English Only Drivers Exam? (Atlanta: to rent, hotel, houses)

[BobKovacs]

What's everyone's thoughts on this? It's passed through both houses, and just has to be refined. I think it's a great idea- if you can't read the test, you can't read the signs on the road. Apparently 93% of the voters on WSB's poll agree.

English-Only Driver's Test Proposed In Ga. - News Story - WSB Atlanta (http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19078173/detail.html - broken link)

[gt6974a]

I hope it passes!

I saw emigrants complaining that they won't be able to drive to go learn English, well, it doesn't prohibit temporary licenses so they should have plenty of time to go learn English.

[atlantagreg30127]

I think it has nothing to do with rights or how friendly and accepting we're trying to be to immigrants as some folks in articles who were interviewed seem to complain about. This is a matter of safety.

How can you possibly be a safe driver on what to you are foreign roads, and you not being able to read the language they're printed in? That would be like the "typical" America to just go to Japan and try to navigate the roads and signage there and not be a danger - we would very much be a danger to anyone else on the road around us.

Years ago they tried to pass a law that required foreign-owned businesses to print English-equivalent translations on their business signs underneath the foreign language name. It did not pass, with those against it saying it "discriminated" against the foreign owners, even though police and fire spokespeople clearly made their case that not having English signs makes it much much harder for them to find a business in an emergency. Still, it failed. I hope this isn't the case with this bill. It's bad enough that there are a certain percentage of illegal immigrants driving with invalid licenses on the roads, but to allow by law people to pass tests to drive without having to know the sign language just goes too far.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

How can you possibly be a safe driver on what to you are foreign roads, and you not being able to read the language they're printed in? That would be like the "typical" America to just go to Japan and try to navigate the roads and signage there and not be a danger - we would very much be a danger to anyone else on the road around us.

I'm all in favor of requiring citizens to vote in English, and to invoke English as the official language of business and government, just as it's the official language of commerce, maritime navigation, aviation and air traffic control, and other international purposes. I could support giving the driver license tests in English on that basis.

As far as safety, on that I have to disagree with you Greg. I have driven all over Quebec and many parts of Europe where I don't speak the language, and I have never had a problem driving or been unsafe. The problem here (in the US) is more the lack of use of standard international road signs that are meant for use where drivers may not speak the local tongue.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by neil0311

I'm all in favor of requiring citizens to vote in English, and to invoke English as the official language of business and government, just as it's the official language of commerce, maritime navigation, aviation and air traffic control, and other international purposes. I could support giving the driver license tests in English on that basis.

As far as safety, on that I have to disagree with you Greg. I have driven all over Quebec and many parts of Europe where I don't speak the language, and I have never had a problem driving or been unsafe. The problem here (in the US) is more the lack of use of standard international road signs that are meant for use where drivers may not speak the local tongue.

I agree. I went to Korea on a business trip recently, and although I did not rent a car and drive there, I perfectly well could have, if necessary. I doubt people who are in favor of this bill would themselves refuse to rent a car in any jurisdiction where they did not speak the local language, if driving was the most convenient way for them to get around. Road signs relating to safety are pictorial and not that hard to figure out.

I have not been following the news on this one or heard any interviews, but it seems obvious that this bill is not really about road safety, it's just about making things tougher for illegal immigrants. I dislike the under-handedness and hypocrisy of this kind of indirect approach. If you don't want illegal immigrants, fine the heck out of employers who hire them. That'll get rid of illegals for sure.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

I agree. I went to Korea on a business trip recently, and although I did not rent a car and drive there, I perfectly well could have, if necessary. I doubt people who are in favor of this bill would themselves refuse to rent a car in any jurisdiction where they did not speak the local language, if driving was the most convenient way for them to get around. Road signs relating to safety are pictorial and not that hard to figure out.

I have not been following the news on this one or heard any interviews, but it seems obvious that this bill is not really about road safety, it's just about making things tougher for illegal immigrants. I dislike the under-handedness and hypocrisy of this kind of indirect approach. If you don't want illegal immigrants, fine the heck out of employers who hire them. That'll get rid of illegals for sure.

I agree with Rainy and Neil about driving in a different country. I lived out of the country for several years...one is able to get an international license and drive as soon as one arrives in a new country.

The signage is pictorial...one does not have to know the language in order to drive (thank god).

[cityrover]

Considering some "drivers" cannot comprehend a stop sign, i'll say its a good move. Yes it has stupid intentions but then again, its politics

[pinetreelover]

When I took my 15yr old son to take his test to get his learner's permit, he asked later why everyone else was allowed to have an open book test except him. I had to explain that the other new drivers were all carrying around "Other language to English" dictionaries and I had not cheated him out of an open-book test!

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by pinetreelover

When I took my 15yr old son to take his test to get his learner's permit, he asked later why everyone else was allowed to have an open book test except him. I had to explain that the other new drivers were all carrying around "Other language to English" dictionaries and I had not cheated him out of an open-book test!

Lest people get the impression that most new drivers are new to English, I'll offer my own coincidentally recent experience of taking my 15 year old for the learner's permit test on a Saturday in March at the North Cobb DDS office. The office was very busy; I spent about three hours in the waiting room with little to do but observe.

There was a steady trickle of people taking the "knowledge test". The majority were white teenagers who spoke English with their accompanying parents. There were a few black and Hispanic looking teens - also English speaking - and the occasional adult. The adults tended to have foreign accents (naturally, since US citizens mostly take their driving test as teens), but their English seemed to be in the serviceable-to-excellent range.

So, in Cobb there apparently isn't much need for foreign-language driver's exams, anyway - at least, not on Saturdays in March.

[RoslynHolcomb]

I too have driven in a foreign country without knowing the language. When I was stationed in Korea, I certainly drove there with little or no trouble. I know enough Korean to find food, hotel and a taxi and that's about it. I speak some Spanish, but have driven in Mexico, even in the backcountry quite easily. I don't recall seeing any signs in either country with words. In fact, other than stop signs I don't recall seeing any here, either. I think everyone knows this is a McGuffin, plain and simple. If you want to give illegal immigrants a hard time at least have the chutzpah to say so. Sin bravely. God hates a coward.