By Illinois Public Radio
Springfield, Ill. – Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White wants lawmakers to pass more restrictions on young drivers.
He wants learners' permits to last nine months instead of three for teen drivers, with more hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. Additional changes include earlier curfews and limits on the number of passengers. But White says the minimum driving age in Illinois will probably stay where it is.
Beth Moser, with the AAA Motor Club, says stricter rules will mean safer roads. "Nearly two of every three people killed in those teen driver crashes were someone other than the teen driver themselves," she said Wednesday. "They were pedestrians, they were occupants of other vehicles, and they were passengers of the teen driver car."
State lawmakers and the Governor would need to agree on changes to teen driving laws.