department of motor vehicles

Terminology and organization

Driver licensing and vehicle registration in the United States is handled by the state government in all states but Hawaii, where counties perform DMV functions. Although the federal government could theoretically take over such functions through its ability to regulate interstate commerce, it has refrained from doing so.

Names

The phrase "DMV" is most commonly used to describe the agency (where it exists); however, diverse titles are used in different states:

• Department of Motor Vehicles (California)
• Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Ohio, Indiana)
• Registry of Motor Vehicles (Massachusetts)
• Motor Vehicle Division (Arizona, New Mexico)
• Driver and Vehicle Services Division (Minnesota)
• Motor Vehicle Administration (Maryland)
• Office of Motor Vehicles (Louisiana)
• Department of State / Secretary of State (Michigan)
• Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department and Driver Services Department (Illinois)
• Transportation Cabinet (Kentucky)
• Motor Vehicle Commission (New Jersey)
  • New Jersey has confusing titles for the high office holders in this part of government: The head of the New Jersey Department of Transportation is referred to as the "Commissioner," while the head of the MVC/MVS is referred to as the "Chief Administrator."
• Department of Driver Services (Georgia)
• Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety (Nevada - former title of a department which has since been divided)
• Department of Licensing (Washington)
• Department of Transportation (Iowa)
  • Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicles Division (DMV) (Oregon)
  • Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (Pennsylvania)
  • Texas Department of Transportation, Vehicle Title and Registration Services (Texas)
  • Motor Vehicle Division North Dakota [vehicle registrations]
  • Drivers License and Traffic Safety Division North Dakota [driver licensing]
• Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles (New Hampshire)
  • Texas Department of Safety, Driver License Division (Texas)

Organization within the government

Furthermore, there is much diversity in how the Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent) is situated within the structure of a state's government.

Hawaii is the only U.S. state where no part of the state government performs DMV functions; it has completely delegated vehicle registration and driver licensing to county governments. In the City & County of Honolulu, the functions are further delegated to an office of the Department of Finance.

In Kentucky, the Transportation Cabinet sets the policies and designs for licenses and vehicle registration, but the actual registration and licensing are handled by offices of the county governments.

In the District of Columbia, which is not part of any state, the DMV (formerly the Bureau of Motor Vehicle Services) is part of the city government.

In a few states, driver's licenses and vehicle registrations are handled by separate departments. For example, in the state of Washington, the Department of Motor Vehicles only deals with vehicle registrations, while the Department of Licensing is responsible for driver's licenses. Similarly, a separate department may administer vehicle inspection. For example, in Virginia, the Department of Motor Vehicles handles both driver licensing and vehicle registration, while the Virginia State Police and the Department of Environmental Quality administer safety inspection and emission inspection, respectively.

In others, the DMV is not a separate cabinet-level department, but instead is a division or bureau within a larger department. Examples of departments which perform DMV functions include the Department of Justice (Montana), the Department of Public Safety (Texas), the Department of Revenue (Missouri and Arkansas), and the Department of Transportation (Pennsylvania and New Jersey). In New Hampshire, the Division of Motor Vehicles is a division of the Department of Safety.

Some states do not separate DMV functions into distinct organizational entities at all, but simply bundle them into a laundry list of responsibilities assigned to an existing government agency. Thus, in Michigan and Illinois, the Secretary of State's offices perform responsibilities which would be handled by the DMV in other states.

Jurisdiction and exceptions

Usually, all long-term residents of a state who wish to operate motor vehicles must possess a driver's license issued by their state DMV, and their vehicles must show license plates (and current registration tags or stickers) issued by that agency.

The main exceptions to this rule are vehicles registered by the federal government. The Office of Foreign Missions at the U.S. Department of State has a Diplomatic Motor Vehicles program which issues driver's licenses to foreign diplomats and their dependents, registers their vehicles, and issues special "CONSUL" license plates. The General Services Administration issues vehicle plates for the federal vehicle fleet (although federal employees who drive must hold driver's licenses issued by their home state).

In some states, besides conducting the written and hands-on driving tests that are a prerequisite to earning a driver's license, DMVs also regulate private driving schools and their instructors.

Driver's licenses and identification

In countries with no national identification card (like the United States), driver's licenses have often become the de facto identification card for many purposes, and DMVs have effectively become the agency responsible for verifying identity in their respective states. See Identity documents in the United States.

The DMV in popular culture

DMVs in general have a reputation for mediocre and sometimes rude customer service and long wait times. As a result, jokes about DMVs have become common (and even somewhat of a cliché) in American comedy, and DMVs are often the subject of satire in television shows and movies. Humor about long lines, unenthusiastic employees and departmental policies is common, as are stereotypical depictions of driving testers, usually portrayed as unsympathetic and callous. However, some DMV services are now available by mail or via the Internet, making some of this humor somewhat irrelevant to the actual operation of many departments.

In the popular American television show The Simpsons, Patty and Selma (Marge Simpson's sisters) work at the DMV.

The American rock band Primus released a song called DMV on their 1993 album Pork Soda.

In the American cartoon Megas XLR (aired on the Cartoon Network), the main character, Coop, has his giant robot towed for parking in the wrong place, and is forced to go to the DMV when he finds out his license has expired. He is noted as saying, several times throughout the episode, "I hate the DMV!"

In a recent Family Guy episode, Peter's ancestor, Nate Griffin (who is portrayed to be black), sought his revenge on white people for slavery by inventing the DMV.

In the Seinfeld episode "The Fusilli Jerry", the DMV gives Kramer someone else's license plates, which read "ASSMAN".

In a cell phone commercial a man being held against his will watches in agony as his captors use up his cell phone minutes as a means of torture. this process concludes with a call to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

In a recent Punk'd episode, Kutcher mathematically teamed up with DMV when they pranked Sugar Ray Leonard.[1]

In another recent radio commercial for buffalo wings, a man walks up to a desk and an unenthusisastic woman says in an agitated voice "Welcome to the DMV, how can I help you?".

Equivalent agencies in other countries

• United Kingdom – Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
• Canada (Province of Québec) - Société de l'Assurance Automobile du Québec
• Canada (Province of Ontario) - Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO)
• Bulgaria - Traffic Police
• Sweden – Swedish National Road Administration

External links

Official sites

• American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators

Unofficial DMV Guides

• DMV information