Reply #4: Ooh thats a can of worms. [View All]

Legally, it is a privelage. That is, it is a right that requires a person to meet certain obligations.

The state holds all the cards when it comes to driving. A person must have a license, the car must be inspected, registered, titled and insured. The state even controls the transfer of automobiles through titleing. You never really "own" your car, you are merely given title to it. You cannot transfer your car to another person without the cooperation of the state via the titling process.

That said, the energy and automobile industries are considered vital to our economic security. For that reason the process is very much simplified. A person only needs the barest of skills to qualify for a license, and unsafe cars are routinely allowed on the roads.

So I would say that driving is a privelage that the powers that has such low barriers as to ALMOST be considered a right.