Rauner signs bill that requires teaching teens how to handle being stopped by police

Students enrolled in driver's education courses will be required to learn how to respond if they're pulled over by police under a measure Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law Friday.

The change is aimed at preventing teens from panicking or doing anything that may be interpreted as a red flag by police, which could lead to a standard traffic stop escalating into a more serious situation.

"I think it's really timely, so that teenagers and young drivers don't look at a police officer as a threat or a problem," said sponsoring Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Deerfield. "It's just a part of driving, and if they respond in a responsible, correct way, it should never escalate."

The new curriculum will be put in place for the 2017-18 school year at private and public schools that offer driver's education classes, or after June 30, 2017, for driver training schools providing instruction to teens younger than 18. It'll be up to the secretary of state's office to develop the specific guidelines.

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