A NEW law will change driving licences forever by adding a new symbol to cards that should hopefully clear up certain misunderstandings.
A bill is coming to a US state that should ease the concerns of certain residents who’ve experienced awkward run-ins with lawmakers.
As reported by WTAJ Altoona, Senator Pat Stefano is advocating for those with autism or hearing loss who’ve suffered difficult interactions with lawmakers.
In one example he gave, an individual who was hard of hearing was recently stopped by a law enforcement officer – resulting in a misinterpretation.
“Whenever he was pulled over by the police, the police officer thought he was being disrespectful, belligerent.
“He just couldn`t understand.”
Now, to help prevent “unnecessary consequences,” the bill aims to change driving licenses to display the letter “I” to signify an impairment.
An expert in child autism, Kimberly Bennett, the CEO and Clinical Director at Journey Center, helps prepare teenagers in advance to get their driver’s licenses, but she says that an encounter with law enforcement is often overwhelming for them.
“The blaring lights or sirens can cause sensory overload, just with the lights and the siren,” she said.
“If a police officer puts their hands on them, they’ll go into flight or fight a lot of times because they don’t understand.
“I think it’s helpful for the individual, for caretakers, and also for law enforcement to know what they should and should not do.”
Stefano said the process of getting a communication impairment designation would be similar to that of handicap placards.
It would simply require a doctor to sign off on the proper PennDOT forms, before submitting them to the state agency.
“I’m hopeful. I think with all of us working together, working with PennDOT we can ask them to make those kinds of changes that need to be made,” he said.
The bipartisan bill, coming to the Pennsylvania Senate, was referred to the Senate Transportation Committee.
If it passes, Pennsylvania would join over 30 other states, including Maryland, in implementing voluntary designations for communication impairments.
TOW JOKE
This comes as a woman was left fuming after someone else’s mistake seemingly cost her $3,000 in fees to get her car back from a tow company.
Kenethia Dunning of Birmingham, Alabama, had her 2012 Hyundai Elantra stolen back in April, hours after she returned home from work.
It left her without her much-needed vehicle for nearly a month and worried she’d never see it returned.
Dunning revealed thieves shattered her car’s window and used a simple USB charger – in a method known as the “Kia Challenge”, which takes advantage of a security flaw in certain Hyundai and Kia models – to drive off.
She said: “I didn’t know which way to turn, I didn’t know if I was going to get my car back or anything.”
It was then towed to local tow company King Boyz Towing and Recovery, but failed to be entered into the state database as a recovered stolen vehicle until weeks later.
This meant that, when the car was finally located, Dunning was slapped with a bill of some $3,000 in storage fees.
Legally, King had every right to collect the fee, but brilliantly, after learning the full story, he decided to waive the charges entirely.
“We believe in our folks, we’re going to take care of them if we can – we just got to make sure that our customers are happy,” he added.
How to prepare for the DMV
Here are some ways to streamline your DMV experience:
- Check the DMV website for your state to see if the task can be done completely online. Many processes can now be done online, like renewing a vehicle’s registration or changing an address. Otherwise, several processes can be started online and finished at an in-person location, like renewing a driver’s license.
- Schedule an appointment. While walk-ins are available at all locations, having an appointment time can help reduce frustrating wait times.
- Check the DMV’s website to ensure you have all the necessary forms for the task.
- Get there early. Since many people prefer to try and tackle simple tasks on their lunch breaks or days off, showing up early can mean you’re only one of a few.
- Eat before you go or bring a snack. Since wait times can exceed expectations, bring some form of sustenance.
- Be positive. The process is temporary.
