My wife went to renew her drivers license at the Pearl City Division of Motor Vehicles. When asked if she wanted to continue as an organ donor, she said no because she had open heart surgery and was taking medication. The clerk asked what kind of medication. My wife said that was none of her business. The clerk said she had to fill out a psychological and medical form that would be evaluated. In the meantime, she was given a 90-day conditional license. We were told the supervisor was going to evaluate the forms. Clerks ‘under mandate’
to look into medicationsWhat qualification does a supervisor have to evaluate medical forms? What happens to this information? Will it be kept confidential? All this just because my wife decided not to be a donor?
Apparently there was a lot of miscommunication.
The clerk was just doing her job, said city motor vehicle licensing administrator Dennis Kamimura.
"In the majority of cases, the examiner or clerk feels the person has some kind of physical disability to warrant further inquiry," he said. Other times, if a person somehow indicates they are on medication, "at that point, we do further investigation." The staff is "under mandate to look for it."
Your wife was given a medical evaluation form, which the state requires to be filled out by an applicant's personal physician.
The forms are first reviewed by Kamimura's staff to make sure they are complete. They are then sent to the state Medical Advisory Board, he said.
The board is composed of physicians appointed by the governor: a psychiatrist, a neurologist, an orthopedic surgeon, an ophthalmologist or optometrist and a specialist in cardiovascular disease.
"Everything you fill out is considered confidential," Kamimura said. The advisory board does not see names. It meets once a month to review forms from all counties, "then makes a recommendation as to whether a person is safe to drive on public streets," Kamimura said.
The board sometimes recommends against the issuance of a license, he said. Sometimes it recommends the applicant take a road test or go to the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, where there is a unit to test a person's ability to safely operate a vehicle.
Such a law is found in all 50 states. "We are trying to protect the applicant's life and the lives of other drivers," Kamimura said.
Carlson Yamamoto Jr., owner of Hawaiian Island Automotive Service, apologizes to customers, saying he was forced to shut down last year because of personal difficulties (Dec. 24 Kokua Line item). "We are back in business," he said. However, for refunds: Call 227-5076 or write to 531 Hahaione Place, Apt. 18A, Honolulu 96825. Complaint update
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