They already have a Spanish version of the test, is it causing a problem? Is there really an actual issue created by having the test in two languages? If not (and I suspect not), then the only real point of the bill is to pander to racists and xenophobes.
I think the road signs that people are talking about you needing to be able to read aren’t the little roadside types that are usually just pictures anyway, but rather the big digital ones that warn of road conditions ahead. And for that, I can see their point–if there’s safety information important enough for the state to make the decision to notify every motorist on that stretch of road, you owe it to yourself and your passengers (and probably other motorists) to be able to understand the notification.
How fair or unfair this bill is depends a lot, I think, on what other accommodations the state is willing to make in terms of administering the test. Are they willing to give, say, an oral exam to someone who is a native English speaker but can’t read? If so, then yes, insisting on giving the test in English only is real dick move and total discrimination because being able to read English clearly isn’t an actual requirement to get a drivers license.
But if they don’t make such accommodation…well, then clearly being able to read English is a requirement for everyone, immigrant or not, and it’s not discriminatory.
I do find it odd that they exempt people on student visas–international students are there to study at the local college, and as such they have to be able to read and write English well enough to be accepted to the school.
In the large quantities we’re talking about here, print-on-demand is considerably more expensive than traditional bulk printing.
But according to the OP, they’ll make an exception if you’re here on a student or work visa - then, magically, the translated test will show up. So, there’s no cost savings. It isn’t about the money.
I can’t see it doing anything other than increasing the number of unlicensed drivers. If that’s what Georgia wants…
Sounds to me like you’re concern trolling. What’s insulting to Hispanics is manufactured rationales for discrimination. Are you not aware that other countries who have growing populations of native English speakers, Japan for example, provide an English language driver testing option?
To be precise, in the United States we speak many languages, the primary of which is English.
Why does what amounts to a simple accommodation, and a measure to ensure comprehension and safety, bother you? How does this make your life any harder?
Roadway Signs = English
DMV Test should be likewise
I would suppose as the poster above mentioned, it is important to be able to read signs, perhaps to understand emergency instructions on the radio, to be able to call for help. But on the other hand I drive here and my Arabic is laughable.
I think CrazyCatLady’s question is relevant here. Should illiterate English speakers be allowed to drive? Or is merely learning what those particular words mean enough?
Because if it’s the latter, then the only purpose for this is to make life tougher on immigrant populations.
That’s simply another discriminatory aspect of their new policy as they are well aware that the majority of Hispanic immigrants and temporary residents are not here on student visas and will be excluded from this exemption. This also ensures that non English speakers from non Hispanic countries, a higher percentage of whom do come here on student visas, continue to be accommodated. It’s racism.
Sounds like a way to deny driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, which is a really bad idea, since we all know they’re going to be on the roads anyway, and it’s best for everybody if they’re properly licensed and insured; but what does “permanent residents” mean in this bill? Does it even apply to illegals?
Except the roadway signs on the test are in English. It the instructions and questions that are in Spanish.
Shhh! This defeats their argument for discrimination.
In Ontario, we get around that issue by changing more and more of the signs to symbols. Instead of a sign that says, NO RIGHT TURN ON RED, we have one that looks like this. Eventually, most words that remain will be names, abbreviations like ‘km’, and compass directions. Here’s a better link. Note that there are a few word-filled holdouts.
Legally operating a vehicle is not a right, it’s a privilege that carry qualifying requirements. There are more signs on the roadways than your standard stop and yield.
While the actual intent of this particular legislation probably IS to single out Latinos, given that it IS Georgia:dubious: I agree that one should be fluent enough in English to take the driving test in English.
It’s not as if the text on the test is especially challenging in nature…it’s not high literature, but written at about a 7th grade level or less.
Yes, most road signs are coded by shape and color, but many are not or contain written information that, by virtue of being posted on a roadway and being passed at a fairly high speed, must be read and comprehended rapidly by drivers.
A driver who is unable to grasp the meaning of such signage quickly becomes a risk to other drivers as well as themselves (even something as simple as changing lanes recklessly because they took a bit longer to decipher the sign denoting an exit.)
Someone posed the question of whether illiterate native English speakers should be able to drive, and my view is that if they can’t pass the written portion of the test, no. Not legally anyway, since the written component of the driver’s test is required.
As far as I know, there are not “readers” on hand at DMVs to give the test verbally to those who can’t read. 
And the justification that the cost to print up materials (handbooks, tests) in multiple languages is a waste of taxpayer money is a valid one. Millions of dollars states can ill afford.
This is what I keep coming back to. The Ethic of Reciprocity is one of my litmus tests and this one passes: when in Rome the onus is on me to learn Latin. Discrimination or bigotry would be saying non English speakers can’t get a license, which the bill is not saying at all; this is just saying that the test will be in the same language that the road signs are in and that the cop or EMT will speak if you’re ever pulled over or in an accident (one or the other of which happens to most of us at some point).
The current situation (from the GA Dept of Driver Services):
Do you offer the knowledge exam in foreign languages?
Yes, the Road Rules portion of the Knowledge Exam is available in the following foreign languages: Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Bosnian, Japanese, Korean, Laos, Polish, and Russian. The Road Sign Test, however, is only available in English. All drivers must have the ability to read and understand simple English such as used in highway traffic and directional signs.
And from here:
375-3-1-.08 Oral Examination for Illiterates
Illiterates applying for driver license may be given the knowledge test by means of a mechanical device or orally by the examiner. The test will be the equivalent to that given to the literates and the minimum passing grade shall be the same.
Authority: O.C.G.A. §40-5-4
Filed Date: 4/18/2006
Effective Date: 5/8/2006
So, it seems to me that you don’t have to be able to read to get your license, so long as the language you can’t read is English.
Heaven forbid you get pulled over, can’t produce a license, get arrested, and they find out you broke the law by entering the US illegally. After all, we don’t want to enforce all the laws, just the ones we agree with.
Cost? It’s getting to the point that many jobs require you to speak Spanish and English. Hey, sorry about you white, black, and Asian poor folks. It’s not just good enough to just speak English, you also have to know another language to get a job in your own damned country.
Yup, that describes me, a racist and xenophobe. I’ve just travel to over two dozen countries and have learned enough Spanish, French, Japanese, and Chinese to at least greet people, order food, and shop. I even try to speak French in Quebec.
I can’t tell you what a thrill it was to recognize the characters for Tiananmen square and realize that it was Tian (heaven) An (peace) and Men (gate).
I don’t like the idea of have a de jure official language, but we do have a de facto language and it’s in everyones interest to learn it as quickly as possible. I got pulled over for a traffic violation in Italy and I did not expect the officer to speak to me in English. It was my fault I did not know Italian. If I decided to live there I’d make it my priority to learn enough Italian to get by.