Supporters of the change said that an increase in the speed limit would be a boon for the trucking industry and would bring Illinois in line with nearby states, but opponents said that the change would result in more traffic fatalities.

According to Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, a Jacksonville Republican, some drivers traveling south from Chicago avoid driving through Illinois because the lower speed limit increases travel time. Davidsmeyer said this results in the state missing out on revenue from motorists’ gas and food purchases.

However, House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat, said that both the state police and the Illinois Department of Transportation opposed the bill because the higher speed limit would endanger drivers’ lives. Rep. Deb Mell, also a Chicago Democrat, said that increasing the speed limit to 70 mph would not greatly reduce travel time.

Speeding was the cause of the majority of the 900 traffic fatalities in Illinois last year. Higher speed limits are opposed by the Governors Highway Safety Association, the American Automobile Association and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The change would also come with the cost of replacing about 900 speed limit signs, which the state transportation department estimates will be about $200,000, including the cost of manufacturing the signs and the labor involved in replacing them.

Gov. Quinn’s office said that the bill will be carefully reviewed. The governor’s office had earlier said that there were safety concerns involved with the bill. However, the bill received broad support in both houses of the state legislature. In the Senate, the vote was 41-6 in favor of the proposed legislation, and 36 votes would be needed to override a veto. The House voted 85-30 in favor of the bill, with 71 votes necessary to override a veto in that chamber.

Thirty-four states have a maximum speed limit of 70 mph or higher, and Illinois is currently among 16 states with a 65 mph maximum. If the current bill becomes law, the change would take effect on January 1, 2014. Where interstate highways enter urban areas, the speed limit would continue to be lower, and the bill provides that six counties surrounding Chicago and two Illinois counties near St. Louis may keep all interstate speeds at 65 mph via local ordinance.

Paul Greenberg is a car accident lawyer in Chicago and car crash attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.

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The bill is being pushed by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. According to White’s office, in 2012, about half of newly-licensed drivers age 18-20 did not take driver’s education courses. If the bill becomes law, applicants with no driver training would have to take six hours of online education courses on topics such as rules of the road, drug and alcohol awareness and texting while driving.

Currently, teenagers can obtain a driving permit at age 15 and a driver’s license at age 16 provided that a parent or guardian certifies that the person has driven 50 hours or more, with 10 hours of driving at night.

White said that teen driving fatalities had decreased by almost 60 percent since comprehensive driver’s license programs were implemented in 2008, and the new bill would build on that success.

Rep. John D’Amico, a Chicago Democrat, sponsored the bill. D’Amico said that ideally young drivers would receive greater than six hours of education, but the bill was a good place to start. He said the cost of the training to the applicant would probably be approximately $25.

D’Amico said that graduated licenses had been a success for safety. Graduated licenses allow drivers to begin practicing driving at age 15 with an adult in the car, if they are enrolled in a driver education course. At age 16 or 17, the driver may obtain an initial driver’s license with restrictions, provided a parent or guardian certifies that the requisite amount of driving practice has been completed. However, D’Amico said, the requirements had prompted some young people to wait until they turned 18 to obtain a driver’s license with no training.

According to White’s office, car accidents are the most common cause of death among people age 15 to 20. The risk of a fatal crash increases with each additional teenager in the car. Illinois’ graduated driver’s license program for drivers age 16 or 17 limits the number of passengers under the age of 20 to one, with the exception of close family members.

Paul Greenberg is a car accident lawyer in Chicago and car crash attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.

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