Pontiac, IL - State Senator Dan Rutherford, Republican candidate for Secretary of State, is calling on Governor Rod Blagojevich to sign HB 4768.

The legislation, co-sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Rutherford, would double to fifty the number of hours a student driver is required to spend behind the wheel with a parent or guardian before being allowed to apply for a driver's license in Illinois.  In addition, a new requirement of ten of the fifty hours would have to take place at night.

"We're reminded how dangerous our roads can be by tragedies involving our young drivers every year, and the Legislature passed these new requirements as an attempt to further educate teenagers and more deeply involve their parents and guardians before putting them on our roads," said Rutherford.  "This is a win-win piece of legislation, and the Governor should sign it immediately."

According to the Illinois State Police, crashes are the leading cause of injury-related deaths for teenagers, and, nationally, six individuals a day between the ages of fifteen and twenty die in motor vehicle crashes.

"While I understand the tight schedules people often live under in our fast-paced daily lives, I think these added requirements are a small price to pay to improve driving education and make the roads safer for both our new drivers and those already driving in Illinois," Rutherford added.

HB 4768 would become effective immediately upon being signed into law.