Unlicensed, uninsured drivers cost us all

Gun control and illegal immigration have gotten so much attention in recent months, but why aren't we addressing the problem of unlicensed/uninsured drivers? This too is a major law enforcement issue. Check the police blotter in the paper and you'll commonly see two or three such arrests following minor accidents or routine traffic stops. The same week that an off-duty Chicago police officer died in a chase involving an unlicensed motorist this spring, I counted six in one paper. One week late last year there were eight or nine. And these are just the offenders flagged in a given week in one limited area.

The day may be coming when we'll see all our cars equipped with voice- or fingerprint-recognition technology. If your machine consults various databases and detects a problem with your license, insurance or even your vehicle plates, your car will refuse to start. And if this also serves to deter a few car thieves, so much the better.

The technology for it is probably already here; it's only a question of whether and when public demand will catch up. And such a fix can't come too soon. With so many illegal motorists out there running under the radar, let's concentrate on lowering the radar.

Tom Gregg

Niles