PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Should California Grant Driver's Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants?

Undocumented immigrants living in California are unable to obtain a driver's license, which makes it difficult for accident victims to pursue their rights after a crash.

2013-01-31
January 31, 2013 (Press-News.org) Should California grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants?

Whatever your position on the issue, there is no denying that undocumented immigrants make up a significant portion of California's population. Like other Californians, many of these immigrants need to drive in order to run errands, take their children to school or go to work. However, because they are residing in the United States illegally, they are not eligible to get driver's licenses.

Increasingly, many legislators and safety advocates in California are becoming concerned that these unlicensed drivers are putting others on the road at risk of being involved in a dangerous car accident. As a solution, they propose allowing undocumented immigrants to become legally licensed drivers. Opponents to this idea, though, worry about granting this privilege to people who aren't technically supposed to be in the country. To them, granting driver's licenses seems like a tacit acceptance of unlawful immigration.

A new report on unlicensed drivers from the California Department of Motor Vehicles is adding fuel to the debate. That report shows that there are approximately 2 million unlicensed drivers in the state of California, the majority of whom are undocumented immigrants. The report further revealed that unlicensed drivers approximately three times more likely than licensed drivers to cause a fatal car accident. The DMV suggested requiring these unlicensed drivers to meet the basic thresholds of the state's written exam and driving test could greatly reduce the number of wrongful deaths on California roads.

Increased licensure could improve safety

An increase in licensed drivers may make it easier for injured California car accident victims to protect their rights after a crash. Data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that unlicensed drivers are much more likely to flee from the scene of a crash than licensed drivers are. Often, the fear of criminal charges or immigration actions prevents people from staying and taking responsibility for an accident.

More widespread licensing could also increase the chances of being able to recover personal injury damages after a serious accident. Unlicensed drivers do not usually carry auto insurance, which means victims need to rely on their own policies when accidents happen. State data shows that accidents caused by uninsured drivers in California cost insurers approximately $634 million in 2009, the most recent year for which data is available.

California uninsured motorist accidents

Californians who are injured in accidents caused by uninsured drivers should be aware that they may have a right to recover benefits despite the fact that the at-fault driver was not carrying insurance.

Although the law does not require it, California drivers have the option to purchase uninsured motorist insurance, which provides personal injury and property damage coverage in the event that the insured is hit by an uninsured driver. Uninsured motorist coverage will also sometimes provide benefits in the event of a hit-and-run accident.

Uninsured motorist benefits aren't guaranteed, though, so it is important for accident victims to work with an experienced personal injury attorney in the aftermath of a serious car accident. The attorney will be able to evaluate and investigate the case to help ensure that the victim is treated fairly by the insurance company.

Article provided by Law Offices of Carcione, Cattermole, Dolinski, Stucky, Markowitz & Carcione
Visit us at http://www.carcionelaw.com


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study Reveals Thousands Of Preventable Surgical Errors Occur Annually

2013-01-31
Study reveals thousands of preventable surgical errors occur annually Placing your well-being in the care of a medical professional is always somewhat unnerving, requiring a degree of trust in another's abilities not often needed in our daily lives. Consequently, when a physician's actions are negligent and result in entirely preventable harm, we understandably seek avenues to recover. Unfortunately, a recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has disclosed the frequency with which surgeons are guilty of making preventable errors while ...

How To Protect A Business From The Fallout Of Divorce

2013-01-31
How to protect a business from the fallout of divorce Marriage and business often go hand-in-hand. Frequently in this economy, one spouse or both spouses may own their own business or both spouses may even own a business together. The creation of a successful business requires a lot time and hard work and is likely to be the most important financial asset in a marriage. Unfortunately, more than half of first marriages in the United States end in divorce as do the majority of second and third marriages. Therefore, divorce and business also go hand-in-hand, and business ...

Understanding The Divorce Process In Florida

2013-01-31
Understanding the divorce process in Florida Each state has its own rules for divorce, and as a result there are a lot of myths about the requirements of filing a divorce. The state of Florida no longer requires fault as a ground for divorce, and therefore the only requirement for a Florida resident to dissolve his or her marriage is to prove the marriage is "irretrievably broken." In Florida the official term for divorce is "dissolution of marriage," and either spouse may file for dissolution. While Florida is a no-fault state for the purposes ...

If You Need Disability Benefits, You May Be In For A Long Wait

2013-01-31
If you need disability benefits, you may be in for a long wait The stress of living with a disability can be overwhelming, but the added stress of dealing with the system to collect Social Security Disability payments can make it even worse. A backlog of cases has significantly increased the amount of time that applicants have to wait to get their benefits approved. Recent reports indicate that applications for Social Security retirement and disability benefits have skyrocketed in recent years. This is likely due to the growing number of baby boomers who are reaching ...

