Drivers' licenses for all would improve safety, NC economy
Published April 8, 2014
by NC Budget and Tax Center, April 7, 2014.
One of the biggest flashpoints in the ongoing national debate over immigration policy centers on the matter of driver’s licenses. To anti-immigrant groups and those who champion mass deportations, the idea on providing driver’s licenses to undocumented individuals is an anathema. They see the granting of licenses as effectively conferring some kind of enhanced legal status on undeserving “lawbreakers.”
To a growing and bipartisan group of elected officials, experts, businesspeople, advocates and average Americans across the country, however, this kneejerk reaction is, while perhaps understandable, off base. These observers have come to the conclusion that providing driver’s licenses to undocumented individuals is an increasingly pragmatic and effective way to strengthen the economy, enhance highway safety and ease human suffering without making any judgment on the ultimate immigration status of any particular individuals.
This latter viewpoint – that expanding access to driver’s licenses could improve public safety, boost the state’s economy and benefit hundreds of thousands of North Carolina families – is the finding of a new report from the NC Budget & Tax Center (BTC).
More than 90 percent of North Carolinians use a car to get to work, either by driving alone or carpooling. Yet hundreds of thousands miss out on the opportunity to meet basic family needs and participate more fully in the state’s economy, says the report by the Budget & Tax Center, a project of the NC Justice Center.
Being able to drive a car is vitally important in North Carolina to get to work, take children to school and meet daily family needs. Ensuring that all drivers are licensed and insured also supports broader public safety goals that are important to every North Carolinian. That’s why a growing number of states—12 as of 2013— have allowed undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses. The experiences of other states show there is little to no additional cost to the state from this policy, but substantial benefits.
Based on estimates of the number of undocumented immigrants in North Carolina and the state’s adult population, as many as 254,545 people would benefit from this policy. Some of these drivers would undoubtedly be heads of households, thereby delivering benefits to their children as well.
“North Carolina has been a leader in adopting policies that make our roads safer, but one simple policy, ensuring all drivers can access a license, is still needed,” said Alexandra Sirota, director of the Budget & Tax Center. “To get a license, drivers must know the rules of the road, pass a vision test and have car insurance, key tools in improving the safety of all North Carolinians on the road.”
There could also be widespread economic benefits. The BTC publication echoes a recent report from the Department of Public Safety in concluding that driver’s licenses would mean more consumer spending and hence more profits for businesses.
“When unauthorized immigrants have safe, legal access to transportation, it improves their ability to get to work regularly and on time and gives them greater opportunities to fully participate in local economies. This, in turn, benefits the state’s economy,” Sirota said.
April 8, 2014 at 10:34 am
Norm Kelly says:
But what exactly IS the most important aspect of the details of this post? What's first and foremost but missing?
The people the BTC references are already LAW BREAKERS! They have already broken the law by being here illegally.
How do we get around this fact? What other nation on the planet allows illegals to have so many benefits?
How does the country of Mexico respond to illegal aliens moving to their country? Yeah, I know, why would anyone do this, but it's still a valid question?
How do the loving, kindly, socialist states of Norway, Scandanavia, and other nordic countries respond to people who move there? While I can't remember which country it is, one of the nordic countries doesn't allow anyone moving there to become a citizen. They don't allow children of movers to be citizens. The children of the children are allowed to be citizens. Third generation. How does this compare to how we want to handle illegal immigrants? Should we be allowing law breakers ANY benefits?
If these people who have already broken the law are allowed benefits above & beyond ignoring the fact that they broke the law, what law am I allowed to break without being prosecuted? Not only do I expect I should be allowed to pick a law to break without prosecution, I also expect that I would receive some worthwhile benefit AFTER breaking my chosen law. This is, after all, exactly what proponents of things like drivers licenses for illegal immigrants are asking for. Not only forget they broke the law, but now provide them with a benefit knowing that they have already broken the law. Where's my benefit and forgiveness for breaking a law?
At what point do we stop allowing the law to be broken? At what point do we stop rewarding people who CHOOSE to break our law?
I am not politically correct in ANY area of my life. I refuse to be politically correct on this issue either. You can call the law breakers anything you want, but I will continue to correctly call them Illegal Aliens. Not because I want to discriminate against Mexicans. Because not all of the law breakers are Mexican. Not because I'm racist against any group of people. But because when you break the law something about your description automatically and consistently starts with 'illegal'. Regardless of who you are, your description MUST start with this description. Those people who are in the country illegally are therefore called Illegal Aliens.
Which law do you want to allow EVERYONE to break because you are willing to allow this one group to have their first act in our country be a broken law? Fair is fair. And the one thing we hear constantly, loudly, from every lib has something to do with 'their fair share'. So if it's fair for some group to break the immigration law, what law do you want to allow EVERY OTHER resident of the country to break, providing forgiveness? There has got to be reciprocation. It's only fair!
And once you give a valid drivers license to an illegal alien, what prevents that illegal alien from voting? Is this simply another ploy from the Demon party to get more voters? It might be. After all, the Demon party stands in the way of EVERY effort to insure the people voting are who they say they are, are completely opposed to cleaning up the voting rolls. Once illegal aliens are provided with a license, will the Demons then insist that ANY license be valid proof of identification for voting? This may be one sure way to insure demon victories in the future. Cuz it sure seems the tide is turning against socialism (i mean the demons)!
