A Georgia woman recently went viral for her PSA on driver’s license renewal, which she shared after discovering that she had inadvertently been driving without a valid license for over seven years.
In a video that’s been viewed over 346,000 times as of publication, TikToker HStuart09 (@hstuart09) recounted the police interaction that alerted her to her mistake.
“Last Thursday, I got pulled over for texting and driving, which I was; I will admit that. So, he asked me for my driver’s license, and I hand him this,” she said, presenting an ID card to the camera. “And it clearly says identification card on it, and he says this is not a driver’s license.”
After arguing about it, the police officer explained that she was using an identification card, which is different from a driver’s license. The TikToker then showed him another card from 2017 to clear it up, but she discovered it was also an ID card.
Dumbfounded, she discovered that her driver’s license had been expired for 88 months. With her three kids in the car, she was at a loss as to what to do.
“My fifteen-year-old, in his phone, says, “That’s seven years and three months,” she said. “I’m like, ‘How did that happen?’”
Luckily, the officer was merciful and chalked up the mix-up to her clicking the wrong button when she renewed her license online. He gave her a ticket for texting while driving and made her promise to get a license.
The next day, @Hstuart09 went to the DMV, hoping it would be a quick fix.
“I Googled what happens if your license expires for seven years, and it said if it had been more than two, you had to retake your driver’s test,” she explained. “And I’m like, surely they’re not going to make a 32-year-old retake their driver’s test. Guess what?”
@hstuart09 Have you ever had to retake your drivers test at 32 years old? #DL #fypシ #driverslicense #dds ♬ original sound – HStuart09
Unfortunately, she had to start over. She retook her driver’s license test, written exam, and an eye exam. Though the DMV worker let her take both the eye exam and written test immediately, she had to wait for the driver’s test until the following Tuesday. They gave her a learner’s permit and sent her on her way.
“Come Tuesday, my 8-year wedding anniversary, I had to ask my 70-year-old grandpa, who is retired, could he please drive with me so I could get my driver’s license. And then to take the test, you had to have a 21 or older in the vehicle also because they do it virtual now. They put a camera in there with you. So me, at 32, had to have my 70-year-old grandpa ride with me to get my driver’s license.”
“So, she says we’re going to do a real short test then. You have to back into a parking spot and parallel park,” she continued. “Long story short, I did pass. Don’t know how. I think she just passed me—because I did not get into the parking spot parallel parking.”
She concluded her tale with a simple lesson. “Moral of the story: do not click ID. Click DL when you renew your license online in the state of Georgia.”
Though she turned off comments on the first video, she posted a follow-up response to user @Alecia explaining how she did not know she didn’t have a driver’s license. Viewed over 1,500 times as of publication, commenters added some tips on how to tell the difference between ID cards and driver’s licenses.
“Yeah the number on your ID and drivers license is the same but one says ID and one says drivers license,” one wrote.
“I believe ID and DL are different colors or at least they are in S.C. but everything else is the same,” a second offered.
A third shared a similar experience. “My license got suspended at 24 because of a ticket I got in another state at 17,” they wrote. “Didn’t find out until 28. Nobody told me either.”
Mistakes happen, but there are ways to check. According to responses on Quora, Georgia ID cards and driver’s licenses have unique numbers that aren’t interchangeable. Both can be used for accessing information, government services, and voting. However, a driver’s license is required to operate a motor vehicle on public roads.
In Georgia, the basic requirement for an ID is that a person be old enough to write a legal signature. Both driver’s licenses and IDs require documentation like proof of residence and a Social Security number. However, a driver’s license also requires an eye exam, a written exam, and a driving test.
The simplest way to check whether or not you have an ID or a driver’s license is to look at the card itself. Each has the type of card written on the top.
The Daily Dot reached out to HStuart09 via TikTok comments for further information.
