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  • HI Driver License Renewal

    So the other day I went to renew my Hawaii State Driver License. With much appreciated convenience, I was happy to be able to renew it right up the street at the Hawaii Kai Satellite City Hall. What a difference over the ridiculously-busy City Square Hall on Dillingham. I was only 1 of 2 people in there!

    The Hawaii Kai Satellite City Hall is located in the Corporate Plaza on the front corner of Hawaii Kai Towne Center, near Roy's Restaurant. They share a space with HPD's small substation. You enter through the courtyard around the left of the parking lot, behind the corner gas station. They're open Tuesday-Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.

    This is the age bracket and price:
    Under 65: HDL effective for 6 years from issue date - $18 fee (my bracket)
    65-70: HDL effective for 3 years "" - $9 fee
    Over 70: HDL effective for 2 years "" - $6 fee
    Basically $3/year.

    Here's the process...
    1.) Fill out application
    2.) Wait in line (there is no line at Hawaii Kai!)
    3.) See (local) Japanese lady at window (why is it all City Hall workers are Japanese? lol!), hand her your application and current Driver License
    4.) She looks at your application, enters your info', ponders for a minute while looking at the computer database with a look like "oh, you're not qualified", then smiles and says, "O.K. let's do a vision test".
    5.) Do vision test
    -a.) Read line 4 of 5 lines (4 being second to the smallest of alphabets and numbers)
    -b.) Read line 4 with left and right eye, separately
    -c.) Check peripheral vision by recognizing which side the blinking light is on.
    6.) Pay renewel fee.
    7.) Take a right hand thumb print.
    8.) Register thumb print on "big brother's" electronic scanner
    9.) Take photo of your mug
    10.) Wait a minute on the side while your new Driver License prints out.
    11.) Receive new license

    A side-by-side comparison of how the HDL looked back in 2000 and how it currently looks in 2007 reveals a slight change in graphical layout, and the addition of a few security features.

    Most noticeable is a red bar across the top with white text title, HAWAII DRIVER LICENSE, USA in black and the inclusion of the Hawaii State Flag on the top-right.

    For security, it now uses a random database ID number that begins with H. instead of the former Social Security ID number on the old license.

    Another is the appearance of holographic watermarks of the text HAWAII, and the Hawaii State Seal. 5 of them stamped across the face, only visible at a certain angle.

    The main photo of yourself is still on the left, plus there's also a smaller thumbnail watermarked version on the right, behind the expiration date.

    I guess with the Rainbow graphic still on there, everyone that drives in Hawaii are mahu. lol Just kidding!

    The bar code has been moved from the front, below your photo, to a much larger one on back. Your DOB is also printed on back. I believe those under 21 (or is it 18?) receive licenses that are laid out vertically. Clever! So much easier for establishments that need to ID for age.

    The restriction/class/endorsement legend list on back has been removed, now only indicating which ones apply to you. I have none.

    Each data field now includes a number, like a tax form...
    4d. H12345678 (ID number)
    3. DOB 0M/0D/000Y (date of birth)
    4. Exp. 0M/0D/000Y (expires on anniversary of your date of birth)
    15. Hgt FT-IN
    16 Wgt LBS.
    18. Hair CLR
    17. Eye CLR
    13. Sex M/F
    City O
    4.a Iss 0M/0D/000Y (issue date)
    9. Class 3
    12. Rest (restriction code)
    9a. End (endorsement) P (passenger; H (hazardous materials) etc.
    1. Name (last, first, middle, initial)
    8. Address

    I was a little concerned about the vision test, as I haven't checked it, well, since I last renewed my license. Line 4, the second to the smallest row of alphanumeric lines was easier to read than I last remember reading it. This time it was clear as day. My vision (uncorrected) was perfect, according to the lady.

    Duck soup. Took me no longer than 10 minutes in there and I was out with my new license. See you nice ladies again in 6!

    P.S. I'm an organ donor. You can have my heart when I move on. Like my driving, it has plenty of Aloha!
    sigpic The Tasty Island

  • #2
    Re: HI Driver License Renewal

    Originally posted by Pomai View Post
    For security, it now uses a random database ID number that begins with H. instead of the former Social Security ID number on the old license.
    The license I just replaced last month was like that - the H number. Turns out I got one of the first.

