Teen driving curfew law poorly conceived
Friday January 18, 2008
I would like to warn parents of teenagers of a new nighttime driving curfew law that went into effect this month. This law states that all teenagers under the age of 18 may not drive after 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and after 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday nights. The problem with this legislation is that, based on the Illinois Child Curfew Act, the regular curfew is midnight on Friday and Saturday nights and 11 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights. It applies to those under the age of 17.
Because of the differences between the times and ages of this new driving curfew and those of regular curfew, it is obvious that little thought was given to its practicality. The state already had a driving curfew that corresponded to the state's legal curfew. If the state wishes to enforce a driving curfew for 17-year-olds, the logical thing to do would be to change the state curfew age to 18 years. A minor in any other context is considered to be anyone under the age of 18. The state curfew age should be no different.
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