Salinas police urge parents not to let unlicensed kids drive to school

Driving without a license is illegal. It’s something almost everyone should be aware of, but according to some local high schoolers, it’s a law that’s not always followed.

While conducting normal traffic stops near Everett Alvarez High School, a Salinas police officer pulled over a driver for a traffic violation. It turns out the student was driving without a license.

The Salinas Police Department is urging parents to not let their students drive without a license.

So we went to the school to see how common it is for students to drive unlicensed. Every high school student we spoke with said at the very least, they know of other students driving around town or to school without a license. One student even admitted to doing it in the past.

“Just to put gas in the car or just to get to work,” student Angel Coria Garcia said.

Most students boiled it down to necessity.

“Pick up their sisters after school they have to help out their moms or their siblings to help them out,” Garcia said.

“Some parents, they have to go to work sometimes and stuff so their kids are left with no other choice but to drive to school because they live long distances,” student Fahad Aladdeen said.

Regardless of the temptations, police said it’s not allowed no matter what, and driving without a license will result in your car being impounded and a citation. It is possible to receive a misdemeanor for the violation.

Parents can also be cited if they knowingly allow their minor to drive without a license.

Police said it can be especially dangerous for teens.

“They lack the experience. Some of these young drivers are getting their feet wet so to speak,” Salinas PD PIO Miguel Cabrera said.