OPINION|
It’s time for Missouri to abolish driver’s licenses. They are outdated. Get rid of them.
Please hear me out.
It’s in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Driving is a liberty that leads to happiness — an unalienable right for all of us. Yet lawmakers and bureaucrats have made exercising this right extremely difficult.
Under current law, 15-year-olds are eligible for an Instruction Permit, the first of the three steps toward a full license. The Instruction Permit must be held for at least 6 months or 182 days before moving to the Intermediate License. Teenagers under 16 may only drive with a parent, grandparent, driving instructor or legal guardian over the age of 25 who has had a license for at least three years. Seat belts must be worn at all times. No electronic devices are permitted while the driver is under age 21. Each driver must log 40 hours of supervised driving with 10 of those hours occurring at night.
To get the Instruction Permit, a driver must go to an Examination Station, bring proof of name and age, pass a vision test, and pass a written and road signs test.
After visiting the Examination Station and passing all the tests, it’s on to the Driver License Office. There the driver must show proof of name, date of birth, Social Security number, and Missouri residency, plus provide Form 100 from the Missouri State Highway Patrol to prove all tests have been successfully passed.
To obtain the Intermediate License for ages 16 to 18, a parent or guardian must accompany the driver to certify that the 40 hours of driving have been completed. Proof must be shown that all exams have been successfully passed no more than 12 months prior, and the driver must pass a driving road test.
With an Intermediate License, the driver can’t have more than one passenger during the first six months. After six months, the driver may not operate a motor vehicle with more than three passengers who are under 19 and not part of the driver’s immediate family. And the driver may not drive from 1 to 5 a.m. except to or from school, work, or religious activity. The exception is if the driver is accompanied by a driver over the age of 21.
Three-step ‘obstacle course’ to the right to drive
When the driver reaches age 18, the driver can apply for a full driver’s license. There are modest fees required at each step of the process.
My question is: Why do we put up with this ridiculous obstacle course just to exercise a fundamental right? I propose that we get rid of these silly requirements and institute this:
- Drivers won’t need a license to drive – no three-step process
- The only restriction is the driver won’t be able to buy a car until he/she is 18 years old
- However, there will be no minimum age on driving the family car or a borrowed car — drivers of any age will be able to drive as soon as you can reach most of the pedals most of the time, maybe around age 11 or 12, unless the youngsters are big for their age
Sounds reasonable, right? What could go wrong?
Sure, there were 1,057 traffic fatalities in Missouri in 2022 and many more were injured. Nationally, 42,795 died from traffic fatalities in 2022. Under the new rules, those numbers will increase since the accident rate is higher among younger drivers. But sacrifices have to be made. Freedom isn’t free, right?
Okay, okay, enough sarcasm already. You’re right. This is an idiotic idea, and it’s even more stupid when you put it in writing or say it out loud.
Inspired by Missouri’s approach to firearms
This idea was inspired by Missouri’s approach to firearm sales and use.
It’s true to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer, the buyer must complete a background check application, which the dealer can usually have approved in minutes. Beyond that, Missouri laws apply. They include:
- There’s no federal background check if you buy from a private seller.
- Whether buying from a licensed dealer after being approved or buying from a private seller, there’s no waiting period before taking home the firearm`
- There are no additional background checks or Red Flag laws
- No training is required to use the firearm
- Shotgun, rifles and assault rifles can be purchased at age 18
- Handguns can be purchased at age 21 (at 18 or older if in the military)
- There’s no limit on the number of firearms purchased at one time
- There are no laws regulating large capacity ammunition magazines or the maximum number of magazines
- There’s no requirement for a permit to concealed carry, thus no training required — that law varies from state to state
- There’s no minimum age for concealed carry, meaning if the gun is a gift or borrowed, it can be concealed and carried at any age
In an average year, 1,288 people die and 2,312 are wounded by guns in Missouri, which has the eighth highest rate of gun violence in the U.S.
Every year, an average of 569 people in Missouri die by gun homicides and 944 are wounded by gun assaults, making Missouri the fifth highest in the U.S. In Missouri, 85 percent of all homicides involve a gun, compared to 76 percent nationwide. Each year in Missouri, an average of 692 people die by gun suicides and 96 are wounded by gun suicide attempts, which ranks the state 10th in the U.S.
In Missouri, we have a three-year, three-step process to get a driver’s license, but very few requirements to obtain, carry and use firearms.
I support the Second Amendment, but at some point, we have to ask yourselves, “What in the name of common sense are we thinking?”
