Driver’s Licenses on Hold Until COVID-19 Emergency Sanctions are Lifted
All DMV License appointments have been cancelled until further notice due to the stay-at-home order. Photo courtesy of Google Images.
April 19, 2020
Student drivers have lost the opportunity to receive their license at the time of their scheduled DMV appointments. This is due to the cancellation of all behind the wheel sessions at the hands of the statewide stay-at-home order implemented on March 19th, 2020.
Many students turning sixteen this year are upset because of the effort they put in to receive their licenses on time. Hopes of being able to drive oneself during summer are crushed due to the delay of the licensing process.
“I made sure to get my permit on time and everything in order to have my license right when I turned 16, but all of that went to waste. A lot of people don’t understand how much of a bummer it is, but most people don’t have to wait for the DMV to open to be able to drive freely and have that freedom that most sixteen year olds are able to get when they have their license,” said sophomore Jane Sanders.
Junior Chloe Defrance had lived in Tennessee in 2019 and planned on getting her permit there before she knew of her move back to California in 2020. In Tennessee, Defrance had already completed the thirty hour course which would have enabled her to pass the permit test there, but then had to restudy an entirely new course after her move to learn the different laws for California.
“I had an appointment to go a few weeks ago and test for it but then the DMV closes for two months and now I won’t be able to drive in time for senior year. I can’t get a parking pass or anything,” said Defrance.
Because permits eventually expire, many students are worried they will have to retake their permit tests, further delaying their ability to secure a driver’s license.
“It’s frustrating because I’m probably gonna have to retake the permit test. If I don’t get my license by May 20th, my permit expires,” said sophomore Adam Elshiwick.
Several believe the loss of this opportunity hinders one of the ultimate gateways towards teenage independence. Though students will have to continue to rely on family members to drive them from place to place, many have acknowledged the importance of the pandemic over the delay of the licensing process.
“It upsets me because since I was already behind with getting my license and this is prolonging the process, but the public health comes first,” said sophomore Mina Mahmoodzadeh.
Though students are no longer able to receive their licenses within the next couple of months, they are still able to take all permit tests scheduled prior to the outbreak and issue of the stay-at-home order.
