andr0id

Should anyone that wants to drive a car and that feels they are competent to do so be allowed to operate a motor vehicle on the road with no license and no documentation passing a driving test?
Should they be allowed to operate with no insurance?
If they hit a cyclist and have no drivers license or other identification, should there be any penalty?

If yes, should this be a misdemeanor or felony violation?

Just curious as some people seem to think this is all OK.

Do you think a law like this Pennsylvania law is immoral?

§ 1501. Drivers required to be licensed.
(a) General rule.–No person, except those expressly exempted, shall drive any motor vehicle upon a highway or public property in this Commonwealth unless the person has a driver’s license valid under the provisions of this chapter. As used in this subsection, the term “public property” includes, but is not limited to, driveways and parking lots owned or leased by the Commonwealth, a political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality of either.

jefnvk

No, and I have no clue what you are getting at here?

salcedo

Weird troll.

Laws are in place to protect individuals from the actions of other people. Operating a motor vehicle puts other people at grave risk (more than 3000 people are killed in the world every single day by people operating motor vehicles). It makes perfect sense to require licenses to operate motor vehicles in public spaces. I doubt anyone could find a serious (not trolling) objection to that.

andr0id

I am trying to find out if my point of view is consistent with the general opinion of the cycling community.

I don't want to influence the outcome by sharing my opinion at this time, but I am interested in any point of view I may have failed to consider.

For example, if someone had no license, but had a car (probably with no insurance), would it be OK for them to take their child back and forth to school or to attend a sporting event?

MoAlpha

I'm interested in whether people think food service establishments (such as those operated on hot days by little kids selling lemonade) should be allowed to operate free of health inspections and sales taxes.

fietsbob

Politics..

Many states refuse to issue driver's Licenses to undocumented immigrants,
but somebody is always out there to sell them a Car , for cash.

Have you contacted your legislators on this issue yet?

WNCGoater

I'm not sure I've seen (or perhaps missed) what your opinion is but I would suspect the general population, cycling or otherwise, would be in agreement that a license and liability insurance should be required. I would suspect insurance is in most, if not all states and a license is in all states. This isn't a moral issue.
But like any other "rule" in life there will be those who disregard it or feel it doesn't apply to them. Some are not, or no longer, eligible for a license or insurance but drive anyway.

rumrunn6

I think it's weird that many US states don't require annual auto safety inspections. I mean, properly functioning brakes & turn signals are pretty important, especially to cyclists ...

Kontact

Who thinks that?


Anyone of any age can operate a motor vehicle on private property and even some public property with no licence and no insurance.

But the laws that create and maintain public roads also designate how they can be used, which includes the licensing and insurance bit. Some people are confused about what a public utility like a road is.

jefnvk

Nope. I don't even think the licensing and restrictions on driving go far enough.

I think there are a lot of things that can be done better with the system, but no, in general, I don't think they should be unlicensed, and I certainly don;t think they should be untaxed.

The older I get and the more I see people don't keep things in the same state of repair as me, the more I agree.

MMACH 5

Still waiting to see where this is going.

Leisesturm

Undoubtedly the o.p. believes, like all rational human beings, that all drivers must have a license to operate, and have insurance in force. Their only issue is that this appears to be occasionally flouted by a MINORITY. My issue is that this baffles the o.p. to the point of public outcry. We aren't supposed to kill each other with firearms either. But last month two teenagers killed more than 22 people between them and there isn't much more than throwing their sorry butts in the slammer that a polite society can do about it. 818 cyclists were killed by drivers in 2017. I'll take those odds.

OBoile

Me too.

Daniel4

If it hasn't already been done, I think the OP will eventually take the opinions of licensing drivers and turn it into an equivalent rationale for licensing cyclists.

MoAlpha

Kontact

Not to mention all those unlicensed and uninsured shoe and sandal operators on our streets and sidewalks. Who's going to pay for the damage to my car if one of them walks into it?

salcedo

That is where I thought he was going. Specially since he apparently loves to troll the politics sub-forum.

Kontact

Enough things aren't fair between cyclists and drivers, like licenses. To make it more fair, cars should have no roofs, heaters or windshields. And whenever a driver has an accident they should be required to throw themselves on the ground to scrape their skin and ruin their clothes.

MoAlpha

WhyFi

That's what I expect, too.

tagaproject6

Aah, so this is about politics disguised as A&S

jefnvk

So, you dragged a P&R argument into A&S, where the only foreseeable equivalency to anyone who isn't familiar with what goes on in P&R would be licensing cyclists

OK, not often I feel I wasted my time on some pretty pointless threads, but this gets pretty high props for that.

andr0id

All motorists should be tested, licensed and insured and there should be serious legal consequences if they are not.

I'm just wanting to know if there is any disagreement here with that position.

salcedo

Mods, can you move this to politics?

Clearly this has nothing to do with cycling advocacy and safety

The OP only wants to criticize a political group

andr0id

OK, I see you position quickly becomes flexible if it's the wrong drivers. Got it.