Question: With the newly implemented website for teens taking the driver’s permit written test online, why is the next available appointment for in-person written testing so far out, approximately three months? The online testing was supposed to help with not going in person. Is there a problem with the website?
Answer: No, there isn’t a problem with the website that administers the written test online for any eligible person seeking a Hawaii driving permit (it’s not limited to teenagers). To take the test online, an applicant must use an internet- connected desktop or laptop computer with a mouse (or mouse pad- controlled cursor), keyboard and webcam. Cellphones, tablets or touchscreen devices cannot be used. To take the written test at any time, go to knowtodrive.com/hawaii.
There’s a longer wait for appointments to take the written test in person at an Oahu driver’s licensing center because the DMV offers fewer appointments for this service now that the online option is available. “Our goal is to keep the wait time for in-office service for the written permit test to one month,” Harold Nedd, a spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services, said in an email.
Be sure to check all convenient locations for an appointment time; you may have faced a longer wait because you focused on a single location. To be clear, this is about the knowledge test required to obtain a learner’s driving permit, not the road test.
As the CSD website explains:
“You may take a learner’s permit written test at a driver licensing center by appointment available at AlohaQ.org. Appointments for in-person written testing will be limited at each driver’s licensing center to the following days:
>> Kapalama Driver Licensing Center: Tuesday and Thursday
>> Kapolei Driver Licensing Center: Monday and Wednesday
>> Koolau Driver Licensing Center: Friday
>> Wahiawa Driver Licensing Center: Tuesday
>> Waianae Driver Licensing Center: Thursday
“You will need to present all of the required documentation to obtain a permit prior to sitting for the exam.”
The number of Oahu residents taking the online test has steadily risen since this option was first offered in early December; 284 people took it that month, 653 in January and 1,009 in February, according to a news release from the city. City officials are encouraged by the trend, because overseeing the written test in person is a time- consuming task, and having applicants take the test remotely frees up DMV staff for other work, including serving customers who must appear in person.
Q: Did that bill about culling feral chickens pass?
A: No, the Committee on Agriculture and Environment deferred House Bill 980, HD 1, after a public hearing March 14. The bill would have expanded authority to kill feral chickens on private property, but opponents noted that licensed pest- control companies can already do so, with the permission of the property owner. You can read the bill, committee reports and public testimony at 808ne.ws/3DCgBH9.
Mahalo
This past weekend I had the misfortune to require emergency medical attention and was taken to the Straub emergency room on King Street. The staff at the ER quickly and efficiently processed me in, and hooked me up to wires and tubes to diagnose my problem. They determined that I needed two units of blood, and I spent four hours getting infused. During this period the staff and nurses checked in on me regularly to make sure I was comfortable and safe. For this I am deeply grateful to the Straub ER staff and want to convey my sincere mahalo to them. But I also want to convey my gratitude to them for another, more important reason: While I was being treated in the ER, an elderly, obese, disheveled homeless woman also came in for emergency treatment. The ER staff treated her with such sincere caring, dignity and compassion. All of us in the community are fortunate to have such dedicated professionals caring for our citizens. Mahalo! — K.H.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
