It is uncertain how many thousands of unauthorized immigrants are driving in New Jersey without a license today, but it's clear to everyone that this practice must end.

And it must be stopped by making state residents - regardless of their immigration status - eligible for drivers licenses, because doing anything else is nonsensical.

Our elected officials are finally catching on to the irrefutable logic of it: As Senate President Steve Sweeney told 101.5 last week, "They're going to be driving, whether we like it or not. We've just have to figure out how we do it in the right way."

Consider the alternative: There are more than 500,000 unauthorized neighbors in our state, most of them work, some in places where buses do not go, they have kids, and as Sweeney suggests, we cannot ignore the fact that many get behind the wheel every day. They haven't passed a driver's test. Their car is probably unregistered. They have no insurance. And if you get struck by one of them, the damage may not be covered by your policy.

Why perpetuate that? Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has asked that question for years, so he is reintroducing a bill that establishes licenses for unauthorized residents - one that enhances road safety, helps the state economy, improves welfare of families, and establishes cooperation with law enforcement.

Twelve other states have granted licenses to unauthorized immigrants with great success, and research from New Jersey Policy Perspective shows why. Start with the economic gains: NJPP said roughly 460,000 residents would take advantage of Vitale's bill, which would boost license fees by $12 million every four years and vehicle registration fees by $4 million annually. Insurance company revenue would increase by $223 million annually. And as more drivers are trained, licensed, and insured, they'd contribute more to local economies because they tend to have more purchasing power.

The safety data from those 12 states is also compelling. In Utah, the uninsured rate dropped 20 percent. In New Mexico, the rate of uninsured vehicles decreased by 24 percent and traffic fatalities fell 23 percent. In California, research linked its license law to a sharp decline in hit-and-run accidents.

Upshot: "When you are driving, it doesn't matter where the person driving next to you was born," Erika Nava of NJPP said. "And it shouldn't, so long as they know how to drive and are adequately insured."

For those still clutching their pearls, note that Vitale's bill, which will employ the federal Real ID system, does not grant anyone legal status. It does not allow license-holders to apply for state programs such as NJ FamilyCare, or board a plane, or authorize them for work. But it allows them to gain some normalcy, and it makes them better neighbors.

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