Being a teenager is exciting because you know that adulthood is not far away. Obtaining a driver’s licence is the best way to start the journey to legality. The licensing process in Illinois is longer and more complex than in other states. It is completed only at the age of twenty for teens. This means that a teenager may not be legally licensed until they are twenty-one. Understanding the basics of Illinois’ Graduated Driver Licensing program is essential in order to understand how teens can drive in Illinois.
What is the Graduated Driver Licensing Program?
The statistics on teenage driving are quite grim. The statistics for teens driving are quite grim. Drivers aged 16-20 get into over 400,000 accidents each year in the United States. More than 5,000 of these crashes are fatal. Illinois is unique in its approach to this problem. Different states have different approaches. The Graduated Driver Licensing Program (hereafter “GDL”) was established by legislation. It was created with the hope of solving the problem and possibly eliminating it completely. The teen driving death rate has dropped by 40% since the GDL was implemented in January 2008. These odds favor younger drivers more than older drivers, even though licensing is more complex.
The licensing process now consists of three phases: the permit phase at 15 years old, the initial licensing phase at 16-17 years old, and the full licensing phase between 18-20 years. A legal parent or guardian must give consent for a young driver to obtain a permit and then a license. These young drivers will also need to enroll in a driver education course. The requirements depend on the stage of licensing they are in. They will be explained in the next section.
What does a teen driver do to their legal guardians’ or parents’ auto insurance?
Although the GDL program is a great help to parents and teens, it does not eliminate the inexperience that most teens have on the roads. Accidents still happen and some of them involve teens. This is a fact that may not be avoided. The minimum liability insurance for teens in Illinois is $20,000 for injury or death to one person, $40,000 for multiple injuries or deaths, and $15,000 for property damages. Auto insurance companies recommend that teens have more coverage during their first year of driving. Teens are at greater risk of colliding with other drivers.
Unfortunately, teens will raise their parents’ auto insurance rates substantially. Both parents and teens can take steps to prevent this increase from becoming an excessive amount. Students can get discounts up to 15% if their school has a B average or they successfully complete a state-approved safe driver course. These increases can be kept down by legal guardians and parents if their teenagers do not buy sports or luxury cars, or if they choose to have a higher deductible.
Although raising a teenager driver in Illinois can be more complicated than it used to be, the GDL program has many benefits. Accidents can still happen, but they are less frequent than before. This makes driving safer for all drivers in the Land of Lincoln.