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| Overview - new DMV related laws |
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Dec. 13, 2007
For more information, contact David House (503) 945-5270
Several new laws relating to drivers, vehicles, commercial drivers and other DMV related topics will go into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
Radio stations: Download either an MP3 version of this news covering new DMV-related state laws.
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| Driver and driving related laws |
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Several new Oregon laws that