Safe roadways should always be top priority

Contrary to popular belief, owning a driver?s license is not a right. It?s a privilege. And to gain access to that privilege a person has to complete a few simple tasks.

One of them should be passing a written test that is taken in English since that is the official language of this country.

It?s not a political issue and it?s not an immigration issue. It?s a common sense issue. It?s a safety issue. It?s a no-brainer.

That?s said with no disrespect to any other nationality. The United States has always been known as the ?Great American Melting Pot? and we have opened our borders to people throughout the globe.

While we don?t want to stifle their unique culture, just a touch of conformity should be required. At the top of that list should be ensuring that people who have legal permission to drive a vehicle 70 mph at least have a grasp of the English language.

It?s true a majority of day-to-day driving doesn?t require reading unique signs. A ?stop? sign can be identified because it?s red. A ?yield? sign can be identified because it?s yellow.

But you never know when an unusual sign will pop up such as ?road construction 500 yards,? ?men working,? or any message that?s conveyed on an interstate board.

When a non-English speaking driver can barrel full speed into an area of unexpected congestion because they can?t read a road sign, that?s cause for concern. And what about the very basic level of communication between a driver and a police officer should that driver be pulled over?

Immigrants are more than welcome to obtain a Tennessee driver?s license. But at the very minimum they should be required to pass a test that?s in the same language as our road signs.