COVID-19 has changed what a lot of life’s milestones look like. That includes a different timeline for teenagers planning to get behind the wheel.
Park City High School Sophomore Paige Rayner has completed her drivers ed courses, her required driving hours with an instructor and had her learners permit since June. But now the 16-year old will be waiting a bit longer to get her license.
“I'm not able to get it yet," Rayner explained. "I had a date scheduled for May 12th to take my test and then we got a call a couple days ago saying that they're going to put me on a waiting list because of COVID. Because they can't have people in the car with other people right now.”
Originally Rayner says her test was pushed back a few times, but now they’ve suspended tests indefinitely.
Director of the Utah Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division Chris Caras says they’ve had to implement restrictions at their office including the suspending of driver tests.
“You are in close proximity, close quarters within an automobile for 20/25 minutes to conduct the skills test," Caras said. "There's just no way of social distancing in that.”
Caras says that they’ve created a waiting list for those who need skills tests and will contact those on the list when they can schedule them. Of course, the division offers plenty of other services which have been impacted by COVID-19, including renewal of licenses.
“Part of what we're having to do to meter the traffic through the office is limit processing of expiring licenses to within about a week of their expiration," Caras explained. "Now there is some discretion in that, but we really need to try and hold that so that we know how many people are going to need that service every week.”
Caras says when you arrive at a driver license division lcoation you’ll be asked some questions at the front door, if the office can help you that day they’ll take down your information and ask you to wait in your car. When they can serve you, they’ll call you into the office, thus limiting exposure in the building.
Although Rayner is disappointed by the situation, she agrees it’s best to wait.
“You know everybody wants their license but it’s also like not that big of a deal because there’s bigger problems in the world right now," Rayner continued. "And there's nowhere to really go at the moment. It is what it is basically, but it does stink to not be able to get it right away.”
Caras adds it’s important to know that the Utah Driver License Division and the Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV are not the same and offer different services.
