Lack of Public Support for Safe Driving Law Recommendations in Illinois

 Posted on April 04, 2018 in Personal Injury

Car crashes and truck accidents occur more often than they need to in DuPage County and on the highways running throughout the Chicago suburbs. And even when accidents cannot be prevented entirely, there are many ways that the severity of those collisions and the resulting injuries could be lessened.

However, according to a recent article in the Illinois News Network, there is not a lot of public support for making changes to the state’s safe driving laws. The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety recently released a 2018 report on safe driving laws, but Illinois residents largely do not want to see any of these changes implemented.

Recommendations for Safe Driving Laws in Illinois

What does the report recommend in terms of changes to Illinois law when it comes to preventing auto accidents and increasing highway safety? Highlights include the following:

• Mandatory motorcycle helmet laws;
• New booster seat law; and
• Changes to Illinois’s graduated driver’s license program.

The fact that some of these laws are not already in place means that amendments to the law could prevent some accidents or, as we mentioned, at least lessen their severity. At the same time, it is important to recognize that Illinois is not the only state that is need of safer driving laws. Tara Gill, the Director of State Programs for the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said that the report is designed to “push states toward ‘optimal’ laws.” In other words, by making these changes, states like Illinois could be doing everything possible—in terms of laws on the books—to prevent dangerous and deadly highway crashes.

Pushback Over Driving Safety Laws

The Advocates report is getting a lot of pushback from Illinois residents and officials. For example, Henry Haupt, a spokesperson for the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, argued that Illinois’s graduated license program is enough already as it is. According to Haupt, the Illinois Department of Transportation recently reported that teen driving fatalities have declined by more than 50 percent. Haupt contends that that statistic is evidence that the graduate driver’s license program is preventing crashes.

Still, could changes to the graduated licensing program limit teen deaths even further? Just because the current program is reducing fatalities does not mean it has reached the optimal level. According to the Advocates, the following changes could further reduce teen driving deaths:

• More limits on nighttime driving;
• More limits on young passengers;
• Longer wait time for a driving permit; and
• Age requirement of 18 years old to get a full driver’s license.

Other groups have also voiced opposition to the mandatory helmet law.

Contact a DuPage County Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyer

If you were involved in a car crash and suffered serious injuries, you should discuss your case with a passionate DuPage County motor vehicle accident lawyer to learn more about filing a claim. Contact Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices for more information.

Source:

https://www.ilnews.org/news/statewide/not-a-lot-of-illinois-support-for-recommendations-in-safe/article_b000efdc-10c9-11e8-b55f-5f82b9e765f0.html