The Division Of A Military Pension In A Divorce

2013-01-31
The division of a military pension in a divorce A married couple with one or both spouses serving in the military can experience special challenges. There are often children involved, and one spouse may have to postpone or forgo education or employment to care for the children full-time while the other spouse is deployed. In addition, frequent moves and the stress of serving in the military can strain even the strongest relationships. In fact, statistics from the Department of Defense show there were almost 30,000 military divorces in 2011, which is the highest rate ...

Federal Regulators Target Debt Collection Companies With Aggressive Tactics

2013-01-31
Federal regulators target debt collection companies with aggressive tactics Harassing phone calls and threats of arrest are practices currently being used by aggressive debt collectors. Many of these tactics are not only rude, but illegal. In an effort to refresh current laws and remind debt collection agencies that creditor harassment will not be tolerated, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, is launching a new set of rules to ensure debt collectors are not violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The regulations are aimed at holding these ...

Recent Report Finds Older Americans Facing Increased Risk Of Foreclosure

2013-01-31
Recent report finds older Americans facing increased risk of foreclosure A new report by the AARP shows that older Americans are facing increased risks of foreclosure. The report, titled Nightmare on Main Street: Older Americans and the Mortgage Market Crisis, was the first of its kind to focus on how the recent difficulties of the housing market is impacting people over the age of 50. The report found that over 600,000 loans for people in this age group were in the process of foreclosure as of December 2011. In addition, over 1.5 million seniors lost their homes ...

Property Division During Divorce

2013-01-31
Property division during divorce People getting a divorce often have concerns about property division. Many couples are able to reach a property division settlement outside of court, and the divorcing spouses sign a settlement agreement that is generally approved by a judge. However, if the parties cannot come to an agreement, a family court judge will decide how to divide the couple's property based on Massachusetts law and will order a property award. Equitable distribution Massachusetts is an equitable distribution state, as distinguished from community property ...

How Are Florida Parenting Plans Determined?

2013-01-31
How Are Florida Parenting Plans Determined? One of the most difficult issues when a relationship breaks down is deciding where a child or the children will live. In the process of working out a parenting plan, each parent will generally have less time with the children. This can be a difficult adjustment. Developing a parenting plan and time-sharing (formerly known as child custody and visitation) agreement needs to account for the children's best interests. The court uses the "best interests of the child" standard when reviewing any agreements or deciding ...

Driving Without A License Is No Joke In North Carolina

2013-01-31
Driving without a license is no joke in North Carolina In late 2012, 11-year-old Steven Dixon was hit by an unlicensed driver while walking to his bus stop in Forsyth County, North Carolina. "I was walking and I heard something go boom... [the car], it hit me and ran over my legs," said Steven. Both of his legs are now in casts. Unfortunately, unlicensed drivers are not uncommon in North Carolina. State Trooper Robert Reavis says he pulls over about one unlicensed driver a day, which is not far from estimates for the entire state. A recent AAA study revealed ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Do sweeteners increase your appetite? New evidence from randomised controlled trial says no 

Women with obesity do not need to gain weight during pregnancy, new study suggests

Individuals with multiple sclerosis face substantially greater risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19, despite high rates of vaccination

Study shows obesity in childhood associated with a more than doubling of risk of developing multiple sclerosis in early adulthood

Rice Emerging Scholars Program receives $2.5M NSF grant to boost STEM education

Virtual rehabilitation provides benefits for stroke recovery

Generative AI develops potential new drugs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Biofuels could help island nations survive a global catastrophe, study suggests

NJIT research team discovering how fluids behave in nanopores with NSF grant

New study shows association of historical housing discrimination and shortfalls in colon cancer treatment

Social media use may help to empower plastic surgery patients

Q&A: How to train AI when you don't have enough data

Wayne State University researchers uncover potential treatment targets for Zika virus-related eye abnormalities

Discovering Van Gogh in the wild: scientists unveil a new gecko species

Small birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia

Imaging detects transient “hypoxic pockets” in the mouse brain

Dissolved organic matter could be used to track and improve the health of freshwaters

Indoor air quality standards in public buildings would boost health and economy, say international experts

Positive associations between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

New imaging method illuminates oxygen's journey in the brain

Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley

New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, and predict their effects

Bidirectional link between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

Cell division quality control ‘stopwatch’ uncovered

Vaccine protects cattle from bovine tuberculosis, may eliminate disease

Andrew Siemion to receive the SETI Institute’s 2024 Drake Award

New study shows how the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus enters our cells

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy proves effective for locally advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma

Study flips treatment paradigm in bilateral Wilms tumor, shows resistance to chemotherapy may point toward favorable outcomes

Doctors received approximately $12.1 billion from drug and device makers between 2013-2022

[Press-News.org] Should California Grant Driver's Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants?
Undocumented immigrants living in California are unable to obtain a driver's license, which makes it difficult for accident victims to pursue their rights after a crash.