by Michael Strong

Between 1993 and 1997, some 42,049 people died because someone who did not hold a valid driver's license climbed behind the wheel of a vehicle and drove anyway, according to a recent report.

An AAA Foundation survey shows that 20 percent - one in every five - of all fatal crashes in the United States involve drivers who should never have been on the road in the first place due to the fact they were unlicensed.

The study was performed by Dr. Lindsay Griffin of the Texas Transportation Institute using crash data from the Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

"Drivers operating on invalid licenses at the time of their fatal crashes are different from the rest of us," Griffin said. "Not only were their licenses invalid, but 28 percent of them had received three or more license suspensions or revocations in the three years before their crashes. These are not just ordinary people who forgot to renew."

The survey examined 278,078 drivers who were involved in 183,749 fatal crashes from 1993 to 1997. The unlicensed drivers were broken down into three segments: drivers with an invalid license (7.4 percent); drivers with no known license (3.7 percent); and drivers of unknown license status (2.7 percent).

Griffin examined five years of fatal crash data, identifying each driver's license status. Drivers with invalid licenses were far more likely to have been driving drunk and to have had multiple suspensions or revocations in the three years before the crash. In addition, the incidence of improper licensing varied widely by state. Maine had the lowest incidence, with 6.9 percent.

The state with the highest proportion of invalidly licensed drivers was New Mexico, where 23.9 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes were either unlicensed, operating on an invalid license, or of unknown license status. Other high-risk jurisdictions included the District of Columbia, Arizona, California, and Hawaii. An earlier study found that 30 to 70 percent of drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked might continue to drive, Griffin said.

All of these statistics boil down to two simple ones: A person with a suspended or revoked license is 3.7 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident. That figure jumps to 4.9 percent if the person has never even had a driver's license.

Smarts cards a key?

"Unlicensed drivers need to be prevented from driving," said David Willis, President of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Vehicle immobilization or impoundment for drivers who have had their licenses taken away could be one effective approach, the study suggests. Another promising high-tech solution is an electronic "smart-card" driver's license. This credit card-like device contains a computer chip, without which a car can't be started. If the license were taken away by the licensing agency, the violator would be prevented from driving.

In some cases, states have implemented tougher laws as a result of the numerous stories of unlicensed drivers causing fatal accidents. In Michigan, the problem received national attention in June 1997 after Timothy Gnida was involved in a single car accident later that year that nearly killed two of the four occupants of the limousine he was driving.

They were Vladimir Konstantinov and Sergei Mnatsakanov of the Detroit Red Wings, who were returning home from a golf tournament. The two other occupants received minor injuries. Gnida received probation for the incident because there was no law on the books regarding the issue so Oakland County prosecutor David Gorcyca helped pen two laws to make injuring someone while driving on a suspended or revoked license punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

One of the problems with unlicensed drivers is that they continue to climb behind the wheel, even in the most bizarre circumstances. Last year, Maryland summoned several dozen drivers with suspended or revoked licenses to a Howard County courthouse to check in with monitors. More than a third, 28 drivers, were arrested when they arrived because they had driven themselves to the court hearings.

Earlier studies show that as many as 70 percent of drivers who have had their driving privileges revoked, ignore the punishment and continue to drive. While everyone agrees there is a problem, states are enacting different laws to discourage unlicensed drivers from getting on the road.

In Ohio, police simply immobilize the vehicle. The amount of time depends on the severity of the infraction. California takes it a step further and impounds the vehicle for a minimum of 30 days. It does not matter if the unlicensed driver is also the owner of the vehicle. If he or she is at the wheel, the car or truck goes and the driver is responsible for paying the costs associated with towing and storing the vehicle before it will be released.

Minnesota authorities confiscate the license plates of drivers who have been convicted of multiple offenses. Michigan stiffened up its offenses related to injured drivers. Drivers can receive five years if an injury results from an accident or 15 years if someone dies.

© 2000 The Car Connection