TASK FORCE TO STUDY GRADUATED LICENSING FOR YOUNG DRIVERS By SECRETARY OF STATE GEORGE H. RYAN

In an effort to reduce highway deaths among teens, I recently appointed a Graduated Driver Licensing Task Force to propose new standards for drivers under age 21 to obtain and keep an Illinois drivers license. I plan to bring the task force's findings along with my recommendations to the General Assembly next year.

Nationally, drivers ages 19 and under account for just 6 percent of the driving population, but they are involved in 16 percent of all motor vehicle deaths.

The most dangerous drivers on the road are 16-year-olds, who are the most likely drivers to be ticketed or to be involved in fatal collisions. According to a 1993 study, the single biggest cause of their crashes was driver error, a factor in 82 percent of the incidents.

The 16-year old drivers also were more likely to have been speeding or handling a car loaded with passengers.

The 18-member task force includes traffic safety experts, law enforcement groups, lawmakers and the high school student named in May as the winner of the annual Illinois Editors' Traffic Safety essay contest sponsored by the AAA-Chicago Motor Club. This year's essay question was "Were You Ready to Drive When You Were 16?" Of the high school seniors responding, 44 percent said they were not ready to drive at that age.

Unfortunately, many young people are not getting the preparation and experience they need to be safe drivers, and they have a greater tendency to take risks. As a result, we are all paying the price.

There is hardly a community in our state that has not been hit by the tragic death of young people who were either too inexperienced or too immature to handle the responsibility of driving.

Population experts tell us that the number of young drivers will increase dramatically, and many of them will be facing challenging, high-pressure driving situations in metropolitan areas. Unless we take steps now, this situation is only going to get worse.

I will ask the task force to consider the following issues:
• Involving parents in giving young drivers more experience and in supervising their driver development.
• Identifying and retraining young drivers who have problems behind the wheel.
• Ensuring the best structure for driver education courses.
• Limiting the availability of court supervision to young drivers.
• Limiting the number of passengers driven by young drivers and requiring them all to wear seat belts.

Many of the states with graduated licensing systems have recorded declines in the number of crashes involving young drivers. For example, Maryland has seen a 5 percent reduction in automobile crashes and a 10 percent decline in traffic convictions, while California has experienced a 4 percent reduction in crashes and a 20 percent decline in convictions.

Currently, Illinois drivers under age 18 cannot receive a drivers license without passing a driver education course offering 30 hours of classroom and six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction.

Additionally, drivers under age 18 must have their parents' permission to receive a license.

Senate Joint Resolution 88, creating the task force, was introduced by State Sens. Beverly J. Fawell, R-Glen Ellyn, and John J. Cullerton, D-Chicago, and has passed the General Assembly. •

June 1996 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 17