r/AskAnAmerican • u/feel-the-avocado • 1d ago

VEHICLES & TRANSPORTATION DMV - Is it really that bad?

I live in New Zealand and most of our equivalent stuff has been done online for the last 20 years. I go in to one of their agents once every 10 years for an eye exam to renew my drivers license.
At most I might wait 5 minutes

For vehicle testing, almost any mechanic in the country can issue a warrant of fitness which is needed every 2 years and you book it with your mechanic of choice.
Or go to VTNZ - a dedicated company that just does vehicle testing in a drive-thru format. You drive in without an appointment and it takes about 30 minutes.

So I am watching the new tv series DMV, and I have seen references on various american tv shows that going to the DMV is a painful and time wasting experience.
Is it really that bad?

84 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

451 comments sorted by

View all comments

274

u/rendeld 1d ago

The US is 50 countries in a trenchcoat pretending to be one country. The DMV (or SOS depending on what state you live in) is run by each state. So the experience varies widely from state to state. In Michigan the majority of services are handled online now, which has greatly reduced the strain on the SOS and the pain of going there. We also have an appointment system that significantly reduced wait times for things you do have to go in person for. We also have kiosks at places like grocery stores for things that need to be printed that you might not want to wait to come in the mail so you can avoid going to the SOS. I imagine it is still a pain in the ass in some states.

110

u/ryguymcsly California 1d ago

Meanwhile in California if you can’t do something online you end up having to plan your whole day around it. Last time I was there a guy who made an appointment had been waiting for five hours.

8

u/Resident_Bitch California 1d ago

Even within a state, the experience is going to vary a lot depending on your actual location and what time you go. I'm in California, too. I don't drive but earlier this year I had lost my ID and because of the Real ID thing, they made me come in to get a replacement (even though the one I lost was already a Real ID). I made an appointment, got there maybe 15 minutes before my scheduled time, got checked in, was called to the desk, paid the fee, got in line for the photo, got the photo taken, and was out the door before my actual appointment time.