this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2023
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The people who work there are generally nice. The DMV - however - is a beauracratic nightmare. It's simply over complicated. Why must I register my car? A license and insruance should be all I need. I don't register my shoes. I don't register my computers. A car is no different. I understand having an authority which says "I own this vehicle". But registering every year is basically just a waste of paper.
Why do we now need 2 forms proving residency to get a star on an ID in order to fly between states? Should the homeless not be allowed to fly?
Why do I need to fill out so much of it in person? I did everything I could online, but still they required me to pick up a packet of forms. Plus I had to retake my driver's license test despite owning a valid license in my state. At this point, they should be able to - at least - fill out everything online. Hell, I should never have to go in person except in the case of taking a photo (which arguably is kind of dumb, but I can understand the security reasons for it).
The DMV has convoluted forms, much like taxes. Filling out their forms should be idiot proof. But I - an idiot - have made mistakes on multiple occasions.
After all the forms and all the verification, human error still makes it a crapshoot. Believe it or not, I had my birthday entered incorrectly on a license. I owned a valid driver's license which lied about my month, day, and year of birth. At what point do we not just ask ourselves: what are we doing here?
And I have to pay for my license? That's absurd. In many cases, licenses are required by the government. How many times have you heard an officer demand a license despite a person not driving a car at the time? If a cop demands it as proof of my ID, then the government should provide it free (what else are taxes for?) Not to mention the fact that voting laws are starting to come up requiring a license. A license which you can only get if you pass a test, have a proof of residence, and have cash to afford it. I am very against disenfranchising the homeless (or anyone who meets that criteria) from voting.
The DMV is just what most poorly funded and poorly designed government entities end up becoming: a barrier for access to things that should be easy to access.
I've traveled all over the world and seen many systems. I've lived in many states. America is king of the poorly designed system.
"..Why must I register my car? A license and insruance should be all I need. I don't register my shoes. I don't register my computers. A car is no different..."
You have a very legit question, and I too thought about this.
And I think the reason is just the same as registering your firearms - because in the end your car is a 4,000 lb killing machine.
Everything else you mentioned - I agree 100%
You could have a plate and registration without annual registration.
In the UK you have to tell the DVLA when you sell or buy a car so they can keep ownership records - this is useful because when you get caught speeding by a camera (for example) the owner is legally responsible and can be found. This doesn't need annual updates, though we pay car tax annually so we're unlikely to forget to update the DVLA if for example you move house.
Often the registration fees are used for road maintenance.
Another reason I think is the safety inspection, since you generally donβt want non-road worthy cars going 60mph. And yes, I know some states donβt require inspections.
Firearms are only registered in a small handful of states. The overwhelming majority of the nation's 700 million guns are not subject to any sort of registration requirements.
FFL dealers are required to keep records (ATF 4473), but you don't have to buy from an FFL dealer, and private transfers are not subject to registration either.
What? Where the hell do you need to register your firearms and where do you get the idea that registering a car is for safety? The reason you have to register your car is because that is the tax you are paying to support the public infrastructure that you are driving on. It has nothing to do with safety. And also the unholy alliance of private insurance and the legal requirement to pay a private entity.
Your car travels almost exclusively on very expensive public roads and highways. License fees are used to help fund those roads. Many states have provisions to allow unlicensed vehicles on private property.
Also, cars in poor operating condition are dangerous and polluting. Many states have some combination of safety and/or emissions inspections as part of licensing.
Many states, especially where there are photo ID requirements, so offer free photo IDs. And pretty well every form Iβve filled out has been no more than a page in my state.
Accessibility for everyone should be a primary concern of the government, wether it be state or federal. You are spot on with creating barriers of entry. They don't want the homeless or extremely impoverished voting. Otherwise why would it be so complex? It has no true need to be. Any system made up by humans that is so convoluted even the employees have issues is designed to create barriers not enable access.
"..Accessibility for everyone should be a primary concern of the government.."
Totally agree.
But I also think that there is no reason to assume that the Government has any incentive whatsoever to care for people's welfare.