Thread: Thousands Of Unlicensed Drivers Registering Cars In MA

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/investi ... etail.html

Lawmakers Look To Close Loophole

BOSTON -- Thousands of Bay State drivers don't have driver's licenses even though their vehicles are perfectly legal.

NewsCenter 5's Kelley Tuthill reported Sunday that it's a growing concern for police and a potential safety risk for residents.

It is becoming a common scene across Massachusetts. A driver from another country was stopped for a routine violation, but police said the driver, like thousands of others on our roads, is driving without a license.


As he drives through Saugus, Officer Jim Scott said people who skirt the law raise significant safety concerns.

"Did they have driver's ed? Have they had an eye exam? Have they had a driver's test?" Scott said.

Scott has also started a collection of fake licenses from immigrants he's pulled over. He's not alone. In Barnstable, police noticed so many fake international licenses that they began a crackdown in February.

There may be one explanation for this growing problem. Team 5 has learned immigrants don't need a Massachusetts license to register a vehicle in the state.

"There is a side of this that concerns me about homeland defense issues. It is so easy to register a vehicle in Mass. Does this open the door for a terrorist incident?" Scott said.

The registry confirmed there are nearly 170,000 so-called "x" numbers in the state. That's the designation for a car registered to an unlicensed individual. That may include a grandmother without a license registering a car for her grandson. But others say there's clear evidence some immigrants are circumventing state driving laws.

Some want lawmakers to take action and close the loophole requiring all who register cars in the state to have a valid Massachusetts license. Some immigrant advocacy groups are fighting the effort.

"Regardless of whether or not they can register a car, they are going to drive. That's the issue here. So I think a more realistic and a more pragmatic solution that solves the public safety issue is allowing all immigrants to get a license and to be insured," immigrant advocate Ali Noorani said.

As the loophole is debated, police statewide are learning how to spot fakes. The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission has taken the unusual step of adding a session about fake Brazilian licenses to their seminars because officers are encountering them so frequently.

Team 5 got exclusive access to a police training session in Westwood. Officers learn they can check out a license just by logging onto the Internet.

"The Brazilian registry of motor vehicles is open to the public. So you can type in a license number and check to see if a license is valid or not," ABCC investigator Caroline Wilichoski said.

"We are trying to stay ahead of the curve, to stay out in front of the problem," Westwood Police Department Chief William Chase said.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles said lawyers are now working to tighten up the registration system in Massachusetts.

***The low hanging fruit guy wants licenses for all illegal aliens in MA

Gaaaa..that infuriates me! All the illegals in DE have PA tags and in NJ it's either NC or PA tags. All you need to obtain PA tags is a phone, or utility bill to prove residency.

I would expect nothing less from Senator Ted Kennedy and Sen. John Kerry's state!