Seniors, give yourselves a standing ovation.
For decades, senior drivers have been the butt of jokes about driving.
Remember the very nearsighted elderly cartoon character Mr. Magoo?
He got himself into some serious situations on the road.
Well, we can finally put that stereotype of seniors to rest.
According to the “2023 Study on Age-Related Driving Abilities,” conducted by the secretary of state, drivers in Illinois between 75 and 79 are the safest drivers on the road.
“Statistics show that seniors are among the safest drivers of any age category,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is urging lawmakers to permanently increase the age requirement for driving tests from 75 to 79.
During the pandemic, the Illinois General Assembly passed a measure to temporarily raise the testing age to 79.
That change spared seniors 75 to 78 from needing to go in for a driving test during the pandemic, a decision that likely saved lives.
The policy was scheduled to expire Oct. 1, so Giannoulias’ office filed emergency rules for state officials to extend it, along with identical permanent rules.
For the past dozen years, Illinois has been the “only state in the nation that requires seniors to have their behind-the-wheel skills tested on a regular basis,” according to Giannoulias.
But Illinois Department of Transportation statistics challenge that policy. IDOT’s statistics in 2022 included a full year of data relating to the emergency rule that raised the testing age to 79.
“IDOT reported virtually no change in crash rates for drivers 75 and older, with a crash rate of 24.39 per 1,000 drivers, which is lower than every age range in drivers between 16 and 69 years old,” according to the secretary of state.
That doesn’t surprise me.
I stay in my lane, use my turn signals when I change lanes and try to avoid inconsiderate and aggressive drivers.
I am shocked by the risks so many drivers take. It’s as if the “Rules of the Road” no longer exists.
There seem to be a lot of drivers out there acting like Mr. Magoo.
For instance, drivers go twice the speed limit on Du Sable Lake Shore Drive. Too many drivers also run red lights and ignore stop signs, risking accidents.
That’s not to say that seniors don’t have age-related conditions, like poor night vision, that could affect their driving skills.
But with age comes wisdom.
I avoid driving at night if I am not familiar with the road. GPS isn’t much help on a dark road if you can’t read the street sign until you are right up on it.
Giannoulias’ request to increase the age requirement for driving tests also helps reduce foot traffic at driver’s license facilities.
“There are more than 9.1 million licensed drivers in Illinois, and approximately 280,000 individuals are between the ages of 75 and 78, about 3% of the driving population,” according to the study.
Taking those individuals out of the pipeline for driving tests and the new Skip-the-Line service will help reduce wait times at state driver’s license facilities.
For those seniors dreading the trip to state driver’s license facilities, you’ll be glad to learn the secretary of state’s office is opening two senior-only centers — one at the Evanston Civic Center, 2100 N. Ridge Rd.,, and the other at SeatGeek Stadium, 7000 S. Harlem Ave., Bridgeview.
Seniors will not have to make appointments at these walk-in centers.
“We want to make sure to take care of our seniors,” Giannoulias told me. “This [testing change] would make Illinois driving standards for seniors more consistent compared to other states, while keeping Illinois one of the strictest states for license renewal.”
So, seniors, keep doing what you are doing, but please watch out for the “road hogs.”
Here’s what you need to know:
- All drivers younger than 81 must renew their licenses every four years.
- Drivers 81 to 86 years old must take a vision and driving test every two years.
- Drivers 87 and older must take a vision and driving test yearly.
