• 16
  • December
    2011

The governor signed a bill called "Nick's Law" this week that is aiming to crack down on drivers who are unlicensed or who have had their licenses revoked. The law is named for a young man who was killed in a motorcycle accident after an unlicensed driver pulled out in front of him several years ago.

According to Fox 6 Now, approximately 100,000 drivers were caught without valid licenses in Wisconsin last year. Statistically, they are the most dangerous drivers, which makes the huge number all the more frightening.

Under the new law, it will be a felony to cause a crash involving injury or death if a driver is unlicensed, has a revoked license or has a suspended license. The bill apparently passed with heavy, bipartisan support.

The unlicensed driver responsible for the motorcyclist's death back in 2005 received a pair of traffic tickets, which he did not pay, for his role in the accident. If the new law had been in effect then, he would surely have faced a much more serious punishment.

The motorcyclist's father, a former Greendale police chief, has been trying for several years to get the new law passed, and was persistent in testifying in Madison for several years. He says he knows the new law won't bring his son back, but he knows his son's name will have a lasting legacy.

When people do not have a license, or their license has been revoked or suspended, there is a reason they should not get behind the wheel. Perhaps the new law will discourage them from putting others' lives at risk.

Source: Fox 6 Now, "Gov. Walker signs Nick's Law that gets tough on unlicensed, revoked drivers," Bryan Polcyn, Dec. 15, 2011