My Own Driving Test

I got my own first license to drive on Wednesday, August 6, 1986, and last week was the exact 28th anniversary of that. I had turned 18 the previous March 5, and graduated from high school two months earlier (June 7), and was going off to begin college in just over two weeks (August 22). So I knew I was a little late in getting my first license, as most people get it when they are about in the middle of high school, but I really had no desire to get it until early 1986. I did take Driver's Education in the first part of 11th grade, in the fall of 1984, when I was 16, and drove a little in that class and did all right, but then just did not pursue it anymore until late July/early August, 1986, when I enrolled in a driver's school in Rock Hill, SC near my hometown, which we paid for with money from gifts I got when I graduated. My mother took me over to Rock Hill for this, then waited while I took the driving lessons. And they were very real lessons, as we went all through the city and even out on the interstate. I was a good driver by the end of these two weeks, and on August 6 went to the York County DMV office and took the written test on the computer, which I scored perfect on, and the road test. On the road test I made all my turns and signals right, but the instructor took twelve points off because I went too slow. But I did get my first license that day, and went back to this DMV in early 1990, 1994, and 1998 to get my license renewed, which I did by taking the eye exam only (the written and road test were not required for this). And I drove a lot from 1986 to early 2001, when my car broke down, could not be repaired, and I lost it. But I still did need a form of identification, so walked to this DMV in early 2003 to get my license renewed. We had actually moved from our longtime house in January, 1997 and I became homeless and then lived out of my cars until I lost them, but I still kept this same address on my license anyway.

But on the early morning of Sunday, May 28, 2006 I was mugged at knifepoint as I was walking to my storage unit in Charlotte, NC and had my wallet stolen, and thus lost my license. I then walked all the way back to another smaller DMV in York County a couple of days later to get a replacement license, but had been told I may have to move out of this storage unit because of two other tenants' complaints against me (although I had done nothing). I was really worried about that, and still shaken by this mugging, and it was a long, hot walk all the way to this DMV, and when I got in there they said the computers were down, and this upset me futher, and I acted up a little, and the manager of this DMV called the York County Sheriff's Department on me, though I went outside after this to try to get a grip. And when I went back in she refused to let me have a replacement license, but felt I was not safe to drive and gave me some medical papers where I was required to have a doctor examine me and fill them out to be able to get my license back. I was upset about this but did ask if I could have a photo I.D. as I needed some form of identification, but she also refused that since I no longer lived at the address on the license. I then left and took a bus back up to Charlotte, and about a month later, in late June I walked to the bigger main DMV in York County where I had originally gone and asked for a photo I.D. and they did not know I had moved and gave it to me with no problem. Then in December, 2006 I went to a free clinic in Charlotte and saw a doctor and had this examination, he filled out these papers and I then mailed them to the South Carolina DMV headquarters. I then moved to the Miami area in mid December, 2006, which I had been planning to do for a long time, without waiting on the results of this examination or to get my license back. I then called the SC DMV headquarters from there in mid January, 2007 to find out about the results of this, and they said my license had been reinstated and I could get it back by going to any SC DMV office. I then called my main relatives in Columbia, SC and told them about this, and they said I could come up to Columbia for this, they'd pick me up at the bus station and take me to the DMV office there to get my license, then go to their house for a few hours before returning to Miami. Then when I went to this DMV office to get my license they said I could get the same license I had lost for five dollars, which expired in early 2008, or I could get one that did not expire until 2018 for twenty dollars. I choose to just get the same one because I did not think it mattered and I could just get it renewed the following year.

I then called and went on the internet in late 2007/early 2008 to have my license renewed, but never was able to do it, and then called the SC DMV headquarters and told them about this, and they looked into it and said that because I chose to just renew the same license that expired in 2008, instead of renewing it for 2018 their computer said that I would have to take both the written test and the road test over again to get a new license. I had never been told about that, and had I known of this I would have definitely had it renewed for ten years at the Columbia DMV in 2007. They said that was not my fault and they knew it was unfair, but there was no way they could override their computer and they had to do what it said. Well I never did get it renewed or get another car, but I have since gotten two not for vehicle operation I.D. cards with addresses in Charlotte, NC, including one with the address of the apartment I live in now in Charlotte. I got this apartment in September, 2010 and really like it, and plan to stay there from now on if I can, and do fine walking and riding the transit buses, so there is really no need for me to have a car, or even a license. I have not driven since early 2001, and really doubt I'll ever do it again. But about that manager at that other smaller York County DMV office, who called them on me and refused to give me another license or even an I.D. in 2006, but did give me those medical papers, I did write her a stronf hate letter in early 2007 as a way of getting back!



"I happen to be a vegetarian". Lex, from Jurrasic Park