Often having a driver’s license is a job requirement–either employers require a driver’s license, a lack of public transportation makes it necessary, or both. For many employers, a driver’s license is a symbol of responsibility and employability.

This negatively impacts people with low-incomes and people of color, who are less likely to have a driver’s license and more likely to have a driver’s license suspended. The Employment and Training Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee studied driver’s license prevalence in 2016 and found that 75% of white 18-year-olds had a driver’s license, compared to just 34% of Black 18-year-olds, and 33% of Latinx 18-year-olds¹.

Losing one’s driver’s license is usually due to cost rather than one’s driving ability. For instance, an inability to pay a traffic ticket can snowball into a driver’s license suspension for failure to pay forfeitures. This makes getting and keeping a driver’s license expensive and sometimes unattainable. This video explains how driver’s license suspensions from unpaid fees and fines criminalize poverty. [Video]

This next activity puts you in the shoes of a person with low income who is experiencing barriers to keeping a driver’s license. You’ll be given some facts about your character, and then asked to choose your response to the questions. Each time you choose a response, it affects your character’s position and your next questions.