– Sandy Wood, Tustin

A: Good memory, Sandy — Honk likely helped you out with his perfect prose back in ’23.

Still, he isn’t a lazy fellow, so he went back to the DMV to ensure nothing has changed.

Your better half should fill out an application, which can be accomplished online, when the time comes. To cut down on the wait time at a DMV office, Ronald Ongtoaboc, a spokesman for the agency, recommends making an appointment.

The state-issued ID card will be canceled, so the Real ID can move onto the license.

Here is some good news:

“If a person already has a California Real ID, they do not need to present their identity and residency documents again,” Ongtoaboc said in an email. “(But) if they have an out-of-state Real ID and want to get a California Real ID, they will need to present their identity and residency documents. An out-of-state Real ID does not transfer to California (and vice versa).”

Sandy, if your wife would like another state-issued ID, albeit without the Real ID, in addition to the Real ID driver’s license she can get one.

Q: Will new federal regulations on California emission standards allow Japanese domestic-market vehicles registered in other states to be eligible for registration in California? I am interested in a 2000 Toyota Granvia. The engine comes in four- or six-cylinder models, which are used by the 4Runner. They are legal in Washington and in Oregon. Basically, what I want to know is if federal guidelines supersede California’s guidelines and make it possible to bring such a vehicle already registered elsewhere into California without California’s onerous requirements?

– Robert Raffel, Dana Point

A: No.

California laws can vary, depending on the model year and other factors.

But under a state law that has been in place for decades, vehicles with model year 1968 or later that were not made to meet United States standards must be modified to meet California emissions regulations, said John Swanton, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board.

And they must pass a test given by a Santa Ana firm that is state-certified. (A second firm has applied for the special status.)

For that route, a car must be at least 2 years old, such as the one you are eyeing, Robert.

There are rare exceptions for vehicles modified under federal requirements. For info, ask the Air Resources Board at helpline@arb.ca.gov.

HONKIN’ FACT: To keep him in the family’s gold-leaf business, Allen Swift‘s father offered him a car of his choosing for his 26th birthday. He picked a new 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I. By 2003, his Rolls had clocked an estimated 172,000 miles. Just before he died in 2005, at age 102, the Connecticut resident gave $1 million to the Springfield Museums in Massachusetts to buy a building that now houses, among other cars, another Swift gift he donated that year after owning it for 77 years — his Rolls. (Source: Springfield Museums)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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

– Jerry Wauchope, Thousand Oaks

A: Honk welcomes you to paradise, Jerry, although he bets Washington is a nifty place, too.

Until 2006, Southern California’s carpool lanes all had a pair of solid lines, allowing vehicles to enter and leave the lanes only at certain breaks.

Then some Orange County Transportation Authority board members, with Honk in the audience, began pushing for the thick, white dashes that tell motorists they can cross over safely whenever they choose. The board members received approvals for this continuous access for the 22 Freeway, and the concept grew — in Orange County.

“Each Caltrans district chooses which type of HOV lane access control it uses,” Nathan Abler, a spokesman for the agency, told Honk in an email. “Caltrans District 12, serving Orange County, has chosen to have continuous access to HOV lanes, with certain sections close to freeway interchanges striped with double, solid white lines for safety reasons.”

Caltrans asks each of its districts to weigh safety and traffic flow when considering which option is best, he said, and recommends that districts, which often cover one or two counties, be consistent inside their turfs.

In Los Angeles County, for example, there are no continuous-access carpool lanes.

Orange County was not the first California region to have these continuous-access carpool lanes. In fact, OC transportation leaders pointed north, where such lanes existed, when asking state and federal officials for approvals to get them.

But up in Northern California, at least some HOV lanes operate differently — carpool lanes during rush hours, and open to all other times.

Q: About your recent column concerning the lane markings on the 91 Express Lanes through Corona: What looks like tire tracks to some people are actually spots that had striping from when they do construction and re-position lanes. When the construction is done, they go back and grind or sand-blast the old stripes off and then put permanent lane markings back in. But you are left with those faded lines that go all across the lanes. With some places on freeways, it can be pretty bad and hard to tell where your lane is, just as your reader mentioned.

– Aaron Miller, Santa Ana

A: Honk has, as everyone knows, the smartest readers.

A couple of weeks ago, he published the photo of the markings and Ariel Alcon Tapia, a spokesperson for the Riverside County Transportation Commission, helped provide an answer, albeit there was still some question about those markings.

