Getting your driver’s license renewed is now easier

The DMV began testing online renewals in June and since then, more than 100,000 people have renewed their licenses.

Online registration is only one of a number of customer service improvements implemented by Governor McCrory’s Driving Change initiative. A few people now do not have to visit at all.

Country star and “American Idol” victor Scotty McCreery, a Garner native, spoke at the event as an informal town ambassador.

The online driver license process will be available to drivers every other time they renew their license, which is allowed up to six months before its expiration date. The governor showed models of the new driver’s licenses – saying it will be durable and secure.

The report also found that DMV customer service centers in heavily populated Northern Virginia have longer wait times than the rest of the state. And drivers with a restriction other than corrective lenses must also appear in person. This means we can devote 30 percent more of our time helping others: helping the new driver safely complete a road test or helping the new resident learn North Carolina rules.

New licenses have a coating that prevents cracking and fading and more anti-theft enhancements.

McCrory also scheduled a similar event in Asheville later Monday, the same day that Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat, announced his bid to unseat him in 2016. Use of the website has helped decrease average wait times in DMV offices statewide from 72 minutes in March 2013 to 30 minutes in September 2014. He said the poor experience made it a goal of his to improve state government customer service.

“I knew there was going to be a huge line behind me so I came here with plenty of time”, said Bill Ader of Southington.