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Unlicensed driver violations up 700 percent in Herndon
There has been a 700 percent increase in the number of unlicensed driver tickets issued in the Town of Herndon in the last five years, even though the number of licensed drivers in the town has stayed about the same.According to police Lt. Jeff Coulter, the Herndon Police Department issued 106 tickets for the offense of driving without a license in 2002. At the end of 2007, that number had increased to 756.
"The majority of these people are people who are not eligible or able to get a license in the state of Virginia, or probably any other state," Coulter said.
Herndon, which in recent years has implemented several anti-illegal-alien measures, has a population of about 23,000. More than 40 percent of that population is foreign born, according to the town.
Coulter said that most of the unlicensed driver violations stem from other traffic infractions, such as speeding or expired tags, in which the driver is asked to produce a license.
He said that roadblocks specifically targeting unlicensed drivers have not been a significant factor in the increased number of violations over the last five years.
According to Melanie Stokes, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, there were 1,770 licensed drivers registered in Herndon in 2002. That number increased to 1,802 in 2007, and actually decreased to 1,715 in 2008.
Coulter says that prior to Sept. 11, 2001, the majority of unlicensed violation cases were primarily drivers who had let their licenses lapse, whereas now, many of the drivers do not have a license at all. He attributes the increase to stricter regulations by the DMV to obtain a license.
"It used to be that you could just walk into a DMV location and show two forms of identification," Coulter said. "After 9/11, the regulations became much tougher, so many people who do not qualify for a license now drive without one and take their chances."
On Sept. 21, 2001, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles changed its list of acceptable documents for purposes of issuing driver's licenses. It also began requiring proof of legal presence in the United States.
"You have to remember that a driver's license is not just used to drive these days," Stokes said. "It is also used as identification for boarding planes and many other things."
Citing widespread abuse, two widely used documents, a DMV identity affidavit and DMV residency certification, are no longer accepted as proof that an applicant is in the U.S. legally.
"There were several cases of those documents being falsified," Stokes said.
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