California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill that will allow undocumented people to get licenses. This law will make roads safer and take away the fear of deportation that undocumented immigrants face. This law will help California residents who are unable to obtain citizenship status drive safely, and without the fear of getting stopped by a police officer.

California roads will be less prone to hit-and-run accidents, and drivers will be more knowledgeable about driving laws. With a license, the driver is more likely to stay after an accident because they will have the insurance to back them up and lower the costs of repair.

Drivers without insurance often flee the scene of the crime, leaving severely injured people alone. If undocumented people have a driver’s license and can get insurance, there will be a smaller probability of hit-and-run accidents. In addition, having these people take driving tests in order to get their license ensures that they have proper knowledge of safety regulations throughout California.

These tests include a written test about road rules and a behind-the-wheel driving test. Getting stopped by a police officer is one of the greatest fears of undocumented immigrants in California, especially in Silicon Valley. For any kind of traffic ticket, all undocumented immigrants face being deported, while using up their savings from under the mattress to pay the fine. Some 2.8 million illegal immigrants live in California, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (USDHS).

Around 30,000 undocumented people were deported around 2010 for common traffic violations, according to the USDHS. In a traffic stop, police may impound, or temporarily remove, the car of a driver without insurance, and keep it in a car pound for nearly a month. In this case, the driver must pay not only the cost of the ticket, but also a fee for the time the car spends in the lot.

Without insurance, undocumented immigrants are especially at risk of having their cars impounded, and the costs can add up quickly. “It costs about $1000 and you have to wait 30 days,” said the aunt of a Santa Clara High School student, who wished to remain anonymous. One of the jobs that many undocumented immigrants have is construction. According to the Migration Information Source, almost 40 percent of employed Mexicanborn men work in construction, extraction, and transportation.

For this job, some must drive to faraway places like San Francisco and Alameda. “In a week, I have to drive around 400 miles to San Francisco and back,” said José Hector, parent of three students in SCUSD

. “I’m afraid the police will take my car and that I will have to walk. My car is my most important way of transportation.” This law will make Hector and many other undocumented workers feel secure while driving down freeways like U.S. 101.

If Hector is involved in a crash, or is stopped by a police officer, he will not have to worry about having the police taking away his vehicle and facing an extremely expensive citation. Jerry Brown has done something extraordinary for California: drivers will now be able to drive safely and without fear of an accident.