AAA Colorado ~ EnCompass Magazine

AAA frequently receives questions from media following tragic deaths caused by unlicensed drivers. Sadly, in many cases these drivers were caught multiple times yet continued to drive. Using national data on fatal crashes, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (a not-for-profit, publicly supported charitable education and research organization) reports that one out of every five fatal crashes involves a driver who lacks a valid license.

It is not known exactly how many drivers are out on the road with no license or a suspended or revoked one. What is known is that these drivers cause serious crashes-a California study shows that drivers operating a car without a license are four times as likely as other drivers to cause a fatal crash.

What can be done about this situation? The four most important things that every person can do are:

Take the problem seriously.

Attitudes need to change about driving without a valid license. A "no excuses" attitude-like the current one against driving drunk-will make others think twice before they drive without a valid license.

Be firm but helpful if the opportunity arises.

Faced with the choice between driving illegally and losing their job, many people will choose to drive illegally. This needs to change from accepting it as a reasonable choice to recognizing the risk that these drivers pose and doing something to encourage legal behavior. If you know someone in this situation, and you can help them choose the legal and responsible options, speak up. Help them find alternative transportation. Help them to become licensed if that is an option.

Be on the side of law enforcement.

If you know someone who is driving without a license, you can stop them. If they will not listen to you, then you have the choice to ignore it or to alert local law enforcement. The tragedies that the media report should not happen to anyone. It's rarely a secret to friends and family when a person is driving without a valid license. If that person is stopped from driving illegally, lives may be saved-including their own.

Encourage your elected officials to act.

This problem is growing.

And, it is inadvertently being aided by society's stronger emphasis on catching drunk drivers, which means a growing number of drivers have had their licenses suspended or revoked. While this is a positive step in keeping dangerous drivers off our roads, the question needs to be asked: how well does it work? Statistics indicate that approximately two-thirds of suspended drivers will continue to drive. The reasons for this are complex, but the bottom line is that suspended drivers who continue to drive know their chances of being caught are slim and the penalties often amount to just another suspension, like the one they already ignore. New ideas and dialogue on enforcement are needed.

Working together, with new ideas and different perspectives, we can help this situation and make the roads safer for all drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

Tony DeNovellis
President and CEO


Your Comments Requested . . .

	Do you have any thoughts on how this problem can be better addressed? If so, please send your comments to: EnCompass magazine, 4100 E. Arkansas Ave., Denver, CO 80222, or to president@colorado.aaa.com.