Unlicensed O.C. Drivers Are Targeted

Alarmed that a quarter of all injury and fatal accidents last year involved unlicensed drivers, the Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday announced an ambitious new crackdown that officials hope will reduce such incidents.

Officials are so concerned about the problem that Sheriff Mike Carona has ordered teams of deputies to monitor the activities of unlicensed drivers who repeatedly violate suspensions, hoping to catch them in the act of driving.

Using a database listing hundreds of unlicensed motorists in the county, deputies will make unannounced visits to problem drivers’ homes to determine if these people are illegally using their cars.

The Sheriff’s Department program, which began in July, is the most extensive of several crackdowns on unlicensed drivers in the county because it targets drivers in all 11 cities patrolled by deputies. Though Santa Ana, Garden Grove and other cities have such programs, state officials said most county cities do not. Countywide, there are approximately 100,000 unlicensed drivers.

In the mostly South County cities patrolled by deputies, officials said, unlicensed drivers make up a disproportionate share of those involved in accidents. Unlicensed drivers last year were involved in a quarter of the 1,600 injury and fatal accidents, officials said, and 20% of the 770 hit-and-run incidents. They estimate 16,000 motorists have either suspended or revoked licenses.

Since the program’s inception, 650 unlicensed drivers have been arrested, officials said. Many were caught in routine traffic stops, but others were arrested at checkpoints.

Under the two-year state-funded program, officials plan to boost the number of checkpoints and rotate them among the various cities.

At the first two program checkpoints last week, officials said, seventeen unlicensed drivers were arrested and 23 cars were towed.

Motorists arrested for driving without a license face up to $1,000 in fines and fees, and their cars can be impounded for 30 days.

“We’re hoping that hitting these people in the pocketbook and keeping their cars for 30 days will make an impact,” Sgt. Ted Boyne said.

Officials hope the program reduces the number of fatal and injury accidents and alcohol-caused incidents by 10%. State officials said that programs targeting unlicensed drivers have been extremely effective in reducing accidents.

Chris Murphy, assistant director of operations in the state Office of Traffic Safety, said the number of hit-and-run and alcohol-caused accidents has declined in program cities. The frequency of nighttime accidents, he said, has also been significantly reduced.

Recidivism rates are also much lower for drivers whose cars have been impounded, Murphy said. Statewide, 1 million drivers are unlicensed. One-third of them have criminal records, according to state data, and 75% continue to drive without licenses.

Licenses can be revoked or suspended for, among other things, driving drunk or in excess of 100 mph.