You only need to qualify for a Real ID once

Q. In October 2019, I got my Real ID with a veteran designation from the Department of Motor Vehicles. My license expires in August and I received a DMV renewal notice. It states: “If you renew online or by mail, you will not get a Real ID – you will receive a new California DL (driver license).” Do I need to go to the DMV office in person to get a license that states Real ID and Veteran?

– Mike Nicolas, Fullerton

A. No.

Thankfully.

Those accomplishments – serving our country and getting that designation, and enduring a DMV office and providing the paperwork demanded by the federal government – live on as they should.

Once you win approval for them, you do not have to do anything extra to retain them on your driver license when it must be renewed.

With Mike’s permission, Honk forwarded the renewal notice to Sacramento so an official could look at it to ensure Mike didn’t need to visit a DMV office.

“You can renew online or by mail, and keep your Real ID and veteran designation status,” DMV spokeswoman Ivette Burch assured Honk.

By the way, Honk hereby volunteers to edit the renewal notice: It should say you cannot fulfill the application process for the Real ID except in person, but add you can retain that status while renewing online or through the mail.

Q. Will the center divider on the 405 Freeway, where it is being widened between the 73 and 605 freeways, be higher when construction is completed? It is quite unnerving to have opposing headlights directly in your face. It seems to be unsafe. Do you know if there is a plan to add some height? Why are the dividers on freeways ever below the height of the oncoming headlights?

– Paul Real, Garden Grove

A. That 16-mile stretch, which is undergoing a $1.9 billion upgrade that includes more lanes, is in general going to sport dividers at the same height: three feet.

Of course, although the Orange County Transportation Authority is heavily involved in the project, Caltrans’ requirements will be in play, which, in addition to safety, likely consider costs and aesthetics.

“Engineers use a number of criteria to determine the appropriate height for barriers, one of those being opposing headlights,” Megan Abba, an OCTA spokeswoman, told Honk in an email. “The median barriers are made of concrete and are reinforced with steel.

“Other types of barrier may be used throughout the project where needed,” she said. “For example, wider and/or taller barriers may be used near signs, lights and bridges to protect drivers and those structures.

“The taller barriers are typically 56 inches tall (and may) be used in areas where the center median is thinner to prevent glare from opposing traffic.”

Honkin’ fact: The barge-like droneship that SpaceX deployed in the Atlantic Ocean to pick up a booster on Saturday, May 30, from its manned spaceship is called “Of Course I Still Love You.” A linchpin to the Hawthorne company’s success is that the rockets that push the spaceships toward orbit can be reused, greatly reducing the cost of space travel. The rocket actually landed on the droneship.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

Source: Orange County Register