As an adult, he should have known better than drive at all. The sad fact is that in the state of Michigan, driving without a license is more commonplace than one might think. It’s the number two ticket law enforcement writes in this state. I’ve seen unlicensed kids drive themselves to class and unlicensed adults drive themselves to road test appointments. There is little downside in getting caught and so people continue to drive, thinking that it’s their right.
We could blame law enforcement for not keeping the unlicensed drivers off the road; unfortunately, the jails would be full of scofflaw drivers if there ever were a crackdown.
There are a few minor things the Secretary of State could adjust to bring about change. Unlike other states, in Michigan one can title a car without having a valid license, which is how people can title cars to minor children. Ensuring vehicle registrations are made by people with valid licenses would go a long way to curbing the phenomenon of unlicensed drivers taking to the road.
Also, in this state yearly car registrations can be made by mail without a cross reference to the person’s driving record. Michigan should adopt a similar registration program as California. In California any outstanding tickets show up on the renewal and have to be cleared before the tabs are released to the automobile owner. This goes for parking tickets as well as moving violations.
Finally, there has to be a lasting penalty for unlicensed drivers. Suspending licenses is not helping in an atmosphere where people think they have the right to drive without one. Perhaps if their vehicles were confiscated, these drivers would get with the program and either obtain a valid license for the first time or clean up their record.
Parents and educators can and should use this unfortunate accident as a tool. Unfortunately, many adolescents won’t listen. They genuinely believe “it couldn’t happen to them.” For most of them, knock on wood, it won’t happen to them. But life is too short not to bring the possibility of calamity to the forefront.
Nothing can take away the grief for the families of those five accident victims. It will be a sad week for them. Perhaps they can take comfort if a single teenager culls one grain of wisdom from this sad moment and waits for a train.
Article comments
1 - Dr Dreadful
The young ages at which some US jurisdictions allow people to have driver's licenses astonishes me. Wouldn't surprise me if in some states your birth certificate is your driver's license. No, better yet: there may be states where a positive pregnancy test entitles your embryo to get behind the wheel as soon as it grows fingers to grasp it with.
Seriously, young drivers are fucking dangerous, as are older people. The difference is that older people know they're fucking dangerous and slow down accordingly, which can be frustrating if you're stuck behind one but at least you'll live to think so.
I didn't get my license until I was 35. Seems like an appropriate age to me.
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