About 10% of Drivers Don't Have a License

Suspending licenses doesn't keep people off the roads
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 6, 2011 2:27 PM CDT
About 10% of Drivers Don't Have a License
A Florida DMV is seen in this file photo.   (Flickr)

The roads are full of people who aren’t legally allowed to drive—in large part because lots of people ignore license suspensions. Roughly one in 10 American motorists doesn’t have a valid license, experts tell the St. Petersburg Times, and though some never had them, most lost them due to either on-road mishaps or financial hardship. In many places, unpaid parking tickets or child support can trigger license suspensions, as can missed court dates.

According to AAA estimates, two-thirds of people with suspended licenses drive anyway. If they’re caught it “almost always destroys their chances of pulling themselves out of a hole,” says one assistant Florida state attorney, as costs of tickets, court dates, and more pile up. “Some of it is a trap,” says one judge, “and some of it is the defendant’s fault.” One prosecutor has some simple advice for suspended drivers: Stop driving. “It only becomes a vicious cycle if you continue to drive.” (More driver's license stories.)

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