You can live as a diplomat in D.C. but you dare not drive.

D.C. is the Capitol of the United States with thousands of diplomats and international students working and traveling in the district, who have absolutely no way of getting a driver's license since they cannot obtain a social security number. At the same time, D.C. law requires people who live in the city and who operate a vehicle to obtain a driver's license. The D.C. DMV cannot make exceptions to this rule and it has become impossible for a sizable segment of the population to actually get driver's licenses.

A small piece of legislation introduced by D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson would fix that by abolishing the social security number requirement. Mendelson's legislation would also promote public safety in the greater DMV area since it would reduce uninsured and unlicensed drivers on the road. Lastly, it would restore what getting a driver's license is all about: the ability and qualifications to drive, not the privilege of having a nine-digit number.

There's simply no reason to oppose the bill.