Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed into law a new measure aimed directly at safety standards for vehicles used by the state’s public education system for driver’s ed classes.

The new legislation was prompted by an investigation by the Tribune newspaper and cars.com. Among the issues it addresses are costs for the driver’s education program and uniform curriculum standards across the board. The new legislation covers both private and public education driver’s education programs, and is intended to streamline the process so those who use these services know exactly what it will cost and exactly what it will cover.

Driver’s education classes have been used in public schools around the nation for decades. Usually the same teacher who handles physician education classes also handles the driver’s education program. It states that use them, these classes are a requirement for students who want to receive their driver’s license, regardless of whether or not they use a graduated licensing program.

These drivers education programs have been shown to decrease the incident of vehicle crashes among teenagers, already a risk group for death by car. It seems likely that the effort by the Illinois governor is intended to continue decreasing that risk while ensuring that the programs themselves maintain strict standards for safety and provide an effective curriculum designed with safety in mind.