Aaron and two other readers — Scott Trumbo and Vernon Weisman — explained how the markings came about, and Tapia was able this week to confirm the grinding scenario and provide some more info:

The commission is doing pavement repairs on the Express Lanes in Riverside County, and if that doesn’t cure those particular markings, the future will. All of the concrete lanes will be re-done within a couple of years.

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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

– Parker Cross Jr., San Pedro

A: That just might happen in the somewhat near future, Parker.

“Hopefully, hopefully, three or four years from now we are all connected,” said PJ Wilkins, executive director of the E-ZPass Group, which helps toll agencies in 20 Eastern states offer a transponder good for use on all of their tollways.

There has been discussion about a transponder that could work across the country, if the scores, if not hundreds, of agencies that use transponders opt in.

Technology isn’t the biggest hurdle, Wilkins said, but making everything work on the business side is more complicated.

“We are working with central and western states,” Wilkins said. “We meet every two weeks. … Most of the country will be connected by next year.”

Not California, which would first need approval from state lawmakers. But that could certainly come about.

Here, for now, FasTrak is what the various toll agencies use across the state. When using a tollway in California, the charge goes onto the bill put out by the motorist’s home agency, the one he or she signed up with.

Wilkins said the same thing would happen if a true national transponder comes about.

HONKIN’ UPDATE: As promised last week, here is more info on vanity, or personalized, license plates:

— Unlike standard plates, they belong to the owner and not to the vehicle.

— They can be passed along to someone else.

— If the plates’ owner, new or old, doesn’t pay the retention fee to keep them on their vehicle or in a drawer, for that matter, “the configuration is available for anyone to purchase,” Ronald Ongtoaboc, a Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman, told Honk.

— If you have the plates hanging up in the garage for fun, and someone steals them, you should take action or plan to just keep on paying. “The owner would not be subject to the fee if the plates are stolen and they do not request a replacement,” Ongtoaboc said. “(But) the owner would need to submit a police report under penalty of perjury stating that the plates were indeed stolen.”

HONKIN’ FACT: At least five children in the United States died in hot vehicles over eight days in late June, said Kids and Car Safety, a nonprofit. They were 3 months to 5 years old. Since 1990, that makes at least 1,139 children lost in such circumstances. An estimated 88% of children who die in hot vehicles are 3 years old or younger, Amber Rollins, the group’s director, told Honk.

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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

– Helen Nees, Dove Canyon

A: Yes, you can hang them up in your living room, if you choose, or nail them up in the garage.

(Honk, in fact, has a “No1 SCFAN” plate nailed up in his garage that years ago a friend picked up at some swap meet or elsewhere.)

To handle this properly, Ronald Ongtoaboc, a DMV spokesman, told Honk you would fill out Section 4 of the Special Interest License Plate Application (AKA Reg 17) and forward that to the DMV; the form is on the state’s dmv.ca.gov website — just Google it.

That will cost you $43 a year for standard personalized plates, the same extra fee to retain them on your vehicle.

If you don’t way to pay that fee, fill out that same form and mail the plates in or take them to a DMV office or Automobile Club of Southern California office if a member.

“Once personalized plates are removed from a vehicle and not retained, they are deactivated,” Ongtoaboc said in an email to Honk. “However, if the owner intends to use them again in the future, proper retention procedures must be followed to avoid losing the rights to those plates.”

Honk is seeking additional info from the DMV on the subject and will provide it when he gets it.

HONKIN’ UPDATE: A couple of weeks ago, Honk told the fate of the Pre-enrolled Access Lane, or PAL, that runs along the northbound 5 Freeway up to the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint five miles south of San Clemente: It allowed qualified drivers who were vetted and given transponders to zip through the checkpoint without slowing down when agents were present. In 2006, after five years, PAL was shuttered because of low usage.

Nineteen years later, traffic cones and electronic message boards saying, “LANE CLOSED” continue to remind motorists that PAL is no more.

Honk explained all of that, but he is a rather curious fellow and just wondered if there were any plans for this space and asked.  An answer appeared a few days ago in the sage’s electronic mailbag.

“There are currently no plans to reinstate the PAL program here,” said Eric C. Lavergne, a special operations supervisor for the Border Patrol. “(And) there are no alternative plans for the lane.”

HONKIN’ FACT: The Washington Post did an exhaustive survey to determine the country’s best 50 airports, using 2,300 reader responses, 450,000 Yelp reviews and an algorithm factoring in what readers like, such as easy-to-get-to airfields and those easy to get through, recent upgrades, well-lit spaces, and high ceilings.

