Odd that, since I haven’t lived in Hawaii since I got out of the Navy in 1990.
But Hawaii told the California DMV that they suspended or revoked my driving privileges in the state. I have until August 1 to get them to clear it (or California cancels my current driving license).
Miraculously, the Hawaii DMV is open right now, so I’m spending some time on the phone trying to get to the bottom of it.
Hmmm. Turns out that they can’t help me. And the alternate numbers ARE closed for the day.
I guess first order of business for tomorrow when I get home from work is to call the California DMV and see if I can get a copy of whatever Hawaii sent to them.
Oh, there are a great MANY things I’m going to be checking.
It does occur to me that I have NO recollection of the manner in which I divested myself of the last car I owned while there. Probably sold it to a fellow sailor or something, but I couldn’t tell you who. Maybe the vehicle wasn’t transferred properly.
Still, twenty-one years after the fact. What does one have to do in Hawaii to reap the benefits of a statute of limitations – move to Molokai?
Did you have any unpaid tickets in Hawaii? Most states have reciprocal agreements that will result in your home state canceling your license for tickets in other states.
Heh. That reminds me of when I was looking to buy a top-of-the-line baritone ukulele and came to the conclusion that damn it, I was just going to have to go to Hawaii and buy one. Then I walked in the local Buy & Sell music shop and there was a $1,600 Kamaka baritone hanging on the wall. Double damn.
Okay, just got off the phone with California DMV. Long story short, the matter is settled as an error that should have had a ten-year review (ten years ago), and my driving privileges are no longer in jeopardy. And yes, I did get the name and division of the young lady who told me so.
Seems California is required to check a national registry of all the states’ lists of drivers with sanctions against them, and mine showed up in Hawaii’s file. It is something from 1990, and a reference number exists (which I now have). The DMV somehow forgot to put that reference number in my notification letter, but that’s water under the bridge now.
The young lady I spoke with did mutter something about proof of financial responsibility, but she didn’t elaborate. Anyway, I always had my cars insured when I was there, so I don’t see how that would be an issue. Still, armed with the reference number, I will be calling the Hawaii folks again in a couple of hours, so I can get this thing out of the national database.
Dunno when the national registry went into effect, but I’d be surprised if it was before 1962, and if later, I wouldn’t expect them to require states to dredge up old records to enter into it.
And if you are in Missouri’s database, I would be surprised if the 10 year review hadn’t cleared you of any peril a couple of times already.
When I moved from California to Nevada, I immediately went to the DMV and did everything legally - got my new car registration and new driver’s license.
About a year later, I got a nasty letter from the California DMV, sent to my address in Nevada, demanding that I renew my California tags immediately!
I had to go to the local Nevada DMV and mentioned this ridiculous letter, and they told me to immediately respond to it as California is notorious for putting people on “their list” and I could find a warrant for my arrest the next time I drove to California, even though I no longer lived there.
I sent back the letter, circling my address in Nevada, informing them I no longer lived in their state.
I thought this was going to be somehow related to the mysterious movements of number plates on rental trucks. I have seen U-Haul rental trucks with Hawaii plates here in Toronto. Surely they were not shipped across the sea to the mainland?
