ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — WFTV uncovered a dangerous trend. The number of unlicensed drivers on local roads has doubled recently and that's leading to other crimes on our roads.
Florida Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reports more than 100,000 drivers are under suspension in Orange County alone.
"I think it's scary for the driving public to know how people are driving that have no business behind the wheel," FHP Trooper Sgt. Kim Montes said.
Troopers chalk up the spike in suspensions to the economy, drivers who break laws but can't afford fines. Unfortunately, the one trend seems to be creating another, more disturbing trend.
"It all carries over to one problem that we're seeing, more crashes involving hit and runs with people who don't have valid licenses," Montes said.
As 2010 comes to a close, FHP alone is investigating as many as 25 hit and runs every day in the Orlando area; the number is double what it was a year ago.
WFTV has reported in painful detail a rash of hit and runs, followed by drivers who denied involvement but coincidentally do not have a valid license: 68-year-old pedestrian Stephen Toner killed in Lake County, 13-year-old pedestrian Zachary Howard from Sumter County, 19-year-old Bruce Robb in Volusia County killed on his bike, 86-year-old Harold Wojahn in Brevard run down in a motorized wheelchair.
"I thought someone got in an accident, but then I saw them on the ground," Mark King told WFTV.
King found his friends, Miguel and Anthony Rodriguez, in an Orange County ditch. The suspected driver had no valid license. Anthony, 15, was killed. The unlicensed owner of the vehicle has yet to be charged.
One reason is the overload of cases for law enforcement, too many unlicensed drivers and not enough resources to handle a spiraling problem.
"It's a huge problem, and we think it's just going to continue," Montes said.
In 2009, more than 200,000 citations were written in Orange County for invalid driver's licenses. FHP expects that number to increase dramatically when 2010 figures are compiled.
WFTV