The busiest 450 airfields were considered.

Los Angeles International Airport didn’t make the list.

But Ontario International Airport came in at No. 15, Hollywood Burbank Airport is at 14, John Wayne Airport landed at No. 12, and Long Beach Airport glided in at No. 2. Topping the list was Portland International Airport.

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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

– David Fickes, Irvine

A: David, please thank your wife for (while a passenger) taking a nice photo of what you are talking about.

It’s unclear what those markings are — Honk would bet at least some are skid marks, which can be quite visible on concrete lanes. If he learns more from the Riverside County Transportation Commission about them, he will pass that along.

But a complaint that gets tossed into Honk’s electronic mailbag every now and then is about the lane markings themselves on various highways.

The ol’ Honkmobile has often found itself headed into the sun’s glare on a Southern California highway while cruising along concrete lanes that, well, aren’t very pretty and don’t contrast a lot with white lane markings.

In the long haul, concrete can make more sense than eye-pleasing asphalt because it requires less maintenance over the years, saving tax dollars.

“Thank you for bringing this question to our attention,” said Ariel Alcon Tapia, a spokesperson for the commission, which operates the 91 Express Lanes in Riverside County, where the 91 Freeway and the tollway have lanes of concrete.

“(It) does not provide the same contrast as asphalt does,” Tapia said. “We have added black paint around the striping in some areas to make the lane stripes stand out more. We will evaluate adding the same technique in that area the reader mentioned on the Express Lanes.”

Those added touches of black are called shadow markings, in traffic-engineer parlance, and are often used on concrete lanes and faded asphalt.

Honk asked Tapia to keep him informed so he could pass along updates to Honkland, and he said he would.

HONKIN’ FACT: Those happening to take a highway run by the North Texas Tollway Authority who have an account with the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) in Orange County can now get charged for their Texas jaunts on their TCA bills.

TCA officials say this accord makes it easier on their customers. During a recent 10-day stretch, 8,100 Texas trips were charged on TCA bills, said Michele Miller, a spokesperson for the agency that manages the 241 and the 73 in OC.

Be careful — other California tollways have similar transponders that are not synced with the Texas authority.

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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

– Kai Christensen, Yucca Valley

A: “That is a great question, especially with summer right around the corner,” said Brian Kinsey, an officer and spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol. “The short answer is yes, but some steps have to be taken prior to the removal of the animal or child.”

Under California law, before breaking in, the good Samaritan needs to ensure the car or truck is locked and has contacted authorities first, such as police, firefighters, 911 or animal control — and no more damage than necessary can be inflicted on the vehicle. And the rescuer must determine that danger is imminent.

And the good Samaritan must stay with the animal nearby until the authorities arrive and then turn over the animal.

The same laws generally apply to both animals and children six years or younger.

“While you are waiting for law enforcement to arrive, try to find the vehicle’s owner,” said Tami Grimes, a CHP spokesperson in Sacramento. “Nearby businesses may be able to help. If possible, stay by the vehicle until help arrives, and if the situation becomes life-threatening, California law allows you to act by breaking into the vehicle to prevent serious injury.”

Q: Honk: My normal route in the morning has me enter the eastbound 91 Freeway on Lakeview Avenue in Anaheim. About a month ago, I noticed there were signs that said it would be closed starting May 30 for the new construction tied to the 55 Freeway interchange. However, yesterday (June 6) I noticed the ramp was not closed. The signs still said closing on May 30. Can you get an update as to what is happening and when the ramp will actually close?

– Terrence Mangold, Placentia

A: That ramp is part of a $779 million project in large part to reduce weaving — a major cause of congestion.

Eventually, drivers will be able to take a ramp from Lakeview directly to the nearby 55 Freeway — instead of having to take the 91 and merging over.

Work began in March; so far, it’s been mostly clearing out vegetation. The closure of that ramp was delayed as more planning was required.

“People were notified through social media, and those who signed up for project updates were notified via text and email that the eastbound onramp closure was being delayed,” Joel Zlotnik, a spokesperson for the Orange County Transportation Authority, told Honk in an email. “A printed sign near the onramp that indicated the initial closure date, however, was not removed, and we apologize for any confusion it created.”

That ramp will actually close sometime after July 4, he said.

The project will be in three overlapping phases, with the last construction crew slated to move out in 2030.

