Here’s yet another reminder that no matter what Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions try to tell you, pro-immigrant policies make communities—and roads—safer for all. According to a new study conducted by Stanford researchers, a 2015 state law allowing California’s undocumented immigrant residents to apply for driver’s licenses so they can drive legally has had a significant impact in reducing hit-and-runs:
In California, the licenses are available to immigrants who cannot prove they are legal residents of the U.S. Though markings on the ID card indicate to police that it is one of these special licenses, the 2013 law that approved them also prohibits police from reporting license holders to immigration agents.
The researchers suggest that, “consequently, unauthorized immigrants with a valid form of in-state driving authorization have weaker incentives to flee the scene after an accident, because they are less likely to fear deportation.” Their study also found that the license law did not increase the number of traffic accidents overall, as opponents had claimed it would. It did not decrease the number either. But the decline in hit-and-run accidents was a positive sign, the researchers wrote.
“Overall, the findings suggest that providing driver’s licenses to unauthorized immigrants led to improved traffic safety,” they said.
“It was the first time researchers had studied the effectiveness of such driver’s license laws,” notes KQED, “which have generated significant controversy nationally. Opponents have argued that granting licenses to immigrants in the U.S. illegally is dangerous.” Because somehow having residents go through the process of passing official written and driving tests—as well as registering and insuring their cars—before they share our roads equals danger:
In fact, research has generally shown that cities that adopt sanctuary policies tend to be safer than those that don’t, because immigrants not fearful that a routine interaction with their local police could end in their deportation are more likely to report crimes in their communities.
Imagine that—engaging with undocumented immigrants rather than forcing them back into the shadows actually works out to be good for everybody.
Since the 2015 implementation, California’s Senate has taken even bolder, pro-immigrant steps by passing “the most strident anti-deportation bill the country has ever seen” in direct response to Trump. Now immigrant rights advocates hope that the Stanford findings can help influence other states debating whether they should pass similar legislation.