Even though the issue of illegal drivers is a serious one in Colorado, Denver voters were correct to soundly reject Initiative 300, which would have forced police to impound the cars of drivers who lacked a driver’s license.
The poorly reasoned measure would have, among other things, stripped officers of their discretion in cases where legal drivers simply left their licenses at home.
Still, more than 200,000 people might be driving illegally in Colorado, and they were involved in almost a quarter of the state’s traffic deaths — or 130 deaths — last year, according to state auditors.
State lawmakers should act soon to deal with the high number of accidents and deaths caused each year by those who drive without valid licenses.
If they don’t, you can bet proponents will push future initiatives like 300 in Denver and possibly statewide.
Initiative 300 was a cynical attempt to target illegal immigrants (and yes, they shouldn’t be driving here), but it also would have cost the city an estimated $1.6 million in extra police resources and towing costs, and there are better ways to focus on the problem of illegal immigration.
State lawmakers sought the audit on drivers without licenses after a tragic accident last year killed three people, including a 3-year-old, in an Aurora ice cream shop, reports The Post’s David Olinger.
The unlicensed driver in the accident, Francis Hernandez, was both in the United States illegally and already classified as a problem driver whose right to drive had been revoked by the state Division of Motor Vehicles.
We wonder why Hernandez and those like him aren’t more often charged with felony habitual traffic offenses and hauled off to jail. (Sadly, we know why it’s hard to deport the likes of Hernandez, given this country’s unworkable immigration enforcement laws. We also know that overcrowded jails aren’t always the answer to those who continue to drive without licenses.)
We think police ought to be more aggressive in impounding the vehicles of such drivers. Eventually, friends and family of such “problem drivers” would soon tire of loaning them the keys to their vehicles once targeted impoundments began hitting home.
About 14 percent of unlicensed drivers involved in fatal accidents last year were also unlicensed or driving after having their right to drive revoked or suspended. And three-fourths of the 225,000 drivers currently plying the roads without a license are drivers who have had them revoked or suspended.
For the safety of our residents, we hope lawmakers can find ways to help police get problem drivers off the road for good.
