DMV services in an entire US state have been brought to a halt by a weeks-long blackout, and some drivers are risking a tow every second they can’t get an appointment.
As soon as the department announced that the glitch had been handled, more issues cropped up.
DMV services in an entire US state were abruptly stopped due to a blackout[/caption]
In late August, a cyberattack crippled state agencies all across Nevada, with one of the most significant impacts being on the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
The DMV blackout is now heading into its third week, leaving residents in limbo for essential services like license and registration renewals.
While the DMV’s official X account posted that it was 100% operational as of Friday, Monday morning saw a new post explaining that the agency was “still experiencing issues.”
These “issues” revolve around the ability to process first-time Real IDs, standard driver’s licenses/IDs, and instruction permits, the department admitted.
As of Tuesday, the Nevada DMV is only accepting “renewals for ID/DL/instruction permits, and duplicates for DL/IDs,” per an update from its X account.
The DMV is also accepting walk-ins for those whose appointments from August 25 through September 5 were canceled.
However, this is only applicable to transactions that don’t require the issuance of a new ID.
ID Issuances are just one of many issues drivers are facing due to the latest blackout.
Las Vegas resident Yasmin Armstrong’s vehicle was towed by her homeowner’s association after her registration expired in late August.
Armstrong’s HOA required updated registration information, and when she couldn’t provide the documents, her Chevrolet HHR was yanked.
The driver was left furious as she had an appointment with the Nevada DMV to update her registration before the expiration date passed.
However, the cyberattack and resultant closure of the DMV prevented her from updating her registration in time.
Thanks to the blackout, Armstrong was forced to hand out $450 to get her car back from the impound lot.
Other residents suffered from more tedious issues with their appointments.
Several drivers said they received texts to come in for their service, only to find the building completely closed.
Locals fumed over the mixup, with resident Marian Lewis saying that she “wasted [her] time coming down,” per local CBS affiliate KLAS.
Other residents expressed similar sentiments, highlighting that they planned their own responsibilities around their appointment, but now frustratingly need to make those plans a second time.
Applying for a REAL ID
The process varies by state, but residents will need a few documents to apply for a REAL ID before the deadline.
No matter the state, the application process can be started online by scanning and uploading the necessary documents, basic information, and Social Security numbers. Once submitted and reviewed, an in-person visit to the DMV or your state’s department agency is necessary for an attendant to verify the documents.
From there, a thumbprint will be recorded in the system, and a photo will be issued for the ID before it’s mailed.
The documents needed are those that show:
- Full legal name (previous driver’s license, passport, etc)
- Date of birth (like a birth certificate, or an official copy of one)
- Social Security number (Social Security card)
- Two proofs of residence (like a utility bill or voter registration card)
- Lawful status
Source: Department of Homeland Security
DMV DÉJÀ VU
The Nevada DMV’s current predicament brings to mind nationwide DMV outages that wrecked departments last year.
While most states saw the situation quickly resolved, some were still forced to reschedule various appointments such as road tests.
Some states were down for a short period of time, such as Virginia’s system which came back to life 25 minutes later, while other states’ systems were offline for several hours.
Similar outages also occurred in 2020 and 2018, with the former instance forcing drivers to wait hours for their appointments.
