Recent reports indicate that many people who are arrested for drunk driving also do not have valid driver’s licenses. When looking at data spanning just the previous two years, it was found that about 25 percent of the drivers who were arrested for DUI charges fell into this category. In fact, many of these drivers had gotten a DUI in the past, which is why they had been stripped on their licenses.
While there are many of these cases each year, some of them gain more notoriety than others. For instance, there was a case in Aurora, Colorado, where a 40-year-old man ran through a red light while driving under the influence. He hit a car that was coming through the intersection, killing the driver. That driver was just 17 years old, merely months away from high school graduation.
The man who was responsible had been given a pair of DUI charges before being involved in the deadly crash. On top of that, it was found that he did not have a valid license to drive in Colorado, and he never had.
On the same day that the crash occurred, the police across the state brought in 10 other drunk drivers who did not have licenses. Of those, they found that 50 percent had been convicted of DUI offenses in the past, which is why they had lost them.
Whether or not defendants have a license when they are accused of drunk driving, they still have a right to a fair trial. The trial simply may end up being a bit more complex because of the other charges that could be involved.
Source: KUNC, “In Colorado, Many Cited For DUI Are Without Valid License” Burt Hubbard, May. 31, 2014
