An Hour at the DMV
Dec. 11th, 2024 05:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerI had to go to the DMV today. Y'know, the Department of Motor Vehicles. The government agency that is the butt of just about every joke about waiting in long lines for a basic government service to be provided by dispirited and demotivated government employees.
I don't think I've set foot in an actual DMV office in over 20 years. I had to do it this time to renew my license. In the past I've been able to renew by mail or online, or at worst at a AAA office as a AAA member, where lines are much shorter. This time I was required to appear in person at the actual DMV office because a vision test was required and because I want / effectively must have a RealID card to function as a full adult in 2025 USA. I made an appointment online a few weeks ago and took the earliest available day for my appointment— 3 weeks away.
I don't think I've set foot in an actual DMV office in over 20 years. I had to do it this time to renew my license. In the past I've been able to renew by mail or online, or at worst at a AAA office as a AAA member, where lines are much shorter. This time I was required to appear in person at the actual DMV office because a vision test was required and because I want / effectively must have a RealID card to function as a full adult in 2025 USA. I made an appointment online a few weeks ago and took the earliest available day for my appointment— 3 weeks away.
- Before I even entered the DMV office I knew there would be delays. Just parking was hard. The lot was nearly full, and I got one of the last 2 spaces before having to vulture.
- Next, as I walked up to the building, I was surprised at the number of people milling around outside. I was surprised because seeing people loitering outside a building is rare nowadays... at least in the US... at least in the places I usually travel. Except for, like, an inter-city bus terminal.
- Once inside I was among a sea of humanity. People of all shapes and ages, many speaking foreign languages. It was like being in a busy inter-city bus terminal.
- I joined the queue for people with appointments. There were just two couples ahead of me, and one employee serving our line. It should have gone fast. The conversation for each person with an appointment should have been, "Hi, what's your name or, better yet, appointment confirmation number? And just to confirm, you're here for...? Okay, here's your service number; wait until it's called." In and done in 30 seconds. Except both of the couples in front of me had So. Many. Questions. The lines for walk-ups were moving twice as fast.
- I got my service number, F107, quickly once I reached the first desk. The agent seemed to give me side-eye about being early for my appointment. I entered the line at 2:50 for a 3:10 appointment and got the to front at 3:00. It's good I got my number for the next queue at 3:00 because it took them until almost 3:30 to call F107.
- At the next station, after 30 minutes of waiting to be called, the agent reviewed my paperwork and documents, collected a thumbprint, and administered a very brief eye exam. After I read the laughably easy identically-sized lines she pointed to on the eye chart, I added, "And the blue and white sign on the far wall, approximately 100' away, says 'Do not place children on this counter.' And the poster next to it says in its headline, '¡Es contra la ley!', which is Spanish for 'It's against the law!'"
- I then queued up for a third station. The only purpose there was to make a new photo. Fortunately that line was only a couple minutes long. The photo examiner murmured pleasantries the whole time. "Oh, great smile." "Perfect." "That looks fantastic." At first I thought she was genuinely complimenting me. Then I realized she's probably murmuring because she says the same things, on repeat, 200 times a day.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-12 07:26 am (UTC)I decided against getting a REAL ID-compliant state ID, in part because when my last license expired it was in heavy pandemic time and I could renew the non-compliant one by mail and in part because it's ridiculously expensive here. Washington doesn't actually issue a REAL ID-compliant license as such; they only issue the "Federal Limits Apply" license or a full Enhanced Driver's License, for which they charge an additional $7/year on top of the $9/year for the license itself. Since the US passport card is good for 10 years, can be renewed by mail, and costs only $3/year I use that for everything that isn't "show that I can legally drive" or "show as a proof of residency" (since it doesn't have an address on it).
(Neither of the DMVs I've used has been called that, amusingly; in Washington it's the Department of Licensing, and in Massachusetts it's the Registry of Motor Vehicles because they have to be unique. Of course, they're also one of the four states calling themselves commonwealths so they're at least consistent about being inconsistent....)
no subject
Date: 2025-04-26 01:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-04-26 03:30 am (UTC)Yeah, I don't carry my passport books on routine domestic travel either (which made it annoying when CLEAR required a passport for updating); options like the US and Irish passport cards, on the other hand, fit in my (admittedly bulky) wallet and are
important parts of this nutritious breakfastreasonable to include as everyday carry items.I wish the Irish card had a 10 year validity period like the US one, though; it's only valid for 5 years or the remaining validity period of the book, and renewing it at the midpoint of the book's 10 years costs twice as much as getting it with the book for those of us who live in the US (due to the loss of the "bundle discount" plus the extra postage charge). Since I mostly used it as a Schengen-area ID that let me leave my passport books locked in the hotel room safe and I've had so much less international travel since 2020, it wasn't worth renewing for €50...though I'll probably throw the extra €25 on when I renew the book next, just in case.