License to Kill? CalMatters Investigation Exposes How California Lets Dangerous Drivers Stay on the Road

A new investigation reveals that in California, deadly and repeat reckless drivers can keep their licenses, and sometimes even injure or kill again.

A recent CalMatters investigation titled “License to Kill” has uncovered a troubling reality on California’s roads: the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles routinely allows drivers with shocking histories of reckless driving, DUIs, and even fatal crashes to keep or regain their licenses, sometimes with deadly consequences. The findings have ignited outrage among victims’ families and public safety advocates, raising urgent questions about how the Golden State balances individual mobility with the safety of everyone on the road.

The investigation examined thousands of court records and DMV files from across California, focusing on drivers charged with vehicular manslaughter since 2019. The results were staggering:

• Nearly 40% of drivers charged with vehicular manslaughter since 2019 still hold valid licenses.
• The DMV reissued licenses to nearly 150 people less than a year after they allegedly killed someone in a crash, sometimes even before their criminal cases were resolved.
• Hundreds of these drivers went on to receive new tickets or be involved in additional crashes after their fatal incidents.

The stories behind these numbers are heartbreaking. For example, Ivan Dimov, with six prior DUI convictions, regained his license in 2017. The following year, he killed a young man while driving drunk on Christmas Eve in Sacramento. Kostas Linardos, with 17 citations and four prior crashes, killed a toddler in 2022 but had his license renewed even as he faced felony manslaughter charges. Another case took place in Kern County:

“In July 2021, truck driver Baljit Singh drove his semi on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic, killing a motorcyclist in Kern County, court records show. There are no suspensions listed on his DMV record during that time, even though the agency has the discretion to suspend someone’s license without a conviction. Less than a year later, as his case wound its way through the slow-moving court system, Singh plowed his semi into the back of a car in Fresno County, killing a woman, records show. He ultimately pleaded no contest to felony vehicular manslaughter in Kern County. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in Fresno for the second fatal crash. The DMV finally took away his driving privileges in February of last year.”

How can this happen? The CalMatters investigation points to several systemic failures:

• High Point Thresholds: California’s point system for suspending licenses is so lenient that drivers can rack up multiple violations, including DUIs and fatal crashes-without losing their driving privileges.
• Discretionary Suspensions: While the DMV is required to suspend licenses for certain crimes, like DUIs, there is often no automatic suspension for vehicular manslaughter. The agency has broad discretion and frequently reinstates licenses as soon as the legally required period ends.
• Fragmented Records: A lack of coordination between courts, law enforcement, and the DMV means that convictions, including for manslaughter, sometimes never appear on a driver’s record.
• Limited Permanent Revocation: There is no process in California to permanently revoke a license, even for drivers with repeated fatal offenses.

Officials say they must balance public safety with the need for people to access work, childcare, and healthcare.

For families who have lost loved ones, the state’s approach feels like a betrayal, and described the pain of seeing drivers responsible for deadly crashes back on the road, and sometimes, in new fatal accidents. Their calls for reform echo across the state.

“It’s just an accident as far as they’re concerned,” said a mother whose son was killed by a repeat DUI offender that still had a valid license.

Advocates and prosecutors are urging California lawmakers to lower the point thresholds for license suspension, mandate automatic suspensions for all vehicular manslaughter convictions, improve data sharing between the courts, law enforcement, and the DMV, and create a pathway for permanent revocation of licenses for the most egregious offenders.

“Until these changes are made, California’s roads will remain perilous, not just because of reckless drivers, but because of a system that too often gives them a second, third, or even fourth chance,” said Matt Clark, managing partner and attorney at the Law Office of Chain | Cohn | Clark. “Driving is a privilege, not a right. When that privilege is abused with reckless or deadly behavior, the system must protect the public, not enable repeat tragedies. California owes it to every victim’s family to put safety first.”

Added Chris Hagan, attorney and partner at Chain | Cohn | Clark: “The CalMatters investigation lays bare a dangerous gap in California’s road safety system. As lawmakers and the DMV face renewed scrutiny, the message from victims’ families and safety advocates is clear: the time for reform is now.”

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If you or someone you know is injured in an accident at the fault of someone else, or injured on the job no matter whose fault it is, contact the attorneys at Chain | Cohn | Clark by calling (661) 323-4000, or fill out a free consultation form, text, or chat with us at chainlaw.com.