Coronavirus: DMV extends expiring licenses to drivers over 70

Coronavirus: DMV extends expiring licenses to drivers over 70

by Alma Fausto

Drivers in California who are 70 years or older will get an automatic one-year extension on their driver’s licenses in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Motor Vehicles announced Monday.

Those who have a noncommercial license that expires from March 1 to Dec. 31 of this year will get the extension.

This is being done to delay in-person visits to the DMV offices, which are required for that age group for license renewals and seniors are more susceptible to serious complications from getting the coronavirus.

The DMV has taken steps to curb the virus, requiring face coverings and masks, but a glimpse at Fullerton’s DMV office on Monday showed the potential problem – long lines, with customers spaced apart, reached into the parking lot on a day with temperatures in the mid-80s.

Previously, the DMV had issued 120-day extensions to these drivers whose licenses expired March through July to avoid physical office visits out of health and safety concerns. But with the again-surging numbers of people getting infected in Southern California, the state agency took it a step further.

More changes could be on the way.

“The DMV continues to streamline its processes to limit the time customers spend at an office,” the agency said Monday in a statement. “The DMV is also contemplating other ways to safely serve seniors.”

Drivers won’t receive a new card in the mail, the department said, although people can request official paper documentation of the extension online, at dmv.ca.gov, starting on Wednesday, July 15. Type “extension” in the search bar.

Robert Rosenthal’s license expires in December. The 83-year-old who lives in Studio City couldn’t immediately get an appointment to renew his license early and appreciated the department’s decision to extend them.

“I think they do a hard job under difficult circumstances, and if they’re extended, great,” he said.

Though he pondered if a year from now there may be a backup of people trying to renew their licenses.

“But if this virus things keeps up, who knows what the world will be like,” Rosenthal said. “I think that for people who don’t have an accident or a moving violation, the DMV can maybe let people do it once by mail.”

The renewal deadline for drivers 69 years old and younger with licenses that expired between March and July is now July 31.

All credit goes to Alma Fausto
Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com