Department of Motor Vehicles

I don't know if this is a universal (er, national? state-wide? county-wide maybe?) thing, but most people I know would rather shoot themselves than go to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). Boy, I could not agree more. The moment anyone says the letters D-M-V, everyone sympathises. No one likes the DMV, at least not around here.

Yesterday, I had to go to the DMV. I'd heard that the DMV in my city was just so absolutely horrible though, that any DMV would be better. So I decided to give it a try, and ended up driving about 45 minutes to an hour to get to some strange DMV in a city I'd never been to. It was amazing.

The DMV by me has that gross "government building" feeling. It's slightly dirty, outdated, and makes your skin crawl. There's bulletproof glass protecting either the people who work there or the people who have the great misfortune of having to do important things at the hands of the extremely unhappy people working there. I'm not sure who is more likely to pull out a gun, really. And though it's not filthy, it's definitely not clean. It's just so desperately in need of renovations that if feels extremely dirty. And it's like someone died in there. Lots of people, actually. The lines take forever. Even with an appointment, I'm usually there for an hour or two. I just hate it, and so does everyone else I know.

The DMV I went to yesterday was the exact opposite. Sure, the parking lot was kind of weird, but even it was much nicer. The sign that said "DMV" was much less haunting and much more welcoming. The building seemed nice from outside. And then we walked in, and it was amazing. No bulletproof glass. I don't know about you, but bulletproof glass just makes me feel uncomfortable. You only put that in where people pull out guns. Instead of a thick wall of glass between the DMV employees and you, there was just a counter, no glass. I saw people interacting with the employees as if they knew each other, were friends, were comfortable and happy. And the lines were so much shorter. Everything was new and clean. I didn't mind being at the DMV. Instead of the usual stress, I was pretty relaxed being there.

I'm not sure I hate the DMV anymore. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's just the one closest to me that I hate. Maybe all the other DMVs are better. Maybe if I registered to vote with a different DMV, I'd have actually have gotten registered. (Nearly a year and multiple tries later, and that stupid DMV still hasn't registered me to vote yet!) Maybe if the DMV near me was fixed or another one built in the area (part of the problem is that it serves so many cities and is only open like four days a week), everyone around here might hate the DMV just a little less.

Of course, I don't like the DMV still, and I don't think it's every really a fun place to go, but it could at least be less horrifying. No one wants to deal with bureaucratic paperwork and tests and whatnot, but it doesn't have to be a less appealing option than shooting oneself. Shooting oneself is a pretty horrifying option, after all. I strongly advise against. Go to the DMV instead, really. Just maybe not the one near me.