This spring, the Illinois General Assembly unanimously passed legislation that State Representative Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) has been working on for three years to curb an ageist state policy against senior citizen drivers. House Bill 1226, which was reintroduced in partnership with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, raises the age for mandatory road tests for older drivers renewing a driver’s license. The bill was signed into law on August 15, 2025.
The bipartisan effort builds upon a proposal Keicher introduced in 2024 to end the discriminatory practice of requiring behind-the-wheel tests for seniors based on age as the sole factor. At that time, the Keicher bill was denied a floor vote so that a Democrat version of the bill could pass instead of his version.
Rep. Keicher is the Chief Co-Sponsor of House Bill 1226, dubbed the Road Safety and Fairness Act. The bill raises the age for mandatory driving tests for older drivers renewing their license to age 87 (from the current age of 79) and creates a system for immediate family members to submit a request to the Secretary of State’s Office to review drivers if they have seen cognitive or medical declines that could prevent them from safely operating a vehicle, regardless of age. Reports deemed credible could require the driver to take written, vision and behind-the-wheel tests to keep their license. Now that it has been signed into law, the bill will go into effect on July 1, 2026.
“Illinois is the only state in the country that requires driving tests based solely on age, even though data has consistently shown older drivers are actually some of the safest on the road,” said Keicher. “Passing this bill is a long-overdue action to respect our seniors, reduce barriers and annual costs for them to maintain their driving privileges, and see each person as an individual instead of making assumptions about them because of their age.
“I still believe we need to do more so that road tests are determined based on more appropriate factors like driving record and ability to safely operate a vehicle, regardless of age, but this legislation is a critical step forward. I want to thank the Secretary of State’s Office, Sen. Don DeWitte, Reps. Jay Hoffman and Joyce Mason, AARP and all the bipartisan supporters who helped us get this legislation passed through the General Assembly and signed into law.”
As Keicher noted, the latest statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) reveal that in 2023, the crash rate for drivers 75 and older is 24.61 per 1,000 drivers, which is lower than every age range of drivers between 16 and 74 years old.
Keicher has been working on this issue since a group of constituents brought concerns to his attention a couple of years ago. In January 2024, he filed House Bill 4431 to eliminate the road test requirement for individuals aged 75 and older. The bill passed the Transportation: Vehicles & Safety Committee in April of 2024 with broad bipartisan support, including 48 co-sponsors, among them Republicans and Democrats from every region of Illinois, but it never received a vote on the House floor. That effort last year led to the successful bipartisan effort this year for House Bill 1226.
“I want to take a moment to thank the seniors who came out to our events, called, sent emails and shared with me their concerns and frustrations about their experiences in the senior license renewal system,” continued Keicher. “We need to use this as a positive example to encourage engagement in your state government. What helped this issue prevail is the input and actions of Illinoisans, and I thank the seniors who started the conversation for that.”
AARP Illinois was a major advocate for this initiative. Their Senior Associate State Director for Advocacy & Outreach, Jeff Scott, said this after the bill passed the Senate in May:
“AARP Illinois sincerely thanks Leader Jeff Keicher for being a powerful voice for fairness and common-sense reform through his leadership on the Road Safety and Fairness Act. His thoughtful approach helped bring together bipartisan support for a bill that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of thousands of Illinois residents— thousands of older drivers in Illinois who have faced unnecessary barriers to mobility. Leader Keicher’s commitment to justice and community well-being has been invaluable, and we now call on Governor Pritzker to take the final step and sign this important legislation into law.”
For more information about House Bill 1226, click here.