Do Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants Make Roads Safer?
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Without more data and research it’s difficult to say, according to a new Pew analysis.
It's tough to know whether issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants might improve road safety, reduce the number of uninsured motorists, or provide a boost for state economies, researchers at The Pew Charitable Trusts suggest in a brief published on Thursday.
Backers of programs that allow for driving credentials to be issued to people who cannot provide proof of their legal presence in the U.S. have cited these types of benefits. But the new analysis from Pew highlights how a lack of data, and a host of factors outside the scope of the licensing programs, makes it difficult to back up such claims with concrete evidence.
“Although the available data and analysis give a sense of the potential effect, they also point to the need for more research,” wrote Pew’s Michele Waslin and Maggie Woodward.
Ten states and the District of Columbia currently have programs that allow people to obtain driver’s licenses, or similar documents, without showing they are in the U.S. legally.
In an effort to shed light on the impact of these programs, Waslin and Woodward present an overview of the findings from a number of past studies. Some of these studies do not look directly at the implications of granting driver’s licenses to unauthorized immigrants. But they still offer insight into what the effects of issuing the licenses might be.
For instance, a 2012 California Department of Motor Vehicles study found that drivers without valid licenses were almost three times more likely than those with them to cause a fatal wreck. While it's not certain, this could mean there are safety benefits to be had by granting unauthorized immigrants access to licenses.
But the researchers also note that standards for the way crash data is reported and collected, along with ongoing improvements in auto technology, would make it hard to know what safety gains can be directly attributed to such licensing programs.
Nailing down what the programs mean for state economies is not easy either.
Waslin and Woodward note that North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety was unable to find a quantifiable economic impact from making licenses available for unauthorized immigrants.
But they also point out that an Oregon Department of Transportation study estimated that if immigrants lost licenses they already had, it could reduce the size of the state’s labor force, and cut the state’s gross domestic product by between $134.0 million and $201.9 million.
Under current Oregon law, those without proof they're in the U.S. legally are not eligible for driver's licenses.
Zeroing in on what effect licensing programs for undocumented immigrants have on the number of insured motorists is complicated as well, according to Waslin and Woodward. This is because variables like economic conditions and state laws can also influence the number of drivers with coverage.
In the conclusion to their brief, Waslin and Woodward write: “Isolating the driving habits, insurance coverage, and economic activity of the newly licensed population from that of other drivers is likely to continue to present unique research challenges.”
The full Pew Charitable Trusts research brief can be found here.
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Bill Lucia is a Reporter for Government Executive's Route Fifty.
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