Smart or Unfair? Only One State Requires Driving Test for Senior Citizens

If you absolutely loathed taking the nerve-racking driving test to get your license as a teenager, you likely won't have to worry about doing it again in your later years.

That's only if you are not living in the only state that has a mandatory road test for senior citizens.

Only State That Requires Road Test For Seniors

If you've ever found yourself asking "how did that person get a license" only to find out they were a senior carefully driving on the road, you should know they likely haven't taken a driving test in a LOOOOOONG time.

Illinois is currently the only state that has a mandatory road test for those ages 79 and older.

"The law requires drivers aged 79 and 80 to take a road exam if their four-year license renewal is up," the Daily Herald reported. "For drivers aged 81 to 86, it's every two years, and for those 87 and older, it's yearly."

It's not like Illinois is a hotbed for seniors causing auto accidents either. The newspaper found that motorists age 75 and older were the second lowest age group in the state when looking at crashes per 1,000 drivers.

How Illinois Compares To The Rest Of The U.S.

While the required driving test may be a hassle for seniors, it might actually have a positive effect for motorists in Illinois.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies similar data showing seniors involved in auto accidents on a national scale.

"Drivers aged 70+have higher crash death rates per 1,000 crashes than middle-aged drivers (aged 35-54)," the CDC shared on its website. "Higher crash death rates among this age group are primarily due to increased vulnerability to injury in a crash."

Among the factors the CDC lists making seniors more vulnerability to crashes are age-related changes in vision, physical functioning and the ability to reason and remember.