The DMV

Not my driving instructors

I had heard many stories about getting a California Drivers License. Like you must apply within 2 weeks of arrival, and ooh make sure you make an appointment to make an appointment at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) because the queues can be a bit of a hassle.

We had been here about 2 weeks and were in the process of purchasing a car. At the paperwork stage it turned out they needed or wanted a driver license number to register the car, and our Kiwi licenses were not going to do. So I checked the net to make an appointment at the local (ish) DMV and first appt was 2 weeks away, oh crap! This had become a priority as our rental cars (yes plural) were costing quite a few Kiwi shekels per day so I legged it down there early and started the queuing.

Now the DMV is American beauracracy at its finest. Really. The first queue is to get a number so you can join the next queue. This would not be so bad except all the people who had made appointments 2 weeks prior are allowed to cut in front of you.

Once they call your number you give your details (and money) and get a piece of paper that entitles you to join the queue for a photo. A temporary photo ID is presented quickly and you can now join the queue to get a written exam paper. After some multi-choice shenanigans (e.g. Which must you always give way to: A-Children, B-The President, C-Grizzly bears) you can re-join the exam paper queue to get your answers checked. This went reasonably smoothly given the large amount of time in queues in which to cram the CA road code. Then you are presented with an appointment in a few weeks time to sit the practical driving lesson.

A relatively straight-forward process but took about 3 hours. But most importantly I had a driver license number and was off to the car yard, yay!

The practical test involved a jaunt around the instructor’s home suburb pointing out interesting things and chatting about New Zealand, oh and trying not to run over children, Presidents or grizzly bears.

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