Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced today that teen driver deaths are down 74% since 2007. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, since White’s efforts to overhaul the state’s graduated driver licensing laws took effect in 2008, teen driving fatalities have dropped 74%. Many say White’s nationally heralded graduating licensing program for the dramatic decrease in fatalities.
Last year, 41 teens were killed in traffic crashes in the state, according to statistics provided by IDOT. In 2007, the year before White’s graduated drivers license program took effect, 155 teens died in crashes.
Illinois’ GDL program prepares teen drivers by giving them more time to obtain valuable driving experience while under the watchful eye of an adult, limiting in-car distractions and requiring teens to earn their way from one stage to the next by avoiding traffic convictions.
White says that parents and guardians, teachers, and drivers education instructor play a large role in training the next generations of Illinois drivers. According to White, he has received numerous amount of accolades from state and national traffic safety organizations for Illinois GDL program as one of the best in the country. To learn more about the state’s GDL program, visit www.cyberdriveillinois.com.