Improvements will include a new eastbound 91 lane between the 55 and 57 freeways and reconstructed bridges — eliminating merging in a couple of spots.

At octa.net/91improvements, updates can be had.

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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

– Gordon Calac, Irvine

A: Yes.

Called the Pre-enrolled Access Lane, or PAL, it might have been the only one in the country when put in back in 2001.

The goal was to allow qualified drivers to bypass slowing down for Border Patrol agents who glance into vehicles and might ask questions. Applicants filled out paperwork proving U.S. citizenship or immigration status and detailing their employment, residency and auto insurance. Winners received transponders for their vehicles so officials knew to not chase them down.

Kind of reminds you of how Real ID works for domestic flights, right?

When there was a hefty backup at the checkpoint, five miles south of the Orange County border, it was estimated PAL saved five to eight minutes.

Commercial trucks didn’t qualify, because they went through the adjacent weigh stations.

Then, in March 2006, the five-year experiment was axed because not enough people were using the lane.

Sean Emery, an ace courts reporter for the Southern California News Group, reported back to Honk what he saw the other day, and nothing has changed for years:

Traffic cones and electronic message boards saying, “LANE CLOSED” tell motorists PAL is off-limits.

Years from now, added lanes may go along the median of the 5, requiring some sort of reconfiguration — but for now, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has control of the lane, said Steve Welborn, a Caltrans spokesman.

Honk reached out to federal officials, and he will tell readers the future fate of the late PAL when he learns it.

Q: Hi Honk: The other day I was at a fast-food restaurant. To get a senior discount, I had to swipe my driver’s license. What information was provided?

– Jim Fuchs, Costa Mesa

A: A swipe of the magnetic strip on the back of your license provides to the card-swipe machine …

… the same info that is on the front of your license, said Chris Orrock, a Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman.

“There is also a QR-type code on the back that will help populate the information when you visit a DMV (office) and need to autofill (an) application,” he added.

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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

– Brian Watts, Orange

A: Speed alone won’t get an offender sent to the clink.

That is because that violation alone is an infraction, said Lt. Matt Gutierrez, based in the California Highway Patrol’s headquarters up in Sacramento.

But officers can consider other circumstances that can elevate a speeding infraction to a misdemeanor for driving recklessly, such as passing on the shoulder, driving too close to another driver, weaving and leaving the paved roadway. Then, the driver can get arrested and sent to jail. Vehicles can get impounded, too.

Most courts will demand that someone cited for going more than 100 mph, even without another allegation, head into a courtroom, Gutierrez said. If found to have gone that fast, one of the rewards is two points on a driving license, which isn’t going to go over well with an insurance company. Fines and any restriction or suspension of the driver’s license aren’t going to be met with glee by the driver, either.

As to the past, Brian, Honk has a lot of miles on him, but doesn’t recall such a restrictive law.

Q: Hi Honk: My 91-year-old mother no longer drives, but her driver’s license expires this September. Is there a way to get a state ID card (not a Real ID card) without a visit to a Department of Motor Vehicles office? She has mobility issues and cannot stand for very long. I searched the DMV website and could not get an answer. It wanted me to make an appointment at a DMV office. She can’t be the only person in this situation, so I hope you can find a way to do this without a visit to the DMV.

– Diane Morgan, Placentia

A: Usually, Diane, converting a driver’s license to an ID does require a visit to a DMV office. The process can be started at the agency’s website.

But …

“If someone is unable to visit a DMV office due to a physical or mental condition, they or a caregiver may call 1-800-777-0133 during business hours for assistance,” Ronald Ongtoaboc, a DMV spokesman, told Honk in an email. “In rare cases, with documentation from a medical provider, the DMV may help them obtain an ID card without visiting an office.”

Those 62 and older can get a free senior citizen ID card. It is good for eight years, and it can be renewed via mail for another eight.

HONKIN’ UPDATE: A couple of weeks ago, Honk, with the help of CHP Officer Andrew Betancourt, who is based at the weigh station just south of Orange County, mentioned that drivers in cars trying to avoid congestion by taking the roadway through a truck weigh station might get cited for going too fast or for going through when the station is closed.

After his chat with Honk, Officer Betancourt happened to be driving by the Anaheim Hills weigh stations and noticed there is a sign on the 91 Freeway that says, “NO AUTOS THRU WEIGH STATION.” A Vehicle Code provision, he said, makes ignoring that declaration a violation. Some weigh stations might not have such signs, but others apparently do.

