All of us are inundated with statistics, but here’s one that might stick with you a little longer than most: one in seven North Carolina drivers does not have a valid driver’s license, according to a recent study by AAA.
One of the first questions that statistic prompts is whether or not those drivers have auto insurance in case of a car accident. The answer: it’s likely that most of them are uninsured motorists.
One North Carolina Highway Trooper said troopers typically pull over at least one driver a day who is motoring on highways without a license. He noted that repeat offenders can eventually face the prospect of some time behind bars for their violations of the law.
AAA also notes that one out of every five fatal accidents in North Carolina involves an unlicensed person behind the wheel.
What that means for the average law-abiding driver is that if you’re in a wreck with an unlicensed driver, you could wind up footing the costs associated with the crash.
A spokesperson for AAA Carolinas said, “They’re a danger, and they cost all of us money in insurance, in emergency personnel, and that’s not even talking about the human cost.”
One TV station followed several people out of a courthouse where they had just been convicted of drunk driving and had their licenses suspended. Many of them left the courthouse behind the wheel of an automobile.
The AAA spokesperson says the punishment for driving without a license is simply too lenient.
“The law today, ‘I’ve got a suspended license, for a year. I get caught. They just add another year on it. I get in my car, drive away,’ ” he said.
The auto club is going to work with lawmakers on stiffening sentences that will, hopefully, get some unsafe drivers off the roads.
Our firm represents people injured in traffic accidents. Visit our Fayetteville car accidents page for more information.
Source: MyFox8.com, “1 in 7 NC drivers don’t have a license,” Oct. 9, 2012