Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Driving is a privilege. I know and so do you. I’m reading this in the current edition of What Every Driver Must Know. Do some of you remember when back in the day we had to learn the rules of the road and driving? Me too. Well, we all have to learn them, but I mean reading the booklet as part of Driver’s Training.

For the last—I don’t know how many years—I’ve been able to renew my driver’s license online or by mail, meaning no written test or tick boxes, or whatever they have nowadays. How About You? When’s the last time you went to a Secretary of State office to renew your license?

The license I have now has the best picture I’ve ever had taken. Yeah? Find that hard to believe? LOL.

Maybe they’ll let me use the old one for a new/old author photo? Hmm.

This year I have to go to a Secretary of State office for a new picture (ugh) and show proof of who I am because my state is compliant with the Real ID Act. Referring to the U.S. and Territories, check out this Department of Homeland Security (DHS) link to see if your state is compliant with the Real ID Act.  And this one threw me for a loop: From the DHS website: “It has been 12 years since the REAL ID Act was passed and half of all the states have already met the REAL ID minimum standards.”

What? Twelve years? Where have I been?

Now that you know why I have to step inside the SOS, I’ll get back to the first paragraph about studying the booklet. I’m reading as a refresher to see if anything has changed since “back in the day” or the last time I had to take the test. It used to be ten questions. From the book, I noticed not much has changed but new signs have been introduced over the years.

You can’t be a driver without knowing what they are, but the way they word the booklet and explanation, sometimes doesn’t match my terminology. I still know what the signs mean and why the signs are there. I still know the driving rules, but in case something has changed, I’m giving myself a crash course with a PDF I downloaded from the Secretary of State website.

Aren’t roundabouts fun? My cousin and I recently navigated through three roundabouts in a row over a short span of space. On the way back, we turned off too soon and missed the highway. LOL. If you don’t know how to drive through one by now, the pamphlet explains how to cruise right through. If everyone follows the rules, it works like it should. Well, if you don’t get lost.

Have a wacky, wonderous weekend!  😎