Unlicensed drivers

[cpzilliacus]

L.A. Times op-ed by Steve Lopez:  'Just looking for sane policy' on unlicensed drivers - Don Rosenberg, whose son was killed by an unlicensed driver, argues for tougher enforcement. But it's an uphill fight in Los Angeles.

I got into a minor fender-bender once near downtown Los Angeles and suggested to the other driver that we pull off the highway and deal with the matter on a safer city street.

She said OK, then disappeared.

Was she uninsured, or maybe unlicensed?

It wouldn't be surprising. A national study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that unlicensed drivers are much more likely to leave the scene of an accident. And the California Department of Motor Vehicles recently reported that unlicensed drivers are three times as likely to cause a fatal crash as licensed drivers.

[KEK Inc.]

Driving is a privilege, not a right.  People have the mentality like it's a right.

[NE2]

Doesn't help when default transportation policy assumes everyone drives.

[jeffandnicole]

L.A. Times op-ed by Steve Lopez:  'Just looking for sane policy' on unlicensed drivers - Don Rosenberg, whose son was killed by an unlicensed driver, argues for tougher enforcement. But it's an uphill fight in Los Angeles.

It's an uphill fight everywhere.  Unless you pull someone over, or recognize the driver doesn't have a license, how does one know if you have a license or not.  You can't stop everyone, and when they do (checkpoints), people complain.

I always laugh when someone says that they need to take licenses away from drunks, etc.  As if the lack of that 2" by 3" laminated piece of paper would actually prevent someone from starting up a car and driving away. 

[vdeane]

Driving is a privilege, not a right.  People have the mentality like it's a right.

My take is this: you have a right to drive IF you can show that you know and follow the rules of the road and are safe.  That's what the licence is for.

[formulanone]

The only way you're going to completely stop unlicensed drivers is with a device similar to what Dallas had for his taxi in Fifth Element. It automatically checked your license status when you started up your vehicle. I'm not saying it's the worst idea ever, but between implementation in new vehicles, people unwilling to get such installations in existing vehicles, making sure licence equals actual driver, possible liberties violated, and making one more annoyance out of driving, it's probably never going to seriouslybbe implemented. There would just sooner be harsher laws towards the crime itself first.

[cpzilliacus]

The only way you're going to completely stop unlicensed drivers is with a device similar to what Dallas had for his taxi in Fifth Element. It automatically checked your license status when you started up your vehicle. I'm not saying it's the worst idea ever, but between implementation in new vehicles, people unwilling to get such installations in existing vehicles, making sure licence equals actual driver, possible liberties violated, and making one more annoyance out of driving, it's probably never going to seriouslybbe implemented. There would just sooner be harsher laws towards the crime itself first.

Putting repeat offenders in jail (and especially hard-core drinking drivers) would help.

[Brandon]

The only way you're going to completely stop unlicensed drivers is with a device similar to what Dallas had for his taxi in Fifth Element. It automatically checked your license status when you started up your vehicle. I'm not saying it's the worst idea ever, but between implementation in new vehicles, people unwilling to get such installations in existing vehicles, making sure licence equals actual driver, possible liberties violated, and making one more annoyance out of driving, it's probably never going to seriouslybbe implemented. There would just sooner be harsher laws towards the crime itself first.

Putting repeat offenders in jail (and especially hard-core drinking drivers) would help.

Rehab for repeat drunk drivers might help even more.  Force them to take a program such as AA with court monitoring.

[cpzilliacus]

The only way you're going to completely stop unlicensed drivers is with a device similar to what Dallas had for his taxi in Fifth Element. It automatically checked your license status when you started up your vehicle. I'm not saying it's the worst idea ever, but between implementation in new vehicles, people unwilling to get such installations in existing vehicles, making sure licence equals actual driver, possible liberties violated, and making one more annoyance out of driving, it's probably never going to seriouslybbe implemented. There would just sooner be harsher laws towards the crime itself first.

Putting repeat offenders in jail (and especially hard-core drinking drivers) would help.

Rehab for repeat drunk drivers might help even more.  Force them to take a program such as AA with court monitoring.

Agreed.  And some judges do impose "no drinking for any  reason," combined with a certain number of AA meetings every week as part of a sentence for alcohol-related motor vehicle violations.

But jail time is also a deterrent. For the  hardest-core drunk drivers (the ones that injure or kill people), I think a stay in prison (not jail) is appropriate.