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It outlines how licensing could conserve law-enforcement and court resources, reduce exposure to fatal crashes by expanding testing and legal compliance, and strengthen state and local revenue through license fees and security charges, while also increasing insurance coverage and protection for all motorists.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/licensing-immigrant-motorists-in-illinois-and-improving-road-safety-for-all-research-brief/295408/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/licensing-immigrant-motorists-in-illinois-and-improving-road-safety-for-all-research-brief/295408.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Mali","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-09-18",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",18,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"Why do many undocumented immigrants in Illinois drive without a license?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"Because Illinois licensing typically requires a social security number, and many undocumented immigrants lack one. They also face practical constraints such as work schedules and limited public transportation, making driving necessary.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How would licensing undocumented motorists improve road safety?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"The brief argues that requiring all drivers to be tested and prove knowledge of Illinois driving laws would help reverse trends in unlicensed driving and reduce the likelihood of fatal crashes.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What economic and resource benefits does the brief associate with granting driving privileges?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"It states that licensing would reduce arrests and court processing for unlicensed driving, allowing police to focus on more serious crimes, and it would generate fee revenue while increasing the number of insured drivers and overall protection.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},295408,1789718683,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":34,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":105,"preview_page_count":4},2336475104362,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/22000c4c46a41b752dd?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786595829695023868","RESEARCH BRIEF  \nLICENSING IMMIGRANT MOTORISTS IN ILLINOIS AND IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY FOR ALL  \nDiana M. Guelespe, MA  \nSociology Department, Loyola University Chicago  \n[dguelespe@luc.edu](dguelespe@luc.edu)  \nRuth Gomberg-Munoz, PhD  \nDepartment of Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago [rgombergmunoz@luc.edu](rgombergmunoz@luc.edu)  \nSince the late 1800s, Illinois has been a port of entry for immigrants from around the world. Today, 1 of every 7 Illinois residents is an immigrant (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009) . Yet, despite recent State initiatives to welcome immigrants and ease their integration, the opportunity to drive legally remains blocked for undocumented immigrants, of whom there are an estimated 525,000 in Illinois (Passel and Cohn, 2011) . Driving, for many of these undocumented immigrants, is a necessity. They drive to work; they drive to take their children to school; they drive to doctor’s appointments, PTA meetings, and grocery stores. Since they are not eligible for driver’s licenses, many undocumented immigrants drive without a license. This poses a dilemma for all: State and local authorities invest time and resources in arresting undocumented drivers, rather than focusing their efforts on dangerous criminal activity; roadways become less safe for all motorists; and undocumented immigrants risk being taken into police custody and separated from their families. In the State of Illinois, licensing undocumented motorists would conserve resources, increase road safety, and create additional revenue in fees. This brief suggests policy options that would provide a legal means for undocumented immigrants to drive to work and, consequently, increase both road safety and State revenues.  \nBACKGROUND  \nIn the State of Illinois, a person must show proof of written signature, date of birth, residency, and a social security number to obtain a driver’s license. In the case of a Temporary Visitor Driver’s License (TVDL), proof of legal presence is required in lieu of a social security number. But many undocumented immigrants do not have social security numbers and cannot attain one, so they drive without a license. Undocumented immigrants are especially likely to be working and looking for jobs with irregular or flexible work schedules. Many Illinois immigrants also live in areas without reliable public transportation and/or work schedules that make using public transportation difficult or dangerous. This makes them especially dependent on driving to get to and from work (Chatham and Klein, 2011; Donato, Durrand and Masey, 1992; GombergMuñoz, 2011; Mehta, Theodore, Mora, and Wade, 2002; Piore, 1979) .  \nSAFER ROADS FOR ILLINOISANS  \nAll motorists must be tested, licensed, and insured in order to assure the highest level of public safety, and, in light of the presence of hundreds of thousands of unlicensed immigrant drivers in Illinois, barriers to obtaining a license for undocumented immigrants must be addressed.  \nNationally, the subject of unlicensed motorists is gaining attention. A 2011 report by the AAA Foundation found an increasing trend in the proportion of fatal crashes that involved unlicensed drivers over the past 20 years (AAA Foundation, 2011) . The report also found that an overwhelming majority (84.5%) of all unlicensed drivers involved in fatal crashes were between the ages of 18-64; this indicates that unlicensed drivers are not primarily underage.  \nIn 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation ranked Illinois 11th in the country in the number of fatalities due to motor vehicle crashes (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2012) . Illinois is also one of the top ten states with the highest costs of motor vehicle crashrelated deaths totaling 1.32 billion in medical and work loss costs for 2005 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011) .  \nWhile these reports do not suggest that all unlicensed motorists are undocumented immigrants, the question we should be asking is ‘How can we reverse the trend of p","cbCaiez1Synebf5E","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiez1Synebf5E","pdf",129339,"English","# Background\n# Safer Roads for Illinoisans\n# Conserving Resources and Increasing Economic Contributions","[{\"question\":\"Why do many undocumented immigrants in Illinois drive without a license?\",\"answer\":\"Because Illinois licensing typically requires a social security number, and many undocumented immigrants lack one. They also face practical constraints such as work schedules and limited public transportation, making driving necessary.\"},{\"question\":\"How would licensing undocumented motorists improve road safety?\",\"answer\":\"The brief argues that requiring all drivers to be tested and prove knowledge of Illinois driving laws would help reverse trends in unlicensed driving and reduce the likelihood of fatal crashes.\"},{\"question\":\"What economic and resource benefits does the brief associate with granting driving privileges?\",\"answer\":\"It states that licensing would reduce arrests and court processing for unlicensed driving, allowing police to focus on more serious crimes, and it would generate fee revenue while increasing the number of insured drivers and overall protection.\"}]","Licensing Immigrant Motorists in Illinois and Improving Road Safety for All - Research Brief | PDF"]