Driving License Renewal Scare
Today I went down to the DMV in Wichita to renew my driver’s license, which expires on my birthday. I made an appointment online, as the renewal reminder card they mailed to me said that renewals were by appointment only. This was not true, most people were there without an appointment, but it seems that the DMV gives priority to appointment holders, although, I was seen 45 minutes after my appointment time, this seems to be normal in the US, rarely, am I seen at the appointment time.
I am acutely aware that my vision is deteriorating, and I am trying to mitigate that as much as I can, so every time I have to renew my license I get really nervous, as my job requires me to drive. My optometrist says my vision is 20/40, so she gave me a completed form notating this and faxed it to the DMV, so I did not have to do the dreaded eye test in the DMV office, which I struggled with six years ago.
I feel like I am safe to drive, even though my work depends on it, I would not want to drive if it endangered myself or others. Anyway, I got to the counter and handed over my armful of documentation to prove who I say I am and that I live where I live, so I can get the newly required Real ID, so I can enter federal buildings and board domestic flights, and after a short time, I hear that I will have to come back on August 27, 2023, due to a flag on my file about my vision, this is just 10 months from today.
Of course, I am now starting to internally freak out, as public transport is not an option in the City of Wichita, it takes forever to get anywhere, and there is no service outside of the central core of the city. The Midwest, in general, is not very pedestrian friendly, a car is necessary for most people, and I cannot afford to employ a driver to get me where I need to go. But, I digress, I am now waffling on.
After some investigation, it became clear that someone at the Kansas Department of Vehicles failed to do their job. Earlier this year, I had a scare with my vision when it deteriorated suddenly, but that issue was resolved, and have a $3,000 bill to prove it. I guess that was why the flag existed, my vision had dropped to 20/80, which, obviously is not good enough to drive, I could barely read the screen in front of me.
The stupid thing is that the document I showed to the woman at the DMV today was faxed to KDOV and they even sent me a letter of acknowledgment, saying there was nothing more for me to do. The lady at the DMV counter today said that they would send me a letter requesting that I return the vision document between now and August 27, 2023. I should not be surprised, government entities are generally incompetent in my experience, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, now I wait for the DOV letter.
The bottom line is I am able to legally drive for six more years, at which time, we’ll probably go through this experience again. It almost feels like I’m on borrowed time in terms of being able to drive, I will be just 52 at the time of the next renewal, maybe I should take a year to drive around the US while I still can?