California Department of Motor Vehicles locations, often the bane of a driver’s existence, will be exciting places for more than 1 million Californians next month.
Effective Jan. 2, undocumented immigrants in the state will be able to obtain driver’s licenses and car insurance for the first time, following a decades-long push by the state legislature’s Latino caucus to address problems caused by so many unlicensed, uninsured motorists.
"While undocumented immigrants form the backbone of many key industries in California, exclusion from the ability to apply for a license has meant a simple trip to work or school can easily morph into a nightmare," Jon Rodney, a spokesman for the California Immigrant Policy Center, told The Huffington Post. "Folks have faced discriminatory car impounds, costing working families untold thousands of dollars, and even arrests."
With more than 33,000 traffic fatalities recorded in the U.S. in 2012, state officials said it’s vital to prioritize road safety over policing immigrants.
“It has nothing to do with if they’re in the country legally or illegally,” Julie Powell, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, told The Sacramento Bee. “Our main concern is that the people of California are safe, and one way to assist in accomplishing that mission is to make sure California drivers are tested, trained and insured.”
Undocumented Immigrants Flock To Get Driver s Licenses Under New California Law
First, I do not really understand how this measure is supposed to reduce the number of car accidents and traffic fatalities. Are the officials going to teach the immigrants to drive? If not, are they going just to issue more licenses?
And second, using these licenses, will the immigrants be able to vote?