Low-wage workers with access to a reliable car are more likely to work, earn more, and work more hours. So, lack of a driver's license is a barrier to work. In addition, some jobs - especially in construction and health care - require a license of all applicants. For workers without a license, jobs may be inaccessible because a license is a prerequisite, or because a car is the only means of access to a job far from home. The most common reasons for license suspension and revocation are for non-driving offenses, as states have moved to use the license as a means to enforce other goals and raise revenue. The Mobility Agenda studies strategies to reduce the impact of license loss for economic reasons.

In March 2008 The Mobility Agenda held a roundtable in Baltimore, Maryland, to bring together advocates and experts concerned with this issue. Visit the Driver's License Suspension Meeting page to learn more, and to see videos of the discussion. 

 

 

For more information, please read our June 2008 report: Access to Driving and License Suspension Policies for the Twenty-First Century Economy.

  

 

Resources

Driver's License Suspension Roundtable Highlights

Economic Hardships of Losing a Driver's License
LegisBrief by the National Conference of State Legislatures

Making Connections Survey Data for Ten Cities
by The Mobility Agenda and Center for Economic and Policy Research

Five Driver's License Recommendations (WI)
compiled by Tyrone Dumas

Preliminary Assessment of 2007 Client Outcomes for the Center for Driver's License Recovery and Employability (WI)
by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute, January 2008

The Significance of a Driver's License in the Modern Urban Economy(WI)
by Nichole Yunk

Penalties by State for Driving While Revoked, Suspended, or Otherwise Unlicensed (All States)
by the National Conference of State Legislatures

Child Support Enforcement: State Legislation in Response to the 1996 Welfare Reform Act (All States)
by Teresa Myers

License Restrictions and Child Support (All States)
by Teresa Myers

Requests for Reinstatement Templates (MD)
by the Child Support Enforcement Agency