Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Consequences Of Driving Without A Valid Licence

By Johann Ken Flanders

Driving without a valid driving licence is one of the worst offences you can commit on the road. From a reasonably young age it is built into our minds that before we drive, we must hold a driving licence, yet there are thousands of people every year who are caught driving without a licence.

With the offence of driving without a licence, there are different levels of severity, the most minor of which being when the driver does have a licence, but just doesn't have it on them at the time they get pulled over. The best thing to do in this situation is to be truthful and allow the police to take your car away if they wish to. You can then go home, get your licence, show it to them, apologise for not carrying it, and drive your car home.

The real problem is when there is no license issued and we are caught on the roads. There are hundreds of violators who got away scot-free (and have put up their stories on various legal forums and even on YouTube), but the truth is that there is no real getting out of that!

Problems really start occurring when cars are involved in an accident and the driver doesnt hold a valid licence. If you are found in this situation, god help you! Depending on the laws in the particular state or county that you are in, penalties can range from having your vehicle impounded to lifetime bans on applying for a driving licence to a spell in prison.

There could be a temporary suspension of the license, and if caught while driving during that period, there are tougher penalties than with just driving without a license. The worst of the lot is when there is a permanent ban of the drivers license and still the person is caught while driving. That is a real short cut to get into federal prison!

People driving without a licence is simply an attitude problem. If an understanding that the rules are there for our convenience can be achieved then that should put an end to the attitude problem.

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