Illegal Drivers

A recent study commissioned by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 8,400 people die each year in accidents involving drivers illegally operating vehicles. "That is an astonishing figure to account for an equally astonishing number of victims," says David Willis, president of the Foundation. "It's the same as 40 to 50 [large commercial airliners] falling out of the sky each year."

Of the 180 million registered drivers in this country, 33.6 million are driving with suspended, revoked, or denied licenses or with serious motor vehicle convictions on their record, states the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the AAA Foundation's report, 28% of the illegal drivers involved in fatal crashes had received three or more license suspensions or revocations in the three years prior to the crash.

"Clearly we have a major public health problem. People whose licenses are being revoked or suspended are out there killing people," said Lindsay Griffin, a researcher with the Texas Transportation Institute. He continues by stating that earlier studies suggest that between 30 and 70 percent of individuals who have had their licenses suspended or revoked continue to drive.

Researchers did find some common characteristics that linked the illegal drivers:

• One-third were younger than 20.
• They were more likely to be male.
• They were more likely to drive late at night or early in the morning.
• Among those with a suspended license, they were about three times more likely to be drunk than properly licenses drivers. Those who had a revoked license were about four times more likely to be drunk.
• They were more than five times as likely to be hit-and-run drivers than legal drivers, in cases where the drivers were unidentified.

Lt. Patrick Burke, traffic coordinator for the D.C. police department, stated that partial blame lies on mild penalties. "If I were to, let's say, arrest a 17-year-old this afternoon who doesn't have a driver's permit, never had a driver's permit, that 17-year-old could pay $75 at the local police station and be on the street in a car an hour later."

Authorities are looking at measures that would impound vehicles or force violators to face court charges to reduce the number of occurring violations. The report recommended the use of ignition locks and electronic drivers licenses to curb unlicensed drivers.