If you’ve got DMV business to take care of, you might want to handle it sooner rather than later.

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is going completely dark for five days in February. That means every DMV office will be closed and all online services will be shut down as part of a massive system upgrade.

Starting February 13 at 2 p.m., DMV branches across the state will close. They won’t reopen until the morning of February 18. During that time, you won’t be able to process transactions online either.

Why the shutdown? Believe it or not, some of the DMV’s computer systems date back to 1968. Yes — nearly six decades old.

DMV Deputy Commissioner Lisa Koumjian says the current system is incredibly difficult to update and modernize. So instead of patching it yet again, they’re doing a full overhaul. Technicians will use the five-day window to consolidate 30 million records from multiple outdated systems into one streamlined platform.

Right now, employees sometimes have to move through eight to ten different systems just to complete one task. The new setup will bring everything into one unified system.

So what does that mean for you?

Officials say once the new platform is up and running, customers should notice shorter wait times, better efficiency inside offices, and more services available online.

Bottom line: If your license, registration, or any other DMV matter can’t wait, take care of it before February 13 at 2 p.m. Otherwise, you’ll have to sit tight until the 18th.

And as always, be careful online — the DMV is also warning about a rise in scam texts linking to fake DMV websites. If you get a suspicious message, don’t click it.

We’ll keep you posted right here on K104.