What’s in Giannoulias’ plan to end road test for drivers 86 and younger? Let families report at-risk drivers
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said he’s optimistic new bipartisan legislation seeking to increase the age for mandated road tests from 79 to 87 will succeed where similar bills failed.
The legislation, drafted by Giannoulias and filed last week, also would allow family members to report unsafe motorists of any age based on medical and cognitive issues affecting driving.
“My top priority is keeping Illinois roads safe,” Giannoulias said at a Tuesday briefing in Chicago that included Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
“This legislation will 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 move comes after an outcry from seniors about age discrimination in testing. Illinois is the only state in the U.S. with a mandatory road exam for elderly drivers.
“The right to drive should be based on ability, not age,” AARP Illinois State Director Philippe Largent said.
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.
Here’s a look at the changes being proposed.
• Drivers ages 79 and 80 would not need a road exam to renew their license but must get a vision test. Renewals are in-person, every four years.
• Drivers ages 81 through 86 would not need a road exam to renew their license but must get a vision test. Renewals are in-person, every two years.
• Rules for drivers ages 87 and older stay the same. A road exam and a vision test are required annually.
State Rep. Jeff Keicher, a Sycamore Republican, and Rep. Joyce Mason, a Gurnee Democrat, had sponsored bills to end the age requirement before but those stalled.
“What you see before you today is the art of the possible,” said Keicher, adding the latest legislation addresses concerns raised about earlier versions.
“This is a product of constituents reaching out to state legislators, state legislators working collaboratively in a bipartisan way, and having an executive officer willing to stand up and change department policy for the betterment of seniors in the state of Illinois,” Keicher said.
2023 state data indicates “the crash rate for drivers 75 and older is just over 24 per 1,000 drivers,” Giannoulias said. He noted that out of 55,000 seniors between ages 79 and 86 who took driving tests in 2024, only 97 people — 0.17% — failed.
“This is the safest category in the state of Illinois,” the secretary said, adding the reforms appear to be gaining traction in the early stages.
Regarding family reporting policies for at-risk drivers, Illinois is one of just five states without that option, Giannoulias said.
“Under the current system, if somebody calls the secretary of state’s office and says ‘My grandfather has dementia and has fender-benders and hits the garage when he parks the car,’ we are unable to do anything about it,” he noted.
The legislation would allow immediate relatives to submit a written report to the secretary of state’s office listing concerns. If the claims are found credible, a driver would have to submit a medical evaluation and/or undergo tests (vision, written or road) to retain their license.