I am looking for an opinion on whether or not you think the US should allow non-citizens to get a drivers license.
2006-10-25 02:19:19 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
non-citizens but still legal - YES
illegal immigrants - NO!!
2006-10-25 09:39:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course non-citizens should be allowed to get a drivers license.
What a foolish question!
Think about ALL the people who come to the United States to visit.
Do you honestly think that British, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, etc...tourists should be restricted to only public transportation?
Have YOU ever traveled abroad?
If so, did you get a drivers license to drive in those countries?
I did, when I went to Europe.
What do you suppose would have happened to me if I got caught driving in Spain without a license?
Drivers licenses can be issued on a temporary basis and foreign nationals should be allowed one, just as they should be allowed a guest-workers permit when working in the USA.
2006-10-25 03:01:35 · answer #2 · answered by docscholl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Non-citizens can perfectly well get driving licenses in the US. It would be stupid and perhaps a violation of the so-called Geneva Compact http://transportation.ky.gov/drlic/non_us_ctzns.htm international law and good sense if those entitled to live and work (however temporarily) and foreign diplomats were not allowed to drive.
The following arrangements exist:
-- foreign diplomats get driving licenses and car registrations from the Protocol Office of the US Department of States (except that if a dependent is a US citizen that dependent gets her or his license from a state or territory in the ordinary way and s/he dos not enjoy diplomatic immunity or tax exemption)
-- Canadians -- who can visit the US visa-free for 6 months a year -- can get licenses in some states, notably Florida http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/faqkeys.html
-- Other aliens must show a proper visa or green card to get a license.
-- Foreign tourists and others present in the USA for less than a year (B-1/B-2 visas for example) MUST get a license from their home country and, if applicable, an "international driver's license" (really just a translation of the home license: this "license" in itself grants no privileges).
The major issue with refusing to grant licenses to undocumented aliens is the possibility that the insurance on their vehicle may be void because the car or truck or bus is being driven without a valid license. That means that any US driver unfortunate enough to be in a crash with such a person may go uncompensated unless s/he him/herself has uninsured motorist coverage. This issue has had insufficient attention. California notably seems not to have the one-year limit on validity of a foreign (or out-of-state) license so long as the visitor is not resident and employed in California. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#2500
There is a good deal of sloppiness in lack of exactitude in the enforcement of licensing laws, and I know of many people in the US who drive on improper (out of state, Canadian, other foreign) licenses. And it is well known that up to 2/3 of those whose licenses are suspended drive anyway. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12810739&dopt=Abstract
2006-10-25 02:37:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is a really bad idea. Who pays for the licensing process? Taxpayers. We have over 10 million illegal aliens in this country. How much will it cost to give drivers licenses to 4 or 5 million people who don't contribute tax dollars to the cost of licensing? Driving in this country is not a right, it's a privelege.
2006-10-25 02:34:54 · answer #4 · answered by Steve O 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Illegal Alien - NO. Tourist, Resident Alien - not a problem.
Contrary to what some have said - you DO NOT have to prove you have insurance in order to get a license. Insurance is on the VEHICLE, not the driver. The owner is responsible for who drives the vehicle.
Some of you on SR22 and the like are restricted to certain vehicles by the State and your insurance co. and you will not be covered if you drive somthing else - that is becuase you have have proven yourself untrustworthy
2006-10-25 03:48:15 · answer #5 · answered by APRock 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For one it takes a birth certificate and a social security card to do that. Shoot, you may even need to show proof of insurance now a days. Can I just walk in and get me a new drivers license without either one? Then I could have a whole new identity. Start me a fresh life just like the non-legals, including all the benefits of govt. handouts that I can't get as a real American.
2006-10-25 02:30:17 · answer #6 · answered by steve 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jezers Creeps!
ANYONE can get an international drivers license!
So you agree with the countries of the world allowing it, but not the land of the free?
2006-10-25 02:50:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Driving and a drivers license are NOT fundamental rights guaranteed by the consitution. Driving and licenses are a privaledge and therefore should be decided on a state by state basis.
2006-10-25 07:11:53 · answer #8 · answered by Matt B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
driving is considered a privilege,so no, i do not think that a non-citizen should be allowed a drivers license.
2006-10-25 02:27:56 · answer #9 · answered by slabsidebass 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as they can read English and pass the written and driving test why not?
Proof of insurance is typically required when getting your license, so uninsured motorist shouldn't be a problem
2006-10-25 02:21:52 · answer #10 · answered by Robyn C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Non-citizens here legally should be allowed too!
Illegally should be shoved back to the border! No car for you!
2006-10-25 03:06:01 · answer #11 · answered by Heather 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