HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Human beings procrastinate, which is why only three out of every 10 Pennsylvanians have the “Real ID” driver’s license (or non-driving state ID) that’ll become necessary to board a flight beginning May 7, if you don’t have a passport (and remember to bring it to the airport, even for a domestic flight).

Some unknown number of the people waiting in long lines at PennDOT driver’s license centers, as May 7 approaches, really do need to wait in those lines because — for example — they’re booked on flights late next week and don’t have a Real ID, passport or military ID.

Some other number of people in line could probably hold off — but would legitimately have a problem if they needed to board a flight on short notice on May 7 or shortly after (say, for a funeral — that’s the most common reason non-business-travelers book flights on short notice) if they didn’t get a Real ID now.

But there’s one group of people who definitely are waiting unnecessarily: those standing in line holding passports to verify their identities in order to get a Real ID. That’s because a passport is just as good as a Real ID for purposes like boarding a flight.

Other people who can avoid the line include those who are pre-verified, which is actually a lot of people: many who got their first Pennsylvania driver’s license in 2003 or later. That’s because PennDOT gave people a chance to present the documents needed for a Real ID before you could actually get a Real ID, and if you did that, you don’t need to show the documents again. You can apply for pre-verification here.

For everyone else? There’s no guarantee you’ll bet right, but “the likelihood is is that after may 7th, there’ll be a little bit of a downtick in terms of the folks showing up at the driver’s license centers,” Mike Carroll, Pennsylvania’s secretary of transportation, said Monday during a briefing at Harrisburg International Airport. “So if you have a flight for August, for example — or September — by waiting two weeks, you might save yourself some time at the driver’s license center.”

If you can’t apply for pre-verification and you can’t wait — or don’t want to take the chance — make sure you bring the correct documents with you.

You’ll never truly be required to have a Real ID — for example, you wouldn’t need to show one to a police officer during a traffic stop. But most Americans fly at least occasionally, meaning most will need a Real ID if they don’t have a military ID or passport, although keep in mind: “Not a lot of folks carry a passport to fly from Harrisburg to Chicago,” Carroll said. “If you’re going to rely on the passport instead of the Real ID, you have to bring it with you.”

Oh, and for anyone holding out hope that the May 7 deadline will be extended again, as it was countless times during the past two decades?

“No, it’s not going to be extended again,” Carroll said without hesitation.