Lake Forest senator loses bid to up training for private driving instructors

SPRINGFIELD — After loud opposition by private driving schools, a plan to make their instructors take more training classes was rejected by state lawmakers Wednesday.

Sen. Susan Garrett, a Lake Forest Democrat, wanted driving school instructors to get similar amounts of training that driver's education teachers at public schools get.

“This is not anything personal,” Garrett said. “We think there are differences between the two.”

Her legislation would have required the private instructors to get eight hours more training, at a cost at $2,000 or more per instructor.

Instructors at private drivers ed schools now are required to have 48 hours of training.

But after a representative of the Secretary of State's office said statistics show no real difference in the number of wrecks between teens who had private drivers ed vs. those who had public school instruction, a Senate committee voted to reject Garrett's plan.

Garrett was the only senator who voted for it.

Driving school instructors filled a hearing room to oppose more mandatory training, saying the added cost would put them out of business.

Acknowledging the instructors' intense lobbying efforts against Garrett, Sen. James Meeks told them the plan wouldn't come up again soon.

“You don't have to robocall our offices anymore,” the Chicago Democrat said.

“Drive safely on the way home,” he said.