Who Needs To Take Illinois Drivers Education?

If you are looking to get behind the wheel in Illinois and wanting to get your driver's license for the very first time, then you might be wondering who needs to take Illinois drivers education? Coastline Academy addresses that issue today, as we look into the rules for Driver's Ed when it comes to Illinois drivers.

New Drivers Under 18

New teen drivers in Illinois can start applying for an instruction permit at the age of 15. For these new drivers under 18, the Illinois Secretary of State requires you to be enrolled in an approved driver education course and you must pass a vision and written test. For this Driver's Ed course, it includes 30 hours of in-classroom instruction and six hours of behind-the-wheel training.

So, if you are under 18 and live in Illinois, then you do need to take a SOS-approved drivers education course!

New Drivers Over 18

On July 1, 2014, a new law went into effect that requires new driver’s license applicants to successfully complete an Adult Driver Education Course prior to applying for an Illinois driver’s license if no qualifying driver education course had been completed prior to age 18.

So, you MUST take a six-hour Adult Driver Education Course to obtain an Illinois driver’s license if all three of the following points are accurate:

• You are 18, 19 or 20 years old;
• You are applying for an Illinois driver’s license for the first time; and
• You have never taken any type of driver education course in high school or through a commercial driving school.

For new drivers over 18, there is no requirement for behind-the-wheel training, but you are encouraged to have at least 50 hours of driving practice, including at least 10 hours of night driving, before obtaining your Illinois driver’s license. As with all applicants, you must still pass the behind-the-wheel component of the driving test when applying for your license at the Secretary of State drivers facility, so this practice will help you with that test.

New Drivers Over 21

For those new drivers 21 years old or over, you don't need to take an adult drivers ed course. You will just need to make an appointment for a drivers license test at a SOS office. There, you will take your written licensing exam, and vision and hearing tests, before getting behind the wheel for your road test.

Who Needs To Take Illinois Driver's Ed?

For the Drivers Ed portion, the SOS requires all applicants under the age of 18 to take a state-approved drivers education course, which includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of behind-the-wheel training.

For applicants 18 to 20 years old, a six-hour Adult Drivers Education course is required if no qualifying driver education course had been completed prior to age 18. For applicants over the age of 21, no Driver's Ed course is required.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our friendly support staff. If you want to start your driver's training journey with Coastline Academy, make sure to sign up for Drivers Ed and book your driving lesson today.