Proposed Illinois bill would raise mandatory driving test age to 87 from 79 for older adults

State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, joined Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and other lawmakers Tuesday to introduce legislation that could raise the age of mandatory road tests in Illinois to 87.

In a news release, Keicher said House Bill 1226, known as the Road Safety and Fairness Act, is designed to make it easier for older adults to get their license renewed. Keicher is a chief co-sponsor of the bill, which also lists 10 Democrats and eight other Republicans as a sponsor.

The bipartisan effort builds on Keicher’s work in Springfield to end what he calls discriminatory practices for seniors that use age as the sole factor for license renewal rules.

“Illinois is the only state in the country that requires road exams based on age,” Keicher said in the release. “Together, we will be taking long-overdue action to respect our seniors, reduce barriers and annual costs for them to maintain their driving privileges, and see each person as an individual instead of making assumptions about them because of their age.”

If the bill were approved, the mandatory age for a driving test would go from 79 to 87.

In 2023, the crash rate for drivers 75 and older was 24.61 per 1,000 drivers, which is lower than every age range of drivers between 16 and 74 years old, according to Illinois Department of Transportation data provided by Giannoulias' office Tuesday.

“As secretary of state, my top priority is ensuring that Illinois roads are safe,” Giannoulias said in the release. “Seniors are among the safest drivers of any age category. This measure will align Illinois senior driving standards with the rest of the nation while increasing safeguards so that Illinois maintains its status as one of the strictest states when it comes to driver safety and license renewals.”

Giannoulias said the bill was drafted with the support of the AARP.

“AARP Illinois has heard for years from our members about how the driving test requirement disproportionately affects older drivers and perpetuates false narratives about their driving abilities,” AARP Illinois State Director Philippe Largent said in a news release. “The research clearly shows that older drivers are the safest drivers on our roadways, and we believe that singling them out to take an extra test is a type of age discrimination and has to end.”

The legislation also would create a process for immediate family members to submit a request to the Secretary of State’s Office to review drivers they think have seen cognitive or medical declines that should keep them off the road, regardless of age, according to the release. Reports deemed credible could require the driver to take written, vision and behind-the-wheel tests to keep their license.

If passed and signed into law, the bill would go into effect July 1, 2026.

Current law requires drivers who are 79 or 80 to take a behind-the-wheel test to renew their licenses. From age 81 to 86, they are required to take the test every two years, and starting at age 87, they must take the test every year.

If the new law were passed, drivers ages 79 and 80 would have to go to a facility to renew their license and take a vision test but not a road test. Renewals would be required every two years from age 81 to 86. Road tests would come with annual renewals starting at age 87.

In January 2024, Keicher also filed House Bill 4431, which, if passed, would eliminate the road test requirement for people ages 75 and older.

The bill passed the Transportation: Vehicles & Safety Committee in April with broad bipartisan support, including 48 co-sponsors, according to the release. The 103rd General Assembly adjourned Jan. 7 without taking final action on the bill, however, which Keicher said was the reason new legislation was introduced Tuesday.