Kentucky officials said they are working to streamline the processes related to drivers licensing in the state. Following recent changes to the system, many drivers expressed dissatisfaction with wait times for various services.
Governor Andy Beshear said the longer wait times can be attributed to several things, including new vision requirements and a lowered age to receive a learner’s permit.
“As some may recall this was normally done through our county clerks, but when a session came through where REAL ID was up, there was a push to move it to the state, and therefore we had to build out from scratch what many other states have had for a long time- regional DMV’s,” said Beshear.
In addition, the state has added over 100 new contracted full-time positions at Driver Licensing Regional Offices that are mostly filled.
“We recognize that we need more people as more Kentuckians are coming in for services, and so we’re trying to grow our staff to get people through the line that much more quickly. These new staff members are assisting with all licensing services, including those permits for 15-year-olds, REAL ID, as well as license renewal needs,” said Beshear.
Beshear said these new workers, as well as various skip the line options, such as having a vision screening done at their doctor's office or completing certain steps of the renewal process online, will hopefully lead to shorter wait times at offices across the state.
Anyone curious if they qualify for any of the skip the line methods can take an online quiz at drive.ky.gov.