    Oh, and your SSN is in the barcode, so it's still there.

    At least it was with the old 1D barcode. I haven't deconstructed the 2D barcode to see what's in there yet.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: HI Driver License Renewal

      Maybe you guys can convince the State to allow online renewing of driver's licenses (would be cheaper for the taxpayers, too). Up here, we can renew online ($25 for a 5 year license) one time, so it would be 10 years before you actually have to go down to DMV to have your picture taken and your eyesight checked. I think after 65 they make you come in to DMV every time, though. They don't require a fingerprint from us to get a license or to renew one, though.

      But I'm glad they're starting to convert your IDs from using SS#s. In these days of identity theft, it's one less thing you have to worry about (unless the crook can figure out how to read barcodes!).

      Miulang
      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: HI Driver License Renewal

        Originally posted by Pomai View Post
        [...]
        Under 65: HDL effective for 6 years from issue date - $18 fee (my bracket)
        65-70: HDL effective for 3 years "" - $9 fee[...]
        Hmmm...just checked and my license expires on my 66th birthday. I wonder if I can renew prior to my 65th and get a 6 year license!

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: HI Driver License Renewal

          Originally posted by tutusue View Post
          Hmmm...just checked and my license expires on my 66th birthday. I wonder if I can renew prior to my 65th and get a 6 year license!
          Isn't it something like 6-months before the expiration date is the earliest time you can renew it?

          They should just make all licenses indefinate up to the point of an infraction. After that infraction you take the written test again to renew it for another indefinate period.
          Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: HI Driver License Renewal

            Originally posted by craigwatanabe View Post
            Isn't it something like 6-months before the expiration date is the earliest time you can renew it?
            Oh, that's right! Forgot about that.
            They should just make all licenses indefinate up to the point of an infraction. After that infraction you take the written test again to renew it for another indefinate period.
            I actually do believe that the older we get the more diligent the DMV should be so I really don't object to being tested more frequently. My dad was a very good driver. As he aged he started driving slower, way slower. He didn't realize he was going slower. He thought everyone else was driving faster and it irritated him to no end! Then his normally pristine "Betty Buick" started developing scrapes along the length of the left side...as did the left side of the open garage door! He valued his independence and nothing we said about giving some of it up in the name of safety did any good. IIRC, California has a "mail order" license policy. He eventually stopped driving but only because he was too weak to walk to the garage. I still remember when my brother told me that Pop wasn't physically able to drive anymore. I then knew the end was near. However, he should've stopped driving 10 years earlier.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: HI Driver License Renewal

              Originally posted by craigwatanabe View Post
              Isn't it something like 6-months before the expiration date is the earliest time you can renew it?

              They should just make all licenses indefinate up to the point of an infraction. After that infraction you take the written test again to renew it for another indefinate period.
              When I first got my Hawai'i drivers license during the Pleistocene Age, I think there was no expiration date on your drivers license!

              Miulang
              "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: HI Driver License Renewal

                I think they should make people take more tests more frequently. ESPECIALLY HOW TO USE YOUR BLINKERS
                Aquaponics in Paradise !

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: HI Driver License Renewal

                  Originally posted by GeckoGeek View Post
                  The license I just replaced last month was like that - the H number. Turns out I got one of the first.
                  Don't think so... when I renewed my license a couple of years ago, it came with a H-number. Not my SSN.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: HI Driver License Renewal

                    Mine had the H-number and I got that one back in 2003 or somewhere around there.
                    Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: HI Driver License Renewal

                      Originally posted by Miulang View Post
                      When I first got my Hawai'i drivers license during the Pleistocene Age, I think there was no expiration date on your drivers license!

                      Miulang

                      My first license at age 16 must have been from the Mesozoic era, probably the Triassic period (before Jurassic). It was a paper license with a thumb print, with no expiration date. Those were the days when the annual vehicle registration fees were under $25 and consisted primarily of the county weight tax at 3/4 cents per lb. (1/2 cents on the Big Island).

