Current laws give Law Enforcement Officers the authority to impound vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers. Your vehicle can be impounded if you allow another person to drive your vehicle that has a suspended or revoked license or never had a valid license.
Section 22651(p) of the Vehicle Code permits an Officer to store a vehicle, after issuing the driver a citation for certain driver's license violations. A vehicle can be stored, when the driver is unlicensed, even if a licensed passenger is in the vehicle. If the unlicensed driver stops the vehicle on private property, having entered there from a highway or public property, the vehicle can still be stored.
Section 14602.6 of the Vehicle Code provided for a 30 day impoundment of a vehicle if the driver has a suspended or revoked license. A vehicle can also be impounded for 30 days if the driver has never been issued a driver's license.
Section 14607.6 of the Vehicle Code allows for a vehicle to be forfeited as a nuisance when: (1) the driver owns the vehicle, is unlicensed or has a suspended or revoked license, and has a prior misdemeanor conviction for certain driver's license violations, or (2) the driver is unlicensed or has a suspended or revoked license, and the owner of the vehicle has a Stipulated Vehicle Release Agreement (SVRA) on file. A SVRA is a document signed by the registered owner or a community property interest owner of a vehicle, in consideration for a one time release and nonforfeiture of a vehicle.
Section 22651(o) of the Vehicle Code permits an Officer to remove a vehicle from a highway, public land or an offstreet parking facility, for expired registration in excess of six months. The storing law enforcement agency will release the vehicle after the owner or his/her agent furnishes proof of current registration and a valid driver's license to operate the vehicle.