Possumblog

That just means English isn't the only language...

...that you can neglect to use your turn signal in.

Judge: Alabama may give driver's tests in multiple languages

By SAMIRA JAFARI
The Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A state judge ruled Wednesday that offering the state driver's license exam in a dozen languages is not in violation of a 1990 amendment to the state constitution, which states that English is the official language of Alabama.

Circuit Judge William Shashy said the amendment "makes English Alabama's official language — not its only language."

His ruling came on a suit filed against the state by a nonprofit group called "ProEnglish," which contends that by law the test should only be administered in English. They contend that the Alabama Department of Public Safety's practice of allowing tests in multiple languages not only violates the constitution but endangers all drivers.

Attorneys for the state said administering an English-only test would violate a federal anti-bias law because it would have a "disparate impact" on non-English speakers.

Shashy noted that Alabama is one of about 25 states that have declared English as their official language, but that none of them "refuses to accommodate a limited English proficient person in their driver license examinations."

I think having to administer the test in all those languages is a waste of money, but that's what our government does best. I don't really mind that someone can ask for the test in their language, but given how poorly most people drive here, the argument that non-English speakers will make things more dangerous is pretty weak. Not to mention the fact that before all this crap started, illiterate people could take an oral exam rather than a written one (they still can, for that matter). I'd much rather have someone literate, even if it is in another language, than someone who can't read anything at all.

In a related vein--back in '86 when I went to Europe, all I had was my regular driver's license and one of AAA's (not really necessary) International Driving Permits, and I drove from Heidelburg to Munich with only as much knowledge of German as I was able to glean from Hogan's Heroes reruns--and everything turned out jussssst fine. Mostly.

Having recently seen what passes for driver's education in the state, I don't think the safety advocates are fighting the right enemy--how about working to have driver training actually mean something in the first place?

By the way, the languages the test is available in are Chinese, English, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese.

Posted by Terry Oglesby at February 2, 2006 03:00 PM