New license laws will take effect for this group of residents from this state. While headline changes to driving legislation are generally focused on changes to speed limits and increasing the severity of penalties associated with breaking the laws of the road, changes to driving license policies have also been steadily underway across states. These changes range from reviewing age restrictions, testing criteria, renewal processes, and more recently, news regarding digitlizing licenses.
Changes to driving licenses coming nationwide
One of the most recent widespread changes driving licenses have undergone has been ensuring that your license is REAL ID certified. A process that has taken two decades to roll out and finalise. REAL ID certification for all identification documents came into effect in 2005 in the wake of 9/11 in order to standardize the issuance of state driver’s licenses and ID cards across states for enhanced security.
Starting May 7th this year, the deadline to have your identification documents REAL ID certified went into effect. This means that if you want to access federal facilities or domestic air travel, your identity documents need to be REAL ID certified, which includes ensuring that your driver’s license meets this critiera. A driver’s license that is REAL ID certified will include a star marked in the corner of the license.
New driver’s license laws for seniors in this state
While a REAL ID-certified driver’s license is a requirement for all drivers across states, at the individual state level, other changes unique to respective states are currently underway. One of the biggest changes being seen in certain states is the rollout of digitized driver’s licenses. Currently, the following states already have digital license programs in place: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, and Maryland. While these programs are established and active, other states are in the process of rolling out pilot programs in order to soon join the digital ranks.
Other changes happening across states include proposed changes to road test ages. The recent proposal of the Illinois Road Safety & Fairness Act, which was recently signed into law, will see the state increase the required age for senior citizens to retake a road test to renew their license from 79 to 87. The new law is set to go into effect from July 1 2026. The increase in age is intended to provide senior citizens with independence for as long as possible. Illinois has some of the strictest rules regarding senior citizens and license renewals, being the only state that requires a mandatory license renewal system based on age.
“Illinois used to have, apparently, one of the more strict laws in the nation for older adult drivers,” Illinois Legal Aid Online Executive Director Teri Ross said in an April 16 interview with the News-Democrat.
Other changes to be seen on the road
Other road traffic safety policies and legislation that are set to go ahead include changes to speed limits in this one location in order to make the roads a safer place for pedestrians. In a landmark victory, New York City was granted the right to lower inner-city urban speed limits from 25mph to 20mph. Generally, specific cities in states do not have the authority to change speed limits, as that is usually up to state authorities.
However, New York City successfully passed ‘Sammy’s Law’ this year, which will see over 250 locations across the state be affected by the new speeding changes. The legislation was created as a response to the death of 12-year-old Sammy Cohen, who was killed by a speeding driver. Most locations that will be affected by the speed changes will be school and work zones, and other areas where city officials deem would benefit from slower drivers to maximise safety.
