else in this damn world. The people who cause accidents all have one thing in common and its not that they are teens, its the fact that they are stupid drivers. If driving tests and better precautions were taken to prevent these absolutely retarded and absent minded drives from being a danger then we WOULDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLE

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Posted on 04/20/2008 at 10:04:50 PM

 
ill do what i want, and i dont care what happens to me. dont blame all teenagers for the actions of a small percentage of them. furthermore, adults are equally at fault for accidents. teenagers arent the only ones that talk on their cell phones or text while they drive, adults do too. its called scapegoating, and its downright impractical. the state would like to restrict teenagers under 18 because theres not a damn thing they can do about it in terms on legislation... why should the good drivers be punished? i myself have never gotten pulled over, a ticket, and ive never gotten into any crash. i will not be punished for something i didnt do. also, ive been living the 7 months prior to jan 1st without a curfew. what sense does it make that i should have my curfew again? its like getting a taste of freedom and then getting it ripped out of your hands. if going places at night is really a privilage, then i dont know what to think about this country anymore. hey in addition to this new la

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Posted on 02/17/2008 at 10:02:50 PM

 
If you learn (or are forced to learn) to driver properly at a young age, and realize that a license is a privilege, not a right, then us adults wont have to deal with idiot drivers on the road. If you're taught young, it stays with you. It's hard to teach someone older the proper way of doing things because their own ways are so instilled in them. Basically, you 'young adults" who are complaining need to just deal with it, and get over it. You wanna hear about tough driving laws, read up on what it takes to get a license in Germany.

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Posted on 02/09/2008 at 11:02:44 PM

 
i totally agree with reba ...MF.... just because you are an adult doesnt mean you are better than everyone. i wish adults would get there head out of there ass and treat us like the young adults we are. it doesnt matter how many teens get in wrecks what about all the people over 18? What about all the jerks that are alcoholics and like 40 who get behind the wheel and drive drunk?? is that okay because they are an ADULT? ohh it must be because they are over 18. DONT THINK SO MF. adults make just as many mistakes as teens but everyone in society looks down on us because they need to blame someone. teens would be better drivers if there ADULT PARENTS would take more time to make them practice and make sure they are doing the right thing after all we are being taught by adults

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Posted on 01/03/2008 at 9:01:36 PM

 
we cant do anything to enforce our rights because were not old enough. someone needs to step up. anyone have rods number so i can call him and tell him what a stupid cunt he is?

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Posted on 01/01/2008 at 11:01:19 PM

 
And mf..are you insinutating that once I become an "adult" i will miraculously begin to care about the wellbeing of others? Is that some gentic trait of all adults? If you have amoral beliefs when your 18, your most likely going to have them when your 19. Are there no adults who talk on there cellphones or text? oh wait...thats right..some dumb bitch on a cell phone ran me off the road last weekend. Do you suddenly become above the law when your older? Are your sure you're not the selfish one who doesnt care anymore because it's not a law you have to follow?

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Posted on 01/01/2008 at 11:01:48 PM

 
The government totally blows. This is just another dumb fucking law to opress teens that won't be followed by anyone. Ultimatley a teens curfew is determined by the parents and it is the responsibility of the parents and teens to look after there own wellbeing. Not the government. I don't feel protected by this law and it shouldnt be the governments responisbility to protect me from myself. I understand that there are teens and parnets who wont look after themselves or others but if anyone is willing to take the "risk" to drive past 10 then that should be their decison. If anything, all this law will do is raise deaths because drunk drivers will have less time to sober up. If you can handle yourself responsibly, and harm no one but yourself in your actions noone should be able to tell you when you can stay out. Not that the law will be followed anyway...atleast I hope parents have the decency to not make their kids abide by this ridciulous law..and hopefully teens have the balls not to

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Posted on 01/01/2008 at 10:01:04 PM

 
Ok i think all the people that were 17 before this new law came into effect should be grandfathered in. how can we get to the age without a curfew for a couple months now get one again??

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Posted on 01/01/2008 at 6:01:59 PM

 
I am 17 years old and about to turn 18 in May. I went from having no curfew for almost nine months and now I am going to have a curfew again. I have had no traffic tickets, I haven't been in any wrecks, and I have never even been pulled over. Society always looks at the bad things teens do, but what about the good drivers? Why punish everyone? Why punish me? Why make me have a curfew and ruin the rest of my senior year of high school? There is just as many bad adult drivers as teenagers. What about the old people who can't see very well anymore, which is dangerous, but i dont see anyone pointing fingers at them. Everyone always blames teens for things. If we can go to jail at 17 we shouldn't have a curfew. If we had more police officers pulling drivers over and stop giving teens warnings and actually giving them tickets I am sure there would be less recks. Please dont punish the good drivers.

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Posted on 12/29/2007 at 3:12:22 PM

 
Ok, I agree with some of things covered in this new bill, namely requiring the driving training to be actual driving time instead of computer based training. However, limiting the number of young adults allowed in a single vehicle is only going to add to the problem the state is attempting to correct. Having this limit will lead to additional cars on the road being driven by these young drivers. More teen driving to and from school, to and from work, and so on. This limits the ability for young people to carpool, saving money used to repair the roads, money used to purchase the additional cars, money used to refine and provide the additional gasoline used to power the extra cars on the road. I haven't gotten to the increased depencence on oil, or the increased pollution going into the air in Illinois. I plan to write my State Rep. and voice my concern. I urge each and everyone of you to do the same.

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Posted on 12/28/2007 at 1:12:36 PM

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