# Will REAL ID (enhanced driver licenses) finally be a thing in the USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 23, 2019, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314 "2019-12-23T23:26:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/21 "2019-12-24T11:46:37Z")
And then you are required to take the vision test, too. (At 65.) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/22 "2019-12-24T13:48:48Z")
Wasn’t a big deal for me in Colorado. The expiration date was cleverly printed on the old driver’s license so the renewal was hardly a surprise. The license people tell you on the website what info to bring with you to renew into a REAL ID, you spend a few minutes lining up your ducks, then head on in and git er done. It’s not like there’s a political loyalty examination or American Ninja Warrior course you have to navigate. What really blows my mind is why anyone would willingly fly domestically within the USA. DMV can be a tough visit, but TSA consistently reminds you that you are cattle, and that you completely deserve to be stuffed into the cramped veal box onboard an aircraft which may or may not land the way it was meant to. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/23 "2019-12-24T15:06:02Z")
I got a REAL ID when I moved back to my homestate (IA). I had one while living in SD, too. Maybe some states are dropping the ball, but not all. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/24 "2019-12-24T15:06:43Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > I know I am paddling upstream, but I wish that there was an active program to get back to pre-9/11 security measures or at least identify a reason to continue some of the post-9/11 ones. > > … Hand me a paddle - I’m with you. Total bullshit. I have a passport and fly infrequently, so I’ll go the RealID route whenever my current license expires. I don’t generally think of myself as paranoid, but I DO value my privacy/anonymity. The combination of increasing state and commercial intrusions make such concerns essentially illusory, but I do wonder why we so readily cast them off. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/25 "2019-12-24T15:09:00Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I had to take the vision test, I’ve got corrective lenses as a license restriction. What state was that, if I can ask? I didn’t have to take a vision test, but my previous license also wasn’t expiring (I had just moved), so that could maybe be why. I do think I got a new exp date, though - mine doesn’t expire for another 6 years. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/26 "2019-12-24T15:14:39Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Wasn’t a big deal for me in Colorado. The expiration date was cleverly printed on the old driver’s license so the renewal was hardly a surprise. The license people tell you on the website what info to bring with you to renew into a REAL ID, you spend a few minutes lining up your ducks, then head on in and git er done. It’s not like there’s a political loyalty examination or American Ninja Warrior course you have to navigate. What really blows my mind is why anyone would willingly fly domestically within the USA. DMV can be a tough visit, but TSA consistently reminds you that you are cattle, and that you completely deserve to be stuffed into the cramped veal box onboard an aircraft which may or may not land the way it was meant to. I average a flight (usually domestically - only flew internationally once) about once a year, and I’ve never had a confrontation with TSA. Yeah, it can be inconvenient at times, but the worst that has happened was getting wanded once (I was an idiot and left my phone in my back pocket…), and I’ve had a couple things swabbed. Which took maybe 2 minutes. Oh, and one time my new shampoo and conditioner got thrown out by them because I arrived too late to check baggage (think a 45 minute standstill on the interstate at 6am, which is NOT normal here). I think the people who have the most issues with TSA are also the most vocal about it, and everyone just kinda moves along and pays it little attention. So it’s more than worth it to deal with TSA when I get to travel to cool places. Plus, a lot of people have to travel with work. So there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/27 "2019-12-24T15:32:37Z")
Michigan required it with the latest renewals of drivers license. I had to go in with some extra ID and that was it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/28 "2019-12-24T15:41:56Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I don’t generally think of myself as paranoid, but I DO value my privacy/anonymity. The combination of increasing state and commercial intrusions make such concerns essentially illusory, but I do wonder why we so readily cast them off. You’re not paranoid enough. You think you aren’t being tracked because they haven’t seen your birth certificate? When I got my Social Security, the book said you needed to bring your marriage license. No worries. Turns out they had that information already. Easier, true, but a bit concerning. I can’t imagine RealID tells them anything about you they don’t already know, assuming you are native born or a documented immigrant. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/29 "2019-12-24T15:47:27Z")
Since even California is doing it now, I doubt there will be another extension. I had a 9 am appointment, and I was out of there at 9:10. (They did let me in a bit early.) I had a passport and my SS card from 1955 (which they oohed and aahed over) a utility biil, a property tax bill and my passport. No problems. I’ve always taken a vision, test, but I’ve had glasses since long before I could drive. Very fast. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/30 "2019-12-24T15:58:49Z")
> [@Kovitlac](#): > > What state was that, if I can ask? I didn’t have to take a vision test, but my previous license also wasn’t expiring (I had just moved), so that could maybe be why. I do think I got a new exp date, though - mine doesn’t expire for another 6 years. Illinois. I was happy I passed, I know I’m way overdue for a new eye exam. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/31 "2019-12-24T16:01:34Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Arizona licenses are good until a driver is 65 no matter how old they are when they get one. So if you get your unrestricted license at 18, you could potentially keep it for 47 years. Ah ok! I used to check IDs at a bar and I definitely remember some bizarre expiration dates for someone was only about 22 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/32 "2019-12-24T16:08:15Z")
> [@Kovitlac](#): > > I think the people who have the most issues with TSA are also the most vocal about it, and everyone just kinda moves along and pays it little attention. So it’s more than worth it to deal with TSA when I get to travel to cool places. Same sorts of people who don’t have problems with cops because they choose to “be prudent” regardless of any overreach? You gotta fight the system at every turn, citizen. It’s the only way to check the power. Yesterday it was only some shampoo, tomorrow it’s your right to drive a car across state lines. And anyone who has to fly for work, and whose employer subjects them to regular TSA humiliation and robbery rather than providing hassle-free private transport, is a sucker actively participating in the enslavement of the working class. (tongue planted in cheek, but only very loosely) Goddammit. I need to quit listening to Dropkick Murphys and chugging Guinness before 10:AM. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/33 "2019-12-24T16:11:09Z")
