WEST VALLEY, Utah -
Customers have reported waited in line as long as five hours to renew their driver's license at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The state's new computer system went down for about 45 minutes leading many who had been waiting in line for several hours to begin shouting and complaining, "This is ridiculous!"
One man told FOX 13 News the computers for the system went down statewide. The service was restored about noon. The long lines and delays are also caused in part by the new computer system, but largely due to new requirements to verify identification.
Utah Driver License Division Chief Chris Caras said the state implemented the REAL ID ACT which was passed by the federal government and signed off by the Utah State Legislature. It required people to bring multiple forms of identification including a birth certificate and social security card to prove their identity before renewing their driver's license. As a result, the state has done away with online and mail-in renewals leading to everyone having to go to a DLD office.
One employee at the Driver License Division says she was physically assaulted by an outraged customer. The woman, who did not want to be named, said she had been spit on twice and another clerk had a chair thrown at him.
The changes have frustrated many who have said they have wasted days waiting in line. Caras said the state plans to expand hours at another DLD office in Salt Lake County next month. They also plan to set up an online appointment system, but Caras said it may be two or three months away. He urged people to check the state's Web site to make sure they bring everything to make the wait as short as possible.
FOX 13's Ben Winslow reports.
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One man told FOX 13 News the computers for the system went down statewide. The service was restored about noon. The long lines and delays are also caused in part by the new computer system, but largely due to new requirements to verify identification.
Utah Driver License Division Chief Chris Caras said the state implemented the REAL ID ACT which was passed by the federal government and signed off by the Utah State Legislature. It required people to bring multiple forms of identification including a birth certificate and social security card to prove their identity before renewing their driver's license. As a result, the state has done away with online and mail-in renewals leading to everyone having to go to a DLD office.
One employee at the Driver License Division says she was physically assaulted by an outraged customer. The woman, who did not want to be named, said she had been spit on twice and another clerk had a chair thrown at him.
The changes have frustrated many who have said they have wasted days waiting in line. Caras said the state plans to expand hours at another DLD office in Salt Lake County next month. They also plan to set up an online appointment system, but Caras said it may be two or three months away. He urged people to check the state's Web site to make sure they bring everything to make the wait as short as possible.
FOX 13's Ben Winslow reports.
SEND US YOUR NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS PICTURES! www.fox13now.com/pics
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @fox13now
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