This year, my driver’s license expires. I don’t look forward to renewing my license because it is such a hassle. There are forms to fill, there’s the urine test, the eye test and the waiting.  Of all the aggravations that goes with renewing one’s driver’s license, the worst, by far, is the waiting.  I have to wait for my turn, wait for the results of the drug tests, wait for my name to be called so I can get my picture taken, wait for my name to be called so I can pay and then, wait for the license to be issued.

Of all the waiting I have to do when renewing my driver’s license, the worst is waiting for the license to be issued.  The first time I renewed my license was at the LTO in Mandaluyong.  I had to wait six months to get my license.  The receipt I had (which stood in place of the license) was stamp-marked as valid for three months.  So after the three months were up, I went back to the LTO Mandaluyong to get my license only for the receipt to be stamp-marked again.  I was afraid that there won’t be enough space for the stamp marks at the back of the receipt if I had to keep coming back there to check if my license was available.  On the whole, as I had trials nearly everyday at the Mandaluyong Metropolitan Trial Court, it wasn’t that bad.

The next time I got my license renewed, it was at the LTO on V.Mapa — I lived near Araneta Avenue and that was the nearest LTO. There was no drug test back then, either. The same waiting and I had to come back twice before I got my license.  The medical/drug test was a joke.  I guessed my weight because my weight wasn’t even taken.  The eye test consisted of me putting my driver’s license on one eye to read a line of letters on a poster on the wall.  There was no drug test back then. On the whole, the medical/drug test was a joke.

Today was something else.  I arrived at the DLRC at SM Marilao at 9:50 a.m. I went to window 1 to get a form.  I filled out the form in three minutes.  I then went to an adjoining room where I had my medical examination.  I had to fill out and sign four separate forms (one for the test center’s file, one for the LTO, one for the DOH and one for the police.  I had to pay P450.  My fingerprint and my picture were taken for the drug test.  I was asked to list down drugs I may have taken in the last 30 days.  The eye exam was computerized and they tested for color blindness (red dots forming numbers inside a green circle and vice versa).  Then the visual acuity of my left and right eye was taken:  it was 20/40 according to the computer (with eyeglasses on).

I waited about 15 minutes for the result of the drug test (there was a window through which one could observe the medical technologist testing the urine samples and uploading the results to the LTO, DOH and PNP portals.  I passed both tests, naturally.  The most potent mood altering drugs I take are Vitamin E+B (it helps me cope with the peri-menopausal hormonal mood swings — yes, I am of that age).

I then took the results and the receipts for the tests and submitted it to an evaluator who ran a check on my license against the MMDA database to see if I had any outstanding unpaid traffic violation tickets (I had none, mainly because I rarely drive in Metro Manila these days). Then I had to wait until my name was called for my picture and signature.  Then I had to wait a few more minutes for to pay P480.  Then I had to wait just a few more minutes for the license to be printed and, voila, my license has been renewed and it took at total of one hour and ten minutes.

The service was really not bad.  It can be improved, mind you.  They could at least take my weight and my blood pressure for the medical test.  They should also test for reflex/reaction time (you wait for a light to turn red or green and you press on a foot pedal). They should also test for blood alcohol concentration.  And they should also test for hearing.  In some countries, each time a person renews their license, they take a driver’s test (written and practical) all over again. I wouldn’t mind doing all that.  I can at least be sure that when I get behind the wheel, I possess a modicum of the physical capacity required to operate a motor vehicle, and a rudimentary understanding of road rules.  There is a big room for improvement.

I also thought that computerizing one’s fingerprint, picture and signature was a good move.  It makes the driver’s license a reliable means for tracking down criminals. Some countries require a blood sample so that those who have a driver’s license are ‘in the system’.  Of course, issues of one’s right to privacy will be raised.  So too will the issue of the constitutional right not to be forced to give evidence against oneself. On the upside, if you get involved in a road accident, your driver’s license and all the information appearing in the system through the driver’s license may help identify you, identify your blood type in case you need an emergency blood transfusion.

Oh, well, the legislators can decide on that one.  I have a new license and I didn’t have to sweat to get it renewed!  I waited in an air conditioned waiting area.  Not bad at all.