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Jkid's Journal
Posted by Jkid in General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010)
Tue Jul 06th 2010, 10:45 AM
This is the first time I've written an email to a Maryland state delegate for my own issue. This issue, waiting nine months to even take a driving test for a provisional license is a undue burden for low-income people, people with special needs, and people who live in areas without decent public transit. This was the end result of speaking to the MVA which I basically said that the law is a undue burden for me and they told me "I can't help you" when I asked "How am I supposed to get around while waiting 9 months to take the driving exam even if I did all the requirements?" and calling Maryland State delegate B. Daniel Riley, (which, surpise and as I expected, is not here so I had to leave a message to him with his secretary which I will expect be ignored (read: voice-mail/ written message jail) or the by the best give me a form response or a useless reply).

Dear Delegate Riley,

I'm Ndubuisi Okeh, currently living in Harford County Maryland. My mother kept nagging me for years to get a learners permit so I can start driving. I do have that learner's permit problem is that this learner's permit is practically useless after I gain 60 hours of driving experience and pass a driver's education course. Currently, Maryland State law requires everyone irregardless of age has to pay for a driver's education course and to gain 60 hours of driving experience. This law is meant for teenagers under the age of 18, but this is an undue burden for the following people: Low-income marylanders who are over the age of 18, people with special needs, and people living in areas where public transit is limited or nonexistant. I fit both of the latter categoires.

First, low-income Marylanders are affected by this law because they have to pay possibly upwards to $4,000 for a provisional license. That is the real true cost of getting a provisional license because Maryland law requires you to pay this amount of money, even if you're over 21 years of age and have a minimum wage job. It is a undue burden because they have to find time outside of the workweek to do the classes and they have to find money to pay for a driving mentor. Even if a person want to find ways to save money on one by finding a driving mentor on the internet, it leads them to a dead end, because none exist in the state. In many cases, these people live seperately from their parents as their parents are in another state outside of Maryland.

Second, people with special needs, for them this law is a undue burden. I'm a person with special needs, and in particular, people like me are perpectually unemployable for various reasons. It is a undue burden for them to even afford the money for a driving courses and for a mentor driver as well. This is specially a burden for if people in special needs live in areas where public transit is lacking or inaccessable to them.

This leads me to my third and final point this letter of how this law is a undue burden: It does not help people who live in areas where public transport is lacking or non-existant. Whoever wrote this law did not took at the long term impact of people who are not teenagers. I'm 22 years old and where I live, you have to have a car to go anywhere, especially on the weekends unless you pay through the nose for a taxi everywhere you want to go. People like me are particually isolated because I can't afford a car because I don't have a job. And despite looking for a job, it will be high difficult due to the recession which is will not end anytime soon. Learner's permits are useless to people who live in such situations. Even if they complete a driving education course and attained at least 60 hours of driving experience they have a nine month waiting period before taking their driving exam.

Whoever made this law did not even took the time to ask this question "How do adults who live in areas where there is little or no public transportation after passing a driving education course and gotten 60 hours of driving experience supposed to get around for the next nine months?"

The best way to resolve this problems is to let persons who are over the age of 18 or 21 be exempted of the graduated driving requirements and be allowed to get a provisional license from the get go. This will allow people if they live in a part of maryland who are forced to get a car to study for their driving test and get their provisional license so they can start driving. The graduating driving laws are great for teenagers because they have parents who can afford them, but for others, it's a undue burden. Especially for a State, like most states lack reliable or decent public transit options.

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