We know what you’re thinking. “Driver’s ed? For Illinois adults?” While many if not most of us get our driver’s license when we’re in our teens, quite a few hold off until they’re adults. In fact, the numbers may surprise you. According to a 2013 survey conducted by the University of Michigan, an eye-raising 27 percent of the 600 respondents (all of whom were between the ages of 18 and 39) indicated that they did not have a license.
There are many reasons for this, but one of them may have a lot to do with where those folks live. Teens and young people in large urban areas with efficient public transportation systems – like Chicago, where 23% of the state’s population lives – might simply not need to drive. Those who live in small towns (especially college towns, like Urbana-Champaign) and rely on two-wheeled vehicles or their feet to get around may also opt out of getting a driver’s license. But at some point, many of those people will change their mind and want to get a driver’s license. And that can be tricky – most of us relied on our parents to teach us the rules of the road, as well as sat next to us as we learned how to operate a car.
The state of Illinois requires that adults between the ages of 18 and 20 who want to get their driver’s license take a driver’s education course; the course must be certified by the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, so not just any course will do. I Drive Safely is proud to announce that we’re now offering an adult driver’s ed course for Illinois residents 18 and older, who are looking to get their first driver’s license. Our course meets the Illinois SOS office’s requirements, and best of all, it’s completely online. For more information on this new course, visit our Illinois Adult Driver’s Ed page. It’s never too late to get your Illinois adult driver’s license, and taking a good driver’s education course is crucial – it’ll keep you and your fellow motorists safe, and help keep you out of trouble with the law. To illustrate our point, here are a couple of well-known Illinois residents who perhaps could have used a good driver’s ed course.