The requirements to get a teen permit in Illinois will soon become more strict, the Illinois Secretary of State's office announced Monday, with additional emphasis on the consequences and dangers of distracted driving and more.
The announcement coincided with National Teen Driver Safety Week and comes as part of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias' "multi-pronged" approach with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Police to combat distracted driving.
"Tragically, distracted driving has become the drunk driving of our time," Giannoulias said during a press conference alongside a mother whose 14-year-old daughter was killed by a distracted driver. "A driver is six times more likely to be involved in a car crash while texting than driving while intoxicated."
According to Giannoulias, part of the initiative includes a new plan that will require all teens applying for an Illinois driver's permit to watch a video that "details the consequences of dangerous driving behaviors."
"Powerful, short, attention grabbing and something they don't forget," Giannoulias said, of what can be expected when the video is released.
Watching the video, Giannoulias' office said, will be mandatory during the learner's permit phase before a teen receives their drivers license.
Currently, Illinois permit requirements include passing a vision screening, written exam and driver education course, among other things.
An exact timetable of when the video would be released or start to be required wasn't immediately available.
"Along with the video that teens will be required to view while in their learner’s permit phase," Giannoulias' office said in a statement, "other initiatives include:
- Partnering with IDOT and the Illinois General Assembly to declare new safety corridors in areas that have experienced a spike in crashes related to dangerous driving behaviors, including distracted driving. Signage in the corridors would alert drivers of the increased risk. Ohio introduced a similar measure, resulting in 30% fewer traffic crashes and 31% fewer injury crashes since the corridors were created in 2018.
- Collaborating with ISP to identify and coordinate Illinois Secretary of State Police patrols to enforce distracted driving laws in high-volume crash areas. The office will build on existing partnerships with law enforcement related to Scott’s Law and DUI enforcement.
- Working with members of the General Assembly to create a grant program for law enforcement agencies to combat distracted driving and target initiatives geared towards their own community needs.
- Partnering with state’s attorneys to boost the revocation of driving privileges of individuals who have caused great bodily harm while charges are processed."
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