National Safety Commission Applauds Bill to Impound Cars of Drivers Caught Without License

Proposed legislation would stop those whose license has been suspended or revoked from driving illegally

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 13 -- The National Safety Commission praised a proposal in the Legislature Tuesday to protect the public from drivers who continue to drive with suspended or revoked licenses.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Ari Porth of Coral Springs and Sen. Don Gaetz of Niceville, would allow authorities to tow or boot any vehicle driven by someone cited for driving while their license had been suspended or revoked.

The bill is a positive step to protect Florida families on public roadways from bad drivers, said Ken Underwood, president of the National Safety Commission.

"Illegal drivers drive because they can," Underwood said. "Just like people who drive without auto insurance, these drivers who choose to break the law impose a burden on other law-abiding Floridians."

In 2005, more than 209,000 Florida drivers received citations for driving on a suspended or revoked license, state records show. At the same time, more than 19 percent of Florida motorists illegally drive without insurance -- ranking Florida eighth worst in the nation for uninsured motorists, according to the Insurance Research Council. This means Floridians in an accident have a one-in-five chance of being hit by an uninsured motorist - pushing up rates for everyone else.

"It's time that Florida citizens stop subsidizing these bad drivers through higher auto insurance premiums," Underwood said. "One answer is to take away the vehicles of drivers with suspended or revoked licenses so that these illegal drivers are removed from our roadways, which is the whole point of suspending a license in the first place."