Proposal to raise age for senior road tests clears first legislative hurdle

A bill raising the age of road tests for seniors from 79 to 87, backed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, passed the Illinois House unanimously Wednesday.

The legislation comes on the heels of a surge of complaints from older drivers about the fact that Illinois is the only state in the U.S. with a mandatory exam for elderly drivers.

Many seniors and advocates like AARP Illinois contend the status quo is discriminatory and the right to drive should be based on ability, not age.

Current law requires drivers aged 79 and 80 to take a road exam when their four-year license renewal is up. For drivers aged 81 to 86, it’s every two years, and for those 87 and older, it’s yearly.

State Rep. Jeff Keicher, a Sycamore Republican, and Rep. Joyce Mason, a Gurnee Democrat, had sponsored previous bills to end the age requirement but those never made it to the House floor.

“I’m glad that after all the hard work Rep. Mason and I did last year in the House and Sen. (Don) Dewitte in the Senate to advance this issue for Illinois seniors, that we finally got it over the first goal line,” Keicher said.

The legislation also means that drivers ages 81 through 86 would not need a road exam to renew their license but must take a vision test. Renewals are in-person, every two years.

Rules for drivers ages 87 and older would stay the same, with a road exam and a vision test required annually.

The Illinois Senate still must vote on the proposal.

Giannoulias introduced the legislation in January, saying it would “help create a more effective and efficient process for keeping the most unsafe drivers off our roads and a more just policy for ensuring fairness for our senior drivers.”

The bill also includes a new provision letting family members report unsafe motorists of any age based on health issues affecting driving.