A Public Safety and Uninsured-Motorist Coverage Perspective
Published in the Advocate 2013
Woodland Hills personal injury attorney Barry P. Goldberg believes California has a growing problem with record numbers of unlicensed, and therefore uninsured, drivers on the road. Undocumented immigrants drive every day and present a deadly risk to California motorists because they cannot get a California driver’s license. There are virtually no safeguards to determine if these drivers can see, read a road sign or have the minimum skills necessary to operate a motor vehicle. Because they do not have licenses, they cannot even buy automobile liability insurance. Law enforcement and the DMV have virtually stopped enforcing the law concerning driving without a license and requiring liability insurance. It is estimated that over 2,000,000 unlicensed and uninsured drivers are on the road in California right now.
In this Article, Mr. Goldberg proposes that these illegal drivers become “legal” drivers by use of “driving privilege cards” or “provisional licenses.” Further, that law enforcement and the DMV strictly apply the existing Financial Responsibility Laws which will greatly increase the number of capable and insured drivers on the roads. In the mean time, while Congress sorts some of this out, Mr. Goldberg urges all Californians to adequately protect themselves by purchasing adequate and increased Uninsured Motorist Coverage.
