Older drivers won’t need road test until they’re 87 under new Illinois law taking Wednesday

The Road Safety and Fairness Act: Changes Coming for Older Drivers in Illinois

by Jenna Schweikert and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR)
Capitol News Illinois

Starting on July 1, a new law will be implemented in Illinois that will impact older drivers in the state. The Road Safety and Fairness Act of 2025 brings about significant changes, including raising the age at which older drivers must take a driving test to renew their license. Additionally, the law introduces a process for immediate family members to report cognitive or physical health declines of older drivers to the state for review.

Under the new law, the minimum age for a driving test will be raised from 79 to 87. However, drivers aged 79 and older will still be required to take a vision test and, if they have a driving violation, a written test.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias took to Twitter to praise the law, stating that it replaces outdated age-based testing with a more focused approach on a person’s ability to drive safely rather than their age.

Drivers aged 81 to 86 will now need to renew their licenses in-person every two years. For drivers aged 87 and older, the requirement remains an annual license renewal, including both a vision and driving test. These changes come after adjustments were made to license requirements in 2022 due to a backlog of renewals caused by the pandemic.

Despite the stricter renewal requirements for older drivers in Illinois, a 2023 report from Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias revealed that drivers aged 75 and older are involved in fewer crashes compared to other age groups. The bipartisan-supported Road Safety and Fairness Act was passed by the General Assembly in May 2025 and signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker in August.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to numerous news outlets across Illinois. It is primarily funded by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.