Sacramento, Calif.- A new study by the California Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV has found that suspended or revoked and unlicensed drivers are much more reckless on the road than validly licensed drivers.
The study, called Fatal Crash Rates for Suspended/Revoked and Unlicensed Drivers, found that compared to licensed drivers, suspended, revoked and unlicensed drivers are nearly three times more likely to cause a fatal crash. The study also found that unlicensed drivers tend to be more hazardous than suspended and revoked drivers.
The study used crash data over a 23-year period and looked at two-vehicle fatal crashes where only one driver was at fault. The study found that the at-fault crash risk of suspended, revolved and unlicensed drivers has not decreased over time.
Here's some of the key findings: compared to validly licensed drivers, suspended, revoked and unlicensed drivers are 2.60 and 2.73 times more likely to cause a fatal crash relative to their exposure.
The largest percentage of suspended, revoked and unlicensed drivers involved in two-vehicle fatal crashes are those aged 20 to 29.
For drivers aged 19 or younger in two-vehicle fatal crashes, the percentage who were unlicensed drivers was almost four times higher than the percentage who were suspended or revoked.
The actual number of unlicensed drivers in California is unknown because these drivers do not come to the attention of the DMV until they are involved in a crash or convicted of a traffic violation.
Being cited for driving on a suspended or revoked license or while unlicensed can result in a 30-day vehicle impoundment, thousands of dollars in fines, time being added to a license suspension, probation period, or revocation of a license.
Keeping these drivers off the road has proved a challenge, but a 1999 DMV study by DeYoung found vehicle impoundment to be highly effective in reducing crashes among treated suspended, revoked and unlicensed drivers.
