Secretary of State Jesse White announces two new traffic safety laws which will take effect Wednesday, January 1, 2014.
These pieces of legislation include measures that strengthen the State’s heralded Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program, as well as further restrict the issuance of Court Supervision.
Kelsey’s Law
Public Act 98-0168, sponsored by State Representative John D’Amico (D-Chicago) and State Senator Martin Sandavol (D-Cicero), prohibits the issuance of a Driver’s License to a driver under 18 who has an unresolved traffic citation. The new law also allows White’s office to cancel a GDL, if it is determined that at the time of issuance, the minor had a traffic citation for which a disposition had not been rendered. Under current law, a GDL applicant is not required to report any pending traffic citations.
“One of my top priorities as Secretary of State has been to continually strengthen our GDL program,” said White. “Since we implemented one of the Nation’s most comprehensive GDL laws in 2008, teen driving fatalities have dropped by 60 percent. But even the best programs can be made better, and this legislation will help strengthen our State’s GDL program and, hopefully, save even more lives.”
Patricia’s Law
Public Act 98-0169, sponsored by State Representative John D’Amico (D-Chicago) and State Senator Michael Hastings (D-Matteson), will ensure that drivers involved in fatal crashes are ineligible for Court Supervision, unless they have maintained a clean driving history.
“My mission as Secretary of State is to make the roads of Illinois as safe as possible,” said White. “This is an important next step and one that makes sense.”
Other new laws make significant changes to the Parking Program for Persons with Disabilities.
Beginning January 1, only persons with specific types of disabilities with a valid Illinois Driver’s License will be exempt from paying parking meter fees.
Public Act 97-0845, sponsored by former State Representative Karen May and State Senator Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Forest), requires the disability license plate or parking placard holder to meet more stringent eligibility requirements, which must be approved by physicians in order to receive a yellow and grey permanent placard. The new placard will exempt the authorized holder from the payment of parking meter fees, because their disability restricts them from physically feeding the meter.
Those who do not meet eligibility requirements for the meter-exempt placard will still receive a permanent placard but will be required to pay meter fees.
Out-of-State disability license plate and placard holders will also have access to disability parking spaces but will no longer be eligible for meter-exempt parking.
Also beginning January 1, the fine for drivers caught misusing a disability placard will increase from $500 to $600. Additionally, if a physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse knowingly falsifies a disability application, they will face increased fines from $500 to $1000 for a first offense and up to $2,000 for a second offense.
If the holder of the disability placard or license plates knowingly allows someone else to use their placard or license plates, that person will face a $1000 fine for the first offense and a $2000 fine for the second offense.
“Our goal is to ensure that disability parking spaces are available for those who truly need that access to conduct their day-to-day activities. My message is simple: ‘If you don’t belong there, don’t park there.'”