A quick look at census data (over 11,000 people turn 65 every day in the United States), plus my own rough calculation, hundreds of people are turning 70 every day in the great state of California, and every 10 minutes or so one or more people email me asking for their driver’s license Update matters Adventure with the DMV.
I heard the usual, always funny, horror stories about the tests: “They asked ridiculous questions that had nothing to do with driving,” said Dahana Klerer, 75, of Newport Beach. Failed twice, adding, “I’m not a stupid person, but they make you feel really stupid.”)
California is about to be hit by an aging population wave, and Steve Lopez is riding the wave. His column focuses on the benefits and burdens of aging and how some people challenge the stigma associated with older age.
More and more often I hear success stories:
“I haven’t had any problems,” said Ruth Gleason, 79, of Ridgecrest, who added: “Thank you and Steve Gordon from the DMV. Gordon’s efforts to alleviate test fear among California drivers over the age of 70.
In my half-century career as a journalist, I never imagined that I would be able to share the honor with the director of the DMV. But this is further proof that after 70, life can be filled with new adventures, one of which is renewing your driver’s license, which must be done Once every five years after the Big 7-0.
If you’re wondering why it was so difficult for Klerer to renew his driver’s license, but Gleason had it with ease, that’s because Klerer took the renewal test at a DMV office, while Gleason opted for a remote, at-home online learning course.
If you are renewing, please repeat after me:
E-learning is the best choice!
To learn more How to do it, Please visit the DMV.Ca.gov website and click on the Driver License and License Renewal options. By the way, if you choose to study online, you will still need to go to a DMV office for a vision test and photo, but if you have completed the testing requirements at home, you will be ahead of the curve.
The e-learning option is like a mini driver’s education course, it takes about 30 or 40 minutes to complete, and the best part is you can’t fail. In fact, the website calls it a “failure-free online e-learning course.” You’ll be asked a series of questions, and if you get one wrong, you can guess again until you get it right.
DMV Supervisor Steve Gordon recommends the e-learning course for drivers who need to take a test to renew their driver’s license. “Having knowledge is more important than the ability to take a written test,” he said.
(Wally Scully/Los Angeles Times)
Gordon, former Silicon Valley technology executiveimplemented an e-learning course because he believed it was a better educational tool than old-fashioned quizzes.
“Having knowledge is more important than the ability to take a written test,” he said.
If this is true, here’s an idea:
Why not just eliminate traditional so-called knowledge tests and offer e-learning exclusively? It looks like this could relieve a lot of unnecessary stress for drivers and save the DMV the trouble of administering the tests.
This e-learning course aligns with Gordon’s mission to make it easier to conduct DMV business remotely rather than going into an office. The institution just announced eLearning Now Available in Spanish.
California drivers are catching up, with more drivers taking advantage of the e-learning option, which is available to drivers of all ages. In November, 19,000 people took e-learning courses, but by April that number had jumped to 47,500.
By the way, Kohler ditched the frustrating in-person process for e-learning and ultimately easy updates. But she’s absolutely right about the stupid questions on traditional exams.
Even the DMV acknowledges this, with officials telling me in the past that some of the sillier questions are being removed from the test rotation.
Readers complained to me that this was taking too long, so I asked DMV spokesperson Anita Gore about it. Several issues have now been canceled, she said, and “about 30” more are expected to be canceled starting in July. Gore said the following headaches, who cares, have gone away:
“What’s another name for hand-to-hand steering?”
“What is the minimum sentence for a person convicted of manslaughter for eluding law enforcement during a pursuit?”
Questions about DMV dumpsters include:
“Which of the following is an appropriate way to reduce your speed when driving in snow?”
“How long should you be scanning the road in front of a vehicle to identify hazards?”
“When turning left from a two-way street onto a three-lane one-way street, which lane can you turn into?”
So a big thank you to all the readers who asked silly questions and helped bring the DMV to attention.
If you call the DMV customer service line and end up with a virtual assistant named Miles… just be patient.
(Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
But once again, you don’t have to worry about these silly questions if you choose to study online. (If you have already started the license renewal process in person, you must fail two more times before you are eligible to start over and e-learn. This stupid rule makes no sense unless the goal is torture, and should be thrown out. Also, if you are in If you fail the traditional exam 3 times and switch to e-learning, you will also have to pay a $45 license renewal fee. The Golden State will continue to monitor the situation, which seems unfair.
Kind tips:
I’ve heard from many readers who use e-learning (which can be updated from a computer, tablet or mobile phone) to complete the renewal process, but I’ve also heard from people who are having issues or being unable to access the system.
Gore said this could be a technical issue on the consumer side, or it could be — as I did last time I recommended e-learning — an overloaded system. (Golden State, its partners and affiliates disclaim all liability for the malfunctions, deficiencies and failures of State).
She said anyone with questions can call the DMV’s customer service line at (800) 777-0133, and here’s another warning:
I gave it a try, but it didn’t go well.
I tried to get a live person to answer the phone, but ended up getting a “virtual assistant” named Miles who asked me the purpose of the call. I told Miles I didn’t have access to eLearning (I was pretending just to see what would happen) and he provided information about the accident report and vehicle registration. During a subsequent phone call, Myers texted me a link to the general license renewal message.
At one point, I must have hit the wrong cue because Miles started speaking in Spanish, or at least trying to speak in Spanish. Even though my language proficiency is not high, I can assure you:
Miles has the worst accent in history.
You might think that in California, of all places, we’d have better Spanish-speaking robots.
I did eventually hear an automated voice say in English that no one was available due to heavy call volume, but that a real person would call me back within two hours. I did get a call back.
If I sound obsessed with the minutiae of renewing driver’s licenses for people aged 70 and over, this is done primarily as a public service, but I do have an ulterior motive.
Time is ticking, and it won’t be long before your device is truly updated.
Wish me luck.
steve.lopez@latimes.com
