Georgia Adding Another Foreign Language To Its Driver’s Test

The Georgia Department of Driver Services plans to add Dari to the list of languages offered for the knowledge, or permit, driver’s license test.

Georgia in recent years has allowed driver’s license exams to be given in 14 different languages including Arabic, Bosnian, Cambodian, Chinese, Laotian, Spanish, Farsi, and Vietnamese. Now it plans to add Dari, also known as Dari Persian, because of Afghan refugees being in the state.

This would appear to pose a clear safety hazard for Georgia motorists. All of Georgia’s highway warning and hazard signs are written in English, so it is easy to understand the danger posed by drivers who cannot read English. The trend of allowing driver’s license exams to be given in foreign languages also increases the risk of cheating and makes it very difficult to prevent or detect fraud.

Such an English requirement would not affect Georgia from welcoming international businesspeople, tourists, or students, if the Department of Driver Services were to require that all permanent residents take their driver’s knowledge tests in English. Such a requirement would not have to apply to those on temporary visas for the first 10 years they are in Georgia. The requirement also would still honor driver’s licenses of international business executives, tourists, and foreign students.

The people of Georgia deserve to have this reform implemented in the name of public safety. It also would help curb confusing and dangerous multilingualism, while assisting legal immigrants and refugees to linguistically integrate into our American culture.