A proposed new law could see people unable to get or renew driver’s licenses if they have unpaid student loan debts:
As many people already know, this law already applies to other government debts, including: speeding tickets, parking tickets, bridge tolls, and Translink fines. This new law, however, is arguably of a different character. What makes this law different is:
1) Student loan debts tend to be much larger. We are not talking about a $100 speeding tickets. We are talking about potentially 10s of thousands (or perhaps hundreds of thousands of debt). This debt is not always easily managed.
2) Student loans are not incurred by breaking the law. Unlike traffic tickets, student loans are not fines for bad behaviour.
3) A driver’s license is often a means to paying back a debt. In order to perform or get to many jobs, you will require a driver’s license. It seems counterproductive to limit a person’s ability to earn income when your end goal is debt repayment.
The proposed legislation does, however, provide students with a chance to provide a reason as to why they have not made a payment on their loan before they are denied a new or re-issued licence. However, this, as with any legislation, is going to be open to interpretation. We would be left with a large grey area as to what a “good reason” is.
If anything, the government should be creating opportunities for newly graduated students to earn income and experience. This proposed legislation seems like more of an obstacle.
I would also like to point out that ICBC is not to blame for this law. They see no benefit here and now have to deal with the hassle of collecting student loans. The responsibility rests entirely on the shoulders of the politicians.
