Every once in a while something pops up in the news that sounds too ridiculous to be true. Such was the case when… well, read for yourself:

Over the last three years, police in Dallas have ticketed 39 drivers for not speaking English, even though there is no law requiring drivers be able to do so.

Amid growing public anger, Police Chief David Kunkle announced last week that the citations would be thrown out and that the officers who issued them would be investigated.

The cases came to light when a Mexican immigrant, Ernestina Mondragon, went to the media saying that she had been cited for being a “non-English-speaking driver” during a routine traffic stop. There is no such law in Dallas, although there is a federal statute that says commercial drivers must be able to speak English.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Hector Flores, former president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a nationwide civil rights group. “It’s racial profiling. She was cited for driving while Hispanic. For driving while immigrant.”

Amidst the obvious outcry, there’s a larger lesson we don’t want to miss.

At Comedy Guys Defensive Driving, we know how difficult it can be for otherwise well-intentioned non-native English speakers to understand and abide by the laws of our land. And it’s not just a matter of avoiding tickets: non-English speakers are at increased risk of getting lost, misunderstanding routine traffic signs, and missing crucial warnings about potentially hazardous driving conditions ahead.

So we’re doing what we can to help Spanish speakers, offering Spanish-language driving safety classes in Dallas as well as Spanish defensive driving in Arlington. Our classes help Spanish speakers know what to look for, read road signs, understand driving laws, and live and drive more confidently.

The Spanish-language classes will usually qualify for both ticket dismissal and insurance discount purposes, depending on each student’s insurance policy.

Contact us for more information, or check out our online reservation page for schedules.

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