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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

– Paul Purkhiser, Covina

A: Probably because you have read Honk for years, Paul, you know what’s cookin.’

“You can get a state ID (from California),” Chris Orrock, a DMV spokesman up in Sacramento, told Honk. “You can only have a driver’s license in one state at a time.”

So don’t renew that California license, but switch gears and get that state-issued ID here from the DMV.

Orrock recommended that you use your more permanent, out-of-state address on your California ID.

Q: Hi Honk: Had my car smog checked today. Same low number it’s been consistently for 20 years. To keep it simple, let’s say, relatively speaking, my smog reading was a 3 on a scale of 100, where it takes a reading of greater than 100 to FAIL. How about no smog checks for cars with a consistently low smog reading? Then, millions of drivers with consistently low-smog cars like mine could avoid wasting an hour getting smog checked needlessly. I would even be OK having the $40 smog check fee I paid simply added to the cost of my plate renewal. A win-win for drivers, the state and climate.

– Mike Jasiewicz, Laguna Niguel

A. Well, if your aging car can hold on for a decade or more, and a bill backed by Jay Leno eventually passes, Mike, you might be in luck.

Under California law, there are some exemptions for smog checks, including for vehicles with a model year of 1975 or older.

But the car-crazed comedian and others want the state to loosen up.

A Senate bill, with the nickname “Leno’s Law,” would exempt at least some vehicles that are at least 35 years old. As you can imagine, Mike, this one wouldn’t be a slam dunk through the Legislature, based on its past actions.

Supporters counter that few cars would be affected, they tend to not run up many miles on the road, and such a law would help collectors and protect California’s car culture.

Twenty or so years ago, there was a rolling exemption — vehicles older than 30 were given a pass.

But state lawmakers didn’t like that, concerned that older vehicles belched more than an over-eater on Thanksgiving, and locked in the date.

That of course, means there are fewer and fewer of these exempted cars and trucks each year.

HONKIN’ FACT: Among the vessels gliding into the Port of Los Angeles for this weekend’s LA Fleet Week is the U.S. Coast Guard’s Barque Eagle, a tall sailing ship with three masts that is 295 feet long. Built in 1936, it was in the German Navy, but the United States took possession of it following World War II. Since 1946, the Coast Guard has trained future officers on it.

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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

–  David Cordero, Anaheim

A: Honk tried to connect with the California Highway Patrol at that weigh station David, but couldn’t.

But, as you know, he is one smart cookie.

So he turned his gaze southward and called one of the San Onofre weigh stations, just south of the Orange County border.

There, like at other weigh stations, semitrucks are weighed and inspected to ensure they trundle safely. CHP officers stationed there wear dark-blue uniforms, which can better hide smudges than the traditional tan ones, because they crawl beneath the trucks for look-sees.

Officer Andrew Betancourt said such shortcut attempts are rare where he is stationed: “It’s not real common.”

If it happens, there are two Vehicle Codes that would likely work to penalize the offender with a ticket: There is a 5 mph speed limit for the short road through the weigh station, and such a scofflaw would likely be violating that. And if the scales were shuttered, that means any such vehicle could be cited for failing to adhere to the posted closed sign.

His weigh station does get the occasional non-trucker though: Drivers, usually with small children, needing a restroom in a long stretch of roadway with few of them.

They get a pass.

“We’re all human,” Officer Betancourt said.

Q: If you are in a right- or left-turn-only lane, are you required to have the turn signal on?

– Donna Furon, Seal Beach

A: “No, not required,” said Duane Graham, an officer and spokesman for the CHP out of the Westminster station, which patrols the 22 and 405 freeways through your fine city, Donna.

“The signal is to let another driver know your intention,” he explained.

And, of course, other motorists would know where you are headed, if you are in such a restricted lane.

But before sliding into that lane, you might need to hit the ol’ blinker.

On highways and freeways, when changing lanes or turning — if another motorist is about and could be affected by a maneuver — using a turn signal is a must.

But, of course, nearly vacant roadways in Southern California are as common as a morning with a wrinkle-free Honk. Usually best to just use the signal.

In the Golden State, if you prefer flapping a wing out of the window instead of hitting the blinker, hand signals are acceptable.

HONKIN’ FACTS: In 2022, across the country, traffic collisions killed 42,514 people, from vehicle occupants to pedestrians. For perspective, picture Angel Stadium in your mind’s eye — it seats 45,603. (Sources: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Major League Baseball.)

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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk