Driving class offers help with culture

Published 12:00 am Friday, June 23, 2000

Driving in the United States for someone from another country may seem simple at first.

Friday, June 23, 2000

Driving in the United States for someone from another country may seem simple at first. That is until they get pulled over for not putting a child in a car seat, or for having an open bottle, or for playing music too loud.

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Then they may find themselves in court or with a ticket and absolutely no understanding of the reason why. Or, maybe they don’t go to court, and they end up with a revoked license and even more trouble the next time they get pulled over.

"There are no rules about child safety anywhere in South America," Nitaya Jandragholica, cultural diversity director for Mower County, said. "Then people come here and they can be ticketed even if the children aren’t theirs. They don’t know how, when or why they have to have insurance, or a title transfer."

These examples are only the tip of the iceberg if a person is counting the differences among the laws between, for example, the United States and Mexico. The question is: How do newcomers to this country find out about these laws?

English speakers can take a class.

"We assist them through all these requirements, so they can get their licenses," Jandragholica said. "When we’re successful, you get people driving safely and legally."

Jandragholica has adapted her class from a program designed by County Correctional Services Director Tom Neilon last year for people whose drivers’ licenses had been revoked. Neilon started the program to help offenders find their way through the maze of red tape needed to get their licenses back.

"We have all these people without drivers’ licenses and they’re still driving," Neilon said. "A lot don’t even know why they’re revoked, it’s been so long. And they’re driving without insurance. … We created something like an amnesty program, where the judge says if the person will fulfill all the things needed to get his license and insurance back, then the driving offense won’t go on his permanent record. It’s a way to stop the cycle of no license because there is always a revocation."

"A lot of times it’s a case of not knowing the procedures," Neilon said, adding that he has worked closely with Jandragholica on setting up her program. "Getting a license back is difficult for English speakers, let alone people who don’t speak English as their native language."

Jandragholica teaches more than the rules and regulations of the road. She incorporates some basic geography and government lessons, explaining the difference between state law and federal law. She explains license tabs, what they are and where to get them. Most importantly, she explains the whys of many of the American laws.

She does it at 1 p.m. every Thursday afternoon at the Mower County Government Center.

In last week’s class, Jandragholica started by drawing three lines down the board. Inside, she wrote "judicial system," "insurance" and "Department of Public Safety" (in Spanish). Then she explained that the three are entirely unrelated, but each one is a necessary part of getting a revoked license reinstated.

"It’s very difficult to connect between the three," Jandragholica said. "It doesn’t make a lot of sense to someone who didn’t grow up with the system."

Although Jandragholica initially adapted Neilon’s program for Mower County’s Hispanic residents who are referred by the court system, she’s now finding her students are a mix of referrals and of people getting their licenses in the United States for the first time.

Luis Torres and Graciela Rendon were two of her first students. Neither has ever had a driver’s license and didn’t drive. Now, after taking her class, both have passed their written test and are finally going to take the driving test this weekend.

"It’s a wonderful class and she’s a great teacher," Rendon said.

Now both of them are helping Jandragholica teach the classes.

A week ago, Rendon took a Cuban student down the hall to work with him one on one, using the Spanish translation of the Minnesota Driver’s License manual. Torres stayed in the classroom with the others. It helps to have many teachers, he said, because the students are not all at the same place with their driving skills or their reading and writing.

"If a person is good with books, maybe he can come once, look at the book and go take the test," Torres said. "For others, they may have to come five or six weeks."

The classes are growing, because people go away and tell others about the class.

"It’s a cool thing," the cultural diversity director said, "a way of outreach. We’re trying to help facilitate the process of these people establishing themselves here. With a license, it’s easier to find work. With work, it’s easier to find a home. It’s a win-win situation for everyone."