It is never too early for Dropkick Murphys. You can always count it as being the wee hours of the previous night. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/34 "2019-12-24T16:12:24Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Wasn’t a big deal for me in Colorado. The expiration date was cleverly printed on the old driver’s license so the renewal was hardly a surprise. The license people tell you on the website what info to bring with you to renew into a REAL ID, you spend a few minutes lining up your ducks, then head on in and git er done. It’s not like there’s a political loyalty examination or American Ninja Warrior course you have to navigate. What really blows my mind is why anyone would willingly fly domestically within the USA. DMV can be a tough visit, but TSA consistently reminds you that you are cattle, and that you completely deserve to be stuffed into the cramped veal box onboard an aircraft which may or may not land the way it was meant to. TSA isn’t fun but it’s rarely the horror story that some people make it out to be. It is annoyingly inconsistent: shoes on or off, iPads and laptops out or in, and so on. Sure, every now and then you meet an agent on a power trip who thinks they’re working at Alcatraz. But, I’ve run into that with security guards at office buildings I’ve worked at as well. No one particularly enjoys domestic flights, but I figure I’m better off than those in the so-called golden age of flying. Fares are cheap enough for me to be able to fly almost anywhere and it’s much easier to entertain myself on the plane now than in the 1970s, where the only thing to do was puff away on cigarettes and get sloshed on martinis. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/35 "2019-12-24T17:16:20Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Same sorts of people who don’t have problems with cops because they choose to “be prudent” regardless of any overreach? You gotta fight the system at every turn, citizen. It’s the only way to check the power. Yesterday it was only some shampoo, tomorrow it’s your right to drive a car across state lines. And anyone who has to fly for work, and whose employer subjects them to regular TSA humiliation and robbery rather than providing hassle-free private transport, is a sucker actively participating in the enslavement of the working class. (tongue planted in cheek, but only very loosely) At the risk of being snookered by Poe’s Law, I have to say I find there’s more than a few kernels of truth in this: quite possibly enough to make up a small ear of corn. Could be the alcohol produced a truthiness than regular decorum may have allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/36 "2019-12-24T17:59:49Z")
I need to start a band. Passive Aggressive Snark Against The Machine. I can’t prove anything, but I’m very put out by all of it. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/37 "2019-12-24T19:20:37Z")
In California, I had to take a vision test and written test when I went to beat the rush and got my Real ID in August. My unreal license was going to expire next June, so I don’t know if being within a year of expiration played into it or not. Want to make a 50-something year old panic? Spring a written driver test on them. I know how to drive. But who knows the minutia like how many feet you must stay back from an un-gated railroad crossing when a train is coming? How many seconds must you use your turn signal before changing lanes on the freeway? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/38 "2019-12-24T22:24:56Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Want to make a 50-something year old panic? Spring a written driver test on them. I know how to drive. But who knows the minutia like how many feet you must stay back from an un-gated railroad crossing when a train is coming? How many seconds must you use your turn signal before changing lanes on the freeway? I think they do put trick questions on that test. I remember one: A multiple-choice question about what you should do as you approach an intersection. I don’t remember the exact choices, but they had to do with whether you should look left first then right, or right first then left, etc. It wasn’t even a matter of law, just recommended good practice. I looked in the DMV driver handbook afterward, but there was nothing about it there. Does it matter, either on the written test or during the road test, whether you hold the steering wheel in 9-3 position or 10-2 position? This REAL ID hysteria is going to leave a lot of people feeling like, and being, second-class citizens. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/39 "2019-12-24T22:27:23Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > In California, I had to take a vision test and written test when I went to beat the rush and got my Real ID in August. My unreal license was going to expire next June, so I don’t know if being within a year of expiration played into it or not. > > Want to make a 50-something year old panic? Spring a written driver test on them. I know how to drive. But who knows the minutia like how many feet you must stay back from an un-gated railroad crossing when a train is coming? How many seconds must you use your turn signal before changing lanes on the freeway? Did you not have a license? I’ve never taken a California written test since I’ve moved here. California tests are harder than the average, though. I studied before mine, and it was worth it. I’ve taken written tests in NY, IL, LA, NJ and CA, so I’ve done quite a few. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314/40 "2019-12-24T22:38:24Z")
A bit off-topic here, BUT: Yes, TSA does stake-outs on railroad lines too, apparently including local commuter trains. Passengers may have their bags inspected. Some TSA notices from some years ago: [Pilot marks first ever passenger and baggage explosives screening in a moving railcar](https://www.tsa.gov/news/releases/2004/07/15/tsa-begins-third-phase-rail-security-experiment), July 15, 2004. (The word “pilot” seems to refer to a pilot program, not an airplane or train pilot.) [TSA helping to make rail travel secure](https://www.tsa.gov/news/releases/2016/05/27/tsa-helping-make-rail-travel-secure), May 27, 2016. Here’s something I recall reading in some article a long time ago, but I don’t know of a cite for it: TSA staked out some commuter train line, at the last station on the line, and checked passengers as they got off the train. The article didn’t say if inspections were mandatory or optional, nor what would happen if any passengers refused inspection. Remember, this was at the END of their trips. What is TSA going to do if someone refuses? Not let them off the train? The article didn’t mention. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-real-id-enhanced-driver-licenses-finally-be-a-thing-in-the-usa/845314.md?page=3)