Attention Illinois Drivers, Rep. Sacia Has New Highway Safety Plan–Put 14 Year-Olds Behind the Wheel

(Springfield, IL) — From the Kid-You-Not-Department, State Rep. JIM SACIA (R-Pecatonica), has proposed legislation, House Bill 5255, that “lowers the minimum age for issuance of an instruction permit to 14 years if the child (i) is enrolled in an approved driver education course or (ii) is enrolled in school…” or if the parent permanently is comatose.

If the merits of Sacia’s proposal are rolling around in your head, here’s a random aritcle from The Southern Illinoisian newspaper last month to slap you back to reality in a nanosecond:

Teens airlifted to hospitals after crashing car
BY BECKY MALKOVICH, The Southern
Thursday, January 24, 2008 9:11 AM CST

BUCKNER — “Four Franklin County teens received major injuries in a one-car crash in Buckner Wednesday afternoon.

Rhiannon M. Claxton, 17, Christian M. Corner, 16, and Devin A.

O’Daniell, 15, all of Christopher, were airlifted to Missouri hospitals after the 3:43 p.m. crash, while Jami L. Collier, 16, of Buckner, was taken to Franklin Hospital, Captain Don Jones of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said.

The crash occurred as Claxton was driving westbound on East Main Street. Jones said Claxton’s vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign, left the roadway, struck a curb and went airborne before coming to rest in a ditch.

One person had to be extricated from the car by responding emergency personnel, he said.

Claxton and Corner were flown to Cape Girardeau for treatment of injuries. O’Daniell was airlifted to a Saint Louis hospital, Jones said.

Claxton was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, disobeying a stop sign and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.”
===========================

What’s Sacia thinking? Is he?