The California Department of Motor Vehicles has several rules for getting a driver’s license. When it comes to older drivers, however, the state cares less about eligibility and more about safety.

Eighteen California DMV offices began extending their hours Monday to accommodate the influx of residents scrambling to obtain REAL IDs before the federal deadline arrives in just over three weeks.

Time is running out to get a California Real ID. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will soon require people to have a federally approved document — such as a passport or a Real ID driver’s ...