> Few drive 600+ mi empty or alone.

Is there a study on this? As I would have thought the opposite and would bet that the number driving alone is increasing as more people live alone.

I renewed mine in May and still have a non-Real ID license.

California offers both. I renewed my license last year. I opted for a non Real ID version because I could renew online rather than spend hours at the DMV.

All states do (for now). Not everyone qualified to drive is capable of proving their identity to the level RealID requires.

I know for a fact Kentucky offers both.

Some states, including mine, don't offer RealID at all, but instead an "enhanced driver license" that is accepted alongside RealID. I don't even have that, because I already have a passport card, so there's no reason to spend the extra money.

I'm in Oregon, and that's the case - about $30 extra. More people than you think don't have access to supplemental documentation required to meet extra requirements – people who don't have current travel documents, people who've just moved into town, people who don't have current documentation of address (e.g. the homeless, people in the foster care system, etc.)

It's pragmatic to have: plenty of people don't or can't fly, and the cost of supporting this option is marginal.

Washington State. $7/yr more for a Real ID license - $42 more the 6 year license and $60 more for the 10.

https://dol.wa.gov/driver-licenses-and-permits/driver-licens...

In CA it was cheaper and (far) easier to get a normal license and a passport.

for what its worth, my state made it unpleasant enough that it was easier to just got a non-real id and a renew the ol passport

yes, if there's one thing the working poor are known for, it's successfully extracting money from their employers. if uber wants you to rideshare, they should buy you a car, right?

> It's the same reason the IRS gives you a spot to declare your bribes and other illegal income.

The California example makes sense. They aren't asking a question that would lead to the admission of a crime. The IRS example doesn't make sense, since they are asking a question that would lead to the admission of a crime. Even if the answer was legally protected, a government who does not respect the law (or one that changes the law) could have nasty repercussions.