At what age must you start taking the behind-the-wheel test again?
Q. Hi Mr. Honk. At what age do we have to take a driving test to renew our license? I know we take a written one, but what about actually having to get behind the wheel for a driving test?
Mary-Ellen O’Neill, La Quinta
A. After that scary initial time as a teenager, which provides memories much less fond than those of that first kiss, hopefully never.
At 70, we must go into a Department of Motor Vehicles office every half-decade for a vision and a written test.
We are never required to get behind the wheel with a DMV examiner just because of our age.
For those of us who must take the behind-the-wheel test again, the decision is based on an issue that has come up, such as a medical, mental, physical or visual reason, or the perception by some official that our driving skills have nosedived.
The DMV insists its approval isn’t based on age but on safety.
Q. Hello Honk. Last night while driving in Anaheim I saw a construction crew tearing up a street at 8 p.m. right next to a nursing home, causing a lot of noise. I’m sure some patients were sleeping. Are there curfews for street work on city streets?
Mario Luna, Anaheim
A. Yes, at least in the city of the Angels.
“We do our best to schedule road construction projects between normal working hours, which are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,” Erin Ryan, a spokeswoman for the city of Anaheim, told Honk in an email. “There are times when doing road work between these hours has a greater impact on traffic and the general public and could lead us to consider evening or nighttime work.
“Our goal with road construction projects is to minimize the impact on the general public and cause minimal disruption to those traveling through and living in Anaheim,” she said. “Sometimes that means we have to work through the night. …
“When emergencies arise, such as a broken water line, we have crews on standby who are ready to respond regardless of the time of day or night to make the necessary repairs and re-open the road as quickly as possible,” Ryan said.
Honkin’ fact No. 1: Next Saturday, May 4, three-and-a-half miles of Rodeo Road (not Drive) in South Los Angeles will be renamed Obama Boulevard. It will cross over Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The former commander in chief will join Washington, Adams and Jefferson as presidents with boulevards named after them in the City of Angels.
Honkin’ fact No. 2: Want to drive to all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums to catch some games in one trip? The shortest route – with endpoints of Seattle, Washington and Arlington, Texas – would require traveling 9,392.8 miles, according to mlbreports.com, with an adjustment by Honk for the Atlanta Braves’ recent relocation.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk.