Macomb, IL – Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White strongly supported the new graduated drivers license plan during a visit to Macomb.
White says the program will require more practice for student drivers.
It will also require more behind-the-wheel instruction with drivers education instructors.
He says regulations require six hours of instruction with a teacher, but some schools have received exemptions that allow them as little as one hour of driving in traffic.
He says the exemptions allow simulator training or driving around a parking lot instead of in traffic.
He says teen drivers are six percent of the driving population, but have 12 percent of the accidents. He says this shows the need for more and better training of young drivers.
White was in Macomb to announce regular visits by his office's mobile drivers license facility.
The setup will be in the WIU Student Union monthly. It will allow people to get drivers licenses or identification cards, change titles or registrations and perform other tasks normally done in a drivers services facility.
More Information:
The mobile facility will be in Macomb at the University Union Nov. 16, Jan. 25, Mar. 17 and Apr. 18.
White was also in Macomb to announce a new personalized license plate for WIU. The plate has the school's logo and up to five numbers.
He says he asked the legislature for an extra $22 million to help schools cover the cost of more behind-the-wheel training.