Q: Sir Honk: I am writing about the advice you gave to the 72-year-old needing to go into a Department of Motor Vehicles office for a vision test before Nov. 7. Appointments can be months out. However, I’ve recently started using a DMV feature, and it works great: Get In Line. Instead of going to the DMV to stand in line, you can get in the line virtually from anywhere. The feature opens at 9 a.m. weekdays (except on Wednesdays, when it is 10 a.m.) on the DMV website. You look at each DMV office and see how many people are in line and make your choice. You get notifications; you can periodically see your place in line. You can guess when to leave the house. Understand that the line speed accelerates the closer your number comes up as some must abandon the process and go back to work, etc. I’ve found at 9 a.m., the lines are long, sometimes hours long. By noon or 1 p.m., its been my experience, the lines have nearly cleared out.
– Denise Stevens
A: Wow — sure beats cooling your heels in a DMV office, Denise.
Thank you. Honk was unaware of this option.
DMV customers would go to dmv.ca.gov, search for “appointments,” and register via their cellphone number. Honk recommends getting near the DMV office before the countdown gets close to concluding.
“(Customers) should first report to the Start Here counter or non-appointment line when they arrive to ensure they have the correct paperwork before proceeding,” said Ronald Ongtoaboc, a DMV spokesperson.
“The Get in Line feature is just one of the ways the DMV is modernizing to improve the customer experience,” he added.
Q: Dear Honk: I have finally reached that golden age (77) and recently had cataract surgery in both eyes, and I now have 20-20 vision. The only problem is that my California driver’s license lists me as having to wear corrective lenses. What is the proper way to rectify this situation, and would I get a ticket if I am stopped by the police?
– Ken Welty, Cypress
A: Congrats, Ken, on your peepers getting back their superpowers.
Go to a DMV office, tell the clerk the good news about your eyes, show via a test that your vision is swell, and your license will be updated.
You can do this during a renewal, or before. Either way, just correcting that part of your license is free.
“If the customer’s driver’s license is not up for renewal … the updated license will retain the same expiration date,” said Katarina Snow, a DMV spokesperson.
And, yes, if your license says you require contacts or glasses and aren’t sporting them, you could get cited.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk