Other than crash into DMV, license renewal went well
By Associated Press
Published November 15, 2003
DAYTONA BEACH - Denise G. Butterfield merely wanted to renew her driver's license when things went terribly out of control.
The 69-year-old Ponce Inlet woman literally drove into the Department of Motor Vehicles building, narrowly missing two people on a bench.
Butterfield was pulling into a handicapped parking space Thursday when her car jumped the curb and smacked into the front of the building.
"I never hit the accelerator," Butterfield said. "The gas engaged itself."
No one was injured, and damage to the car and building was minor.
A police officer checked the car, a 1997 Chevrolet sedan, and said everything seemed to be working properly. Butterfield was issued a ticket for careless driving.
But what about the license?
Because of the accident, department officials made Butterfield take a written test and a road test.
Butterfield, a former resident of France and Vermont, took about 30 minutes to complete the computerized test, scoring high enough to pass.
Then came the road test.
"It's better to be safe than sorry," said Mary Lyn Dance, an examiner at the driver's license office.
Butterfield, who has been driving since 1959, passed the road test without incident.
