Some Ill. driver’s ed cars have low crash ratings

Many Illinois students are learning to drive in cars that have low crash-test ratings as school districts put a bigger priority on cost and fuel mileage.

The Chicago Tribune reported Sunday (http://trib.in/qDQN94 ) that it analyzed safety data on about 1,300 driver’s ed cars in nearly 60 districts.

It found that ratings vary widely depending on where students live. Small cars and those with poor and marginal crash-test ratings are common, and some districts don’t opt for side air bags when they’re available.

The newspaper says Chicago Public School students learn in some of the oldest and worst-rated cars in the state — cars sometimes older than their student drivers.

CPS’s driver’s education director says he knows many older cars need to be replaced but wasn’t aware of their crash-test ratings.