Crime & Safety
Unlicensed Drivers Far More Deadly on the Road, California Study Says
Drivers without a valid license in California are nearly three times more likely cause fatal car accidents than those with a valid license, according to a study by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Drivers who are unlicensed or have a suspended or revoked license are nearly three times more likely to cause a fatal crash, a California Department of Motor Vehicles study found.
It’s even more dangerous to be an unlicensed driver rather than to drive with a suspended or revoked license. Compared to the average legal driver, such drivers are 2.6 to 2.73 times more likely to cause a fatal crash, depending on the driver.
The study, Fatal Crash Rates for Suspended/Revoked and Unlicensed Drivers, took crash data over a span of 23 years. Researchers looked at the correlation among two-vehicle fatal crashes where one driver was at fault. The at-fault crash risk of drivers without permission to drive has not diminished over time.
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The Department of Motor Vehicles found that people between the ages of 20 to 29 who do not have authorized licenses have the largest percentage of two-vehicle fatal car accidents.
If caught with a suspended or revoked license or found to be driving without one, the citation can result in a 30-day vehicle impoundment, thousands of dollars in fines, and/or time added to a suspension or probation period.