                      Then, the government realized the value of an endless income stream from driver license renewal fees. IMHO, more from that than the concern for public safety. Registration fees went up. My car was almost $200 last July, the van exceeded the $2C barrier. County weight tax is $0.03/lb., state weight tax is $0.0075/lb., county fee of $20.50, state fee of $25.00, and a beautification fee (what's that?) of $5.00.

                      Everything else associated with operating a car has gone up: gas, insurance, safety checks, fines for citations, etc.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: HI Driver License Renewal

                        Originally posted by Palolo Joe View Post
                        Don't think so... when I renewed my license a couple of years ago, it came with a H-number. Not my SSN.
                        I guess I tried to pack too much info in one sentence. I just renewed my license last month. The license it replaced had an "H" number. It was issued in 2001 and was one of the first with the "H" number. So the SSN hasn't been printed in human readable form on HI Driver's licenses, at least the ones issued on Oahu, for a little over 6 years.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: HI Driver License Renewal

                          Originally posted by Pomai View Post
                          Duck soup. Took me no longer than 10 minutes in there and I was out with my new license.
                          I took Pomai’s tip and renewed my license at the Hawaii Kai Satellite City Hall this morning, even though Hawaii Kai is not what I would consider within my neighborhood. But I’m glad I did. There was no line! And I was out of there within ten, fifteen minutes, max.

                          The ladies there seem to take pride in whisking you through the various steps of license renewal. And I do mean whisk. They are fast. Half-way through the process, after paying my fee, I was about to put the change back into my wallet, but she whisked me to the fingerprint process. Afterwards, while trying to wipe the ink off my thumb, she whisked me over to take my photograph. Immediately after snapping the camera, she said: “Take a seat. We’ll call your name.” I put everything—my change, my wallet, my receipt, my old driver’s license with a hole punched through—it into my baseball cap and walked to the nearby bench and sat down. Five seconds later, my name was called. And there was my new license!

                          Afterwards, I had to take a minute or two to pocket my change, my receipt, my old driver’s license, my new driver’s license, my wallet, finish wiping off the ink off my thumb, and putting my baseball cap on before I got out of there. Whew! That was fast.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: HI Driver License Renewal

                            Glad it all worked out as advertised, Honoruru. Wow, that was a pretty descriptive post (in addition to mine) of your brief 10 minutes there!

                            I agree with Hellbent about the testing part. There should be some sort of "refresher" test to remind drivers of the basics.. something obviously many drivers out there have forgotten all about! Like SIGNALS! And new the pedestrian law. An abbreviated true or false or multiple choice test, either written or on a computer terminal. That's not much to ask for something you only need to do every 6, 3 or 2 years, and it can only help with driver awareness.
                            Originally posted by Honoruru View Post
                            I took Pomai’s tip and renewed my license at the Hawaii Kai Satellite City Hall this morning, even though Hawaii Kai is not what I would consider within my neighborhood. But I’m glad I did. There was no line! And I was out of there within ten, fifteen minutes, max.

                            The ladies there seem to take pride in whisking you through the various steps of license renewal. And I do mean whisk. They are fast. Half-way through the process, after paying my fee, I was about to put the change back into my wallet, but she whisked me to the fingerprint process. Afterwards, while trying to wipe the ink off my thumb, she whisked me over to take my photograph. Immediately after snapping the camera, she said: “Take a seat. We’ll call your name.” I put everything—my change, my wallet, my receipt, my old driver’s license with a hole punched through—it into my baseball cap and walked to the nearby bench and sat down. Five seconds later, my name was called. And there was my new license!

                            Afterwards, I had to take a minute or two to pocket my change, my receipt, my old driver’s license, my new driver’s license, my wallet, finish wiping off the ink off my thumb, and putting my baseball cap on before I got out of there. Whew! That was fast.
                            sigpic The Tasty Island

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: HI Driver License Renewal

                              Didn't know I was an old fart till I renewed my current license a few years ago. "Hair color"........black....all these years it's been black. The "Hawaiian/Portagee" lady ( ) behind the counter told me, "Not!...Mistah C, your hair is not black anymore. It's grey!"

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