Leaders in Manassas Park and Herndon are demanding a crackdown on people driving through northern Virginia without driver's licenses, where the number of tickets given out has grown by 700% in some communities.

More and more as police pull someone over for a traffic violation in Herndon, the person behind the wheel doesn't have a driver's license and likely never did, reports ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 reporter Gail Pennybacker.

"Being out there when there's out there who don't necessarily know the rules is a pretty scary thought," said motorist Rahul Gupta.

During 2002 in Herndon, around 100 tickets were issued for the problem, but five years later, police wrote 756 tickets. The penalty usually amounts to a fine, but now some in the area want the law to allow police to impound vehicles to keep illegal drivers off the road.

"I think pulling the car would definitely change everybody's thinking about whether they have a license or don't have a license," said motorist Manvir Singh.

Getting a license at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Virginia requires tests, training and two forms of legal identification, which is an issue for illegal immigrants.

"The vast majority that are unlicensed are [ineligible] to get a license in this state or any other state," said Herndon police Lieutenant Jeff Coulter.

Making the law tougher will be a statewide debate, but at the heart of it is safety on the roads. "It's scary. An accident could happen in a couple of seconds if you don't have the proper training then your live's in danger," said new driver Varun Gupta.

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