DMV Breaks Speed Limit

Sometimes, people who know that I'm legally blind ask if I can drive. This isn't as crazy a question as you might think: drivers make extensive use of their peripheral vision, and mine is well above average. Unfortunately, you use the middle part to see stuff like signs, curves in the road, small children, and large animals. No one should let me drive.

I do have the equivalent of a driver's license: the New York State Non-driving ID Card. Lots of fully sighted people have this. New York City is full of people who have never learned to drive because they never needed to. I would have liked to, but it doesn't affect my life while I live here.

Last month, I got a notice that my ID was about to expire in February. I finally got around to it today. I filled out the form at home, grabbed my social security card (the flimsiest piece of Federal ID in the world), and headed down to the DMV "License Xpress" on 34th Street. I expected a long wait.

The great thing about the Xpress branch is that it's small and open. They only take care of renewals and changes, so they only need a few windows and stations to take care of everyone. They're also surprisingly friendly. They call you "dear, honey, buddy, my friend," and just about anything else you can think of within the limits of polite society. What's more, they're efficient.

I told the clerk at the ticket counter that I was legally blind, and she didn't flinch. She just handed me a ticket, told me what number it was -- the print was actually large enough for me to read easily -- and told me what number they were calling just then. A clear, audible electronic voice announced each number. Within ten minutes, my number was called, and after a great conversation about rent prices in NY and PA, I was on my way with a temporary ID and the promise of a new one in two weeks. Done.

I don't know how many places there are in the world where a partially blind person can walk into and out of a government agency in fifteen minutes, having secured a state identification card and renewed faith in humanity. All I can say is, thank goodness for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.

Yes, I did write that.