• ilmagico@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    5 months ago

    I’m very confused as well.

    Harris had never had a driver’s license—only a state ID—and in fact had had his driving privileges suspended last year.

    How can you suspend someone’s driving privileges if they never had them in the first place?

    • ValenThyme@reddthat.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      5 months ago

      You are conflating the license itself with the privilege to drive. The answer is you can suspend the driving privilege regardless of the current or past drivers license issuance. This would prevent any new license from being issued even if they were otherwise eligible. Happens if you get caught driving before you pass your driving test all the time.

        • ValenThyme@reddthat.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          5 months ago

          not true (in the us i dunno how other countries go), the license is printed for you after you are granted the privilege so you can show it has been granted. The license itself possesses no power it’s what the DMV database says that’s important.

          That’s why cops take your license back to their car to ‘run your license’ that means look up your status in the database to see if you’re actually licensed currently and if there are any warrants out for you!

          • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            5 months ago

            Do you not have learners permits?

            Where I’m from a class 7 driver’s license is a learner’s permit. You only need to do a written test to be granted a class 7, but it’s still a license that grants you the privilege of driving.

            The only way what you’re saying makes sense is if you don’t consider a learner’s permit a license.

        • skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          5 months ago

          A State ID is used to buy booze and plane tickets. A Driver’s Licence is a State ID with a driving endorsement. Above that, there are then license endorsements like CDL (semi trucks), motorcycle, limo/chauffeur above standard driver.

          Different types of ID for different purposes.

            • Septimaeus@infosec.pub
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              3
              ·
              5 months ago

              “Necessary but not sufficient condition,” e.g. the light in your room might be off, but “suspending your light privileges” is easy at the breaker box.

              • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                edit-2
                5 months ago

                No. You’re still not making it make sense.

                You’re trying to tell everyone that you can legally drive without a license.

                Of course you can drive without a license, but not legally. A learner’s permit is a type of license.

                So how do you suspend a license that the guy didn’t have?

                What is the breaker box in your analogy? Breaking the guy’s legs?

                • Septimaeus@infosec.pub
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  5 months ago

                  What is the breaker box in your analogy? Breaking legs?

                  lol I meant a [circuit] breaker box (aka power/ac panel, breaker panel, distribution board, etc)

                  So how do you suspend a license that the guy didn’t have?

                  It’s just a minor legal misnomer. If a defendant happens to not have a driver’s license in the first place, suspension could be more accurately termed “prevention.” Logistically speaking, the state probably just generates a stub file/account with a valid license number then just adds the suspension to that empty driving record.

                  • skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de
                    link
                    fedilink
                    English
                    arrow-up
                    2
                    ·
                    5 months ago

                    Since he already has a state ID, he already has an account. So they don’t even need to stub it.

                  • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
                    link
                    fedilink
                    English
                    arrow-up
                    2
                    ·
                    5 months ago

                    Oh. Ok, I think I get it now… but it’s still weird.

                    I’m not actually sure how that would work here… I do know that you can’t renew your license or plates without paying all overdue fines though.

            • skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              5 months ago

              I think, and I apologize in advance if I get this wrong, the part you may not be understanding is that it seems he never had a license to operate a vehicle. The state can still charge a person with suspending driving privileges legally, however, which would then likely stop their ability to apply for a license, and be a gateway to stack further charges in the event they were caught twice.

              • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                5 months ago

                Yeah we finally got that cleared up a little further down :)

                I actually don’t know what happens in that situation where I live.

                • skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  5 months ago

                  It is definitely a very American oddity, and possibly Michigan-specific as well, as each state’s laws can vary significantly. Like, Michigan let’s you know when your license is about to expire by mail. Colorado, by comparison, cares not one bit, and it is up to you to remember to renew. Colorado IDs are tied to your birthday, however, while MI is an arbitrary date at day of issue. We like to keep things so complicated in the US that nobody really ever knows what is going on. Probably by design or “freedom” or something.