They can take your license away, but that still doesn’t stop people from driving without a license. One can still argue in court for work privileges despite a suspended license last I knew.
AFAIK, here in Ohio, you cannot be pulled over for driving without a license as a primary offense, so as long as you obey the traffic rules, you’re “good to go”. Doesn’t mean if the cops know your vehicle well enough that they’ll try and pull you over for something else in the hopes they catch you. My mom got pulled over once driving my step dad’s truck after he lost his license due to a 25 year old DUI case against my step dad in VA when he lived there. She didn’t do anything wrong, the cops just recognized the truck and pulled it over thinking it might be my step dad.
Ok, I had absolutely no idea all of these offenses could result in losing your license. I am totally against these and think we should have a special interest group to protest them and eliminate then. While we were napping, they pushed all this through.
Then I see all these ten year olds running electric scooters on the road and the police say maybe they will need to have some restrictions. Duh. Kid was about 12 I guess and we bought a vacant lot a couple blocks away. I wanted the kid to be able to drive the mower over to keep the weeds down. I asked the police and they couldn’t or wouldn’t give me an ok. So I said screw it and loaded th3 thing on the trailer and delivered it. Where is common sense? To think of all th3 things we did that could have caused a dl problem.
True, but fines could be scaled for that. The biggest problem with fines for relatively minor offenses imo is that usually the person paying the fine doesn’t actually pay it. Someone else does. The fined person, to accommodate the fine in their fixed budget, for example might decide to go to the grocery store for the ingredients and cook dinner that night at home, instead of what they’d normally do, take the entire family to a restaurant. Given the price of restaurant food, beverages, tax, and tip, easy way to save $250, quick. Plus dining at home is more Covid-safe. The fine is transferred to the restaurant owner and their staff. The restaurant owner knows this, and this conversation ensues:
Restaurant owner: My long time customer told me they had to save money b/c of a fine they received for not being on time for jury duty, so they are cooking at home instead of dining at my restaurant.
Elected gov’t official: Oh, that’s too bad you and your staff lost that income.
Owner: Is there anyway you can do something about this fine for minor offenses problem? I remind you. I donated $10K for your last campaign. I’d like to be able to donate the same amount or more next time.
Elected official: I think you are right, fines are not very effective, we’ll have to come up with a different punishment for minor offenses…
Good news! Almost none of the offenses detailed by @LoudThunder apply in Minnesota. Maybe someone at home was listening to you.
I’m not for most of these license suspensions for non driving issues…with the exception of driving a boat while under the influence. We’ve had major problems with drunk boat drivers over the years. This seems to be the only punishment that seemed to work.
Getting your drivers license revoked for whatever reason is a slap on the wrist.
You can still freely travel as long as you aren’t pulled over, which there is little chance of that.
Even if you are taken to jail, you’re spending a few nights and freed. Then you’re all good to go to do it all over again.
The solution is to make the jail sentence alot longer for alot of these things.
It seems like a $$$-fine would do the trick, maybe even better at inducing good boat driving behavior than revoking a DL.
No George, it won’t do the trick. The folks that engage in this activity have a serious problem that they can’t control. Fines won’t change that. Taking their license away will at least keep them off the road even if it doesn’t curb their drinking problem (it won’t).
hmmm … well, I guess if the only way to cause someone to boat safely is to revoke their car driving license, that’s what you got to do. Too dangerous otherwise.
In my experience, people will try to tackle their drinking problem when THEY are ready to, not when someone else tells them to knock it off
The thought that they’re messing up and should change needs to come from within
Some people need to lose all their friends, burn all their bridges and hit rock bottom before they are ready
Common sense and logic don’t really apply in this case, imo
Back in the 18th century fines were seen as not effective for the elite and punishing the poor. Some adopted the public humiliation for a while then got carried away with burning at the stake. Thing is the punishment should fit the crime not the net worth. That $176 fine I got in Indiana still peeves me regardless of my portfolio. Under our republic I think people need to guard against falling for the division tactics. All are the same under the law. So get it out of your system and read the founding documents and commentary concerning them.
Many of the boaters that were DUI’s on our big lake Winnipesaukee were committed by the race boat that were owned by people with a LOT OF MONEY…Some had multiple offenses. They just don’t care.
I also agree with license suspension for non payment of child care. These dead-beat dads are just scum. And the police don’t have the man power to find them all. So when they go to renew their license…All past payments must be brought up to date before license can be issued.
But if they do make it on the water I imagine that those that do will be just as drunk as ever and even worse now that they have no license to lose.
Years ago I worked at a brokerage firm. One of my coworkers lived a few blocks from me, so we decided to commute. Every other week we would switch out, so I would drive one week in my car and then she hers the next.
I didn’t realize that she had a DUI and she was allowed to drive conditionally, but she had a breathalyzer hooked up to the car. In order to start the car she had to blow in this machine and then about every five minutes she had to blow in it again.
We had a very formal dress policy, so I’m watching this very professional, expertly manicured young lady have to blow into the stupid tube. It just was the funniest thing you had to have seen it.
One problem, someone in that position might choose to avoid contacting the police in an emergency situation where their assistance is needed , like they see someone being attacked by a dog or something. they might worry if they call the police they’ll be taken in. This seems hard to believe, but apparently there are services available for folks having warrants who later win the lottery. The service collects the winnings , takes a hefty cut, and gives the rest to the winner, all done without revealing the winner’s name.