Walking the Edge of Reality

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Walking the Edge of Reality

A look behind the curtain to my world...

Sound the Alarm!!!
Monday, March 16, 2009 11:18 PM

Hey look! A blog post that has NOTHING to do with ARGs!

As some of you may or may not know, I haven't had a driver's license for four years. A long time ago I had some... issues... with driving. I had three accidents and three tickets in three months. The last time I ever drove was when I collided with the wife of a retired Broward County Sheriff. The time before that I drove in to a tree... on purpose.

I owed almost $1000 in fines, which I have been paying gradually as best I could for the past year. A month ago, I finished paying everything and was quite relieved, but distressed at what it would take to get the license. It's been FOUR YEARS... do I need to take the written exam again? The driving exam? Do I have to spend a day, or more, at the DMV?

Turns out, it's *much* simpler than that. I hopped on the Florida Department of Motor Vehichles website, and after a few clicks paid a $50 reinstatement fee followed by $20 shipping. They MAILED me my brand new driver's license to my office in a week.

Now think about that for a second... The Department of Motor Vehichles, an organization that not only hasn't seen me in four years but is probably well aware of my track record, decided to blindly mail my driver's license (1) to my office, an unconfirmed address, (2) without any concern over my ability to actually drive, (3) without proving my identity (if I were to go in person, I'd have to show two forms of ID plus proof of my SSN), and (4) without even SPEAKING to me.

Scary, ain't it?

-=O=-

So I got my license... but now I have no car.

So to get back in the swing of things, I decided to RENT a sub-compact car from Avis. I figured if I'm going to re-learn how to drive, it would be on a heavily insured vehicle that I did not actually own.

The following is an actual conversation I had at the Avis counter with an attendant:

Clerk: "So, do you wish to get insurance coverage?"

Me: "I don't have insurance. What is the minimum requirement?"

"It's not required by us, but it is against the law in the State of Florida to drive without liability insurance."

*blank stare*

"So you're telling me it IS required then?"

"No, you can elect not to purchase it."

"So let me get this straight... You'd knowingly let me drive out of your parking lot, uninsured and driving one of your vehicles, in clear violation of state law?!?"

"Well... yes."

*blank stare*

*blink*

"I'll take the insurance..."

-=O=-

So now I'm behind the wheel of a car. And it feels GREAT! On my way home I took the scenic route, turning what would normally be a 70 mile, one hour drive in to a 300 mile five hour drive. Who knew you could get from Broward to Kendall by going through Collins Avenue, Ocean Drive, Old Cutler Road, Key Biscayne, Key Largo... Windows down, radio blaring. Felt wonderful!

Unfortunately, because I don't have an actual credit card (I have a debit card), I was restricted as to the size of the vehicle I could rent. So I was unfortunately not able to rent the Mustang or the Solstice convertible.

I wonder if the exotic car rental place in Coconut Grove will let me rent the $87,000 Lotus Espirit Turbo without insurance?

Posted by David "Nighthawk" Flor on Monday, March 16, 2009 11:18 PM

3 comments [ View Comments ]

Posted by Chromecide on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 5:56 AM

*shakes head* only in America...

Posted by Tresbien on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:03 AM

Glad you're enjoying driving again. Do FL drivers licenses not have pictures on them, or did they use your old pic from files for the new one? Don't they have eye test requirements either? And you don't have to submit proof of insurance to get a license either?

Posted by Nighthawk on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 10:35 AM

Yes, they have a picture; picture is from the last license I got, which must be 5-6 years old. Haven't changed much, I guess.

No, insurance is not required to get a license. If you own a car, insurance is required to KEEP your license.

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