<h4>By Lee Scott</h4>
It seems like every time I go to the airport to get on an airplane, I am the random passenger who must be searched. Whether it is my high forehead, my big feet, or maybe my age, suddenly I will hear “Ma’am, can you step over to the side please?”<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Again!<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

It has gotten a bit ridiculous lately. I have stopped wearing jewelry and make sure I have no zippers or metal buttons. I keep glasses in my purse, which goes through the scanner.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>I have no artificial titanium hips or hardware in my body that might trigger an alarm. Yet there I am with the “latex lady,” as I call her.

When it happened two weeks ago, I asked the TSA staff member if there was a reason I am always getting pulled over.

“No, ma’am, this is totally random,” she said.

“How could it be when I have been pulled over three times in the past six months?,” I asked.

Maybe I should be playing the lottery since my odds of getting chosen are so great.

When my husband called me to ask how the flight was, I informed him that I was no longer going to fly. I am tired of being “randomly” chosen.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

“Maybe it is your driver’s license that is the problem,” he suggested.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

“What does my driver’s license have to do with me getting pulled out of line?,” I asked.

“South Carolina now has the new Real ID driver’s licenses available and you have the old one.”

Good point, I had totally forgotten about this issue. South Carolina along with other states fought with the federal government requiring these new licenses. Ultimately, our governor signed a bill into law requiring the new Real ID. We can still use the old licenses for a little bit longer when we fly, but not for long. <span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

So, this morning, I got in the car and drove over to the Beaufort County Department of Motor Vehicles. I did check to see what I needed to bring before I went. When we moved here in 2014, we had to provide several forms of ID to get our South Carolina license. Fortunately, the DMV had scanned them into the system and I did not have to bring them again. Ultimately, it cost me $25, but I did get the REAL ID, with a new picture, a 2026 expiration date and a big gold star.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Could my “random passenger” status have been the TSA’s way to urge me to get the Real ID. It will not be difficult to determine. I am flying again in a few weeks, and hopefully I will not have to hear those familiar words:<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

“Ma’am, will you step over here please?”