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This Escondido crossing looks peaceful enough in the daytime

On April 14, between 6:30 pm and midnight, of the 717 drivers the Escondido Police Department pulled over at a checkpoint at East Valley Parkway and Beven Drive, police cited four drivers for driving with suspended licenses.

While the cops weren't specific about the citations, there are a variety of reasons a person's license could be suspended.

One reason many people are unaware of is that the driver possibly did not pay their child support. "By law, the Department of Child Support Services must report delinquent child support cases to various state licensing agencies such as the Department of Motor Vehicles," reads the government site.

"I think it’s a great idea," Cristbel Adams, a local mother, said to me in a recent interview.

Steve C., an Escondido father, disagrees. "How will we get to work if our licenses are suspended?"

Three other reasons drivers' licenses are suspended are the drivers were caught while driving under the influence, refusing a required chemical test, or being under 21 years old with booze in the car. That Friday night, Escondido Police arrested three drivers suspected of driving under the influence.

Facebook users warn others of checkpoints in town on a Facebook page called Valley Center Friends.

The officers issued 21 citations to unlicensed drivers, which Steve C. speculates as "teenagers and undocumented people. Because they have to get to work as well."

The Los Angeles Times estimates that there are about 2 million unlicensed drivers – the vast majority of whom are undocumented immigrants."

Many aliens have been able to get their AB 60 driver’s licenses when the DMV began issuing driver’s licenses to applicants who were unable to provide proof of legal presence in the U.S. but met the other requirements to obtain a license and provided proof of identity and residency in California.

Then there's the age factor Steve brought up. "About 15.9 percent of Americans don’t have a valid driver’s license," reads a Hedgescompany.com report. "The age groups with the highest percentage without a driver’s license are 16-19 years old (65.2 percent), 85 and older (39.9 percent) and 20 to 24 (19.2 percent)."

At the Escondido checkpoint last Friday, three drivers did not have proof of insurance, two more were cited for allowing an unlicensed driver to operate their car, and five of the 717 cars they stopped were impounded.

Valley Center is about five miles north of the Escondido checkpoint mentioned above. Many Facebook users warn others of checkpoints in town on a popular Facebook page called Valley Center Friends, but moderators usually delete those checkpoint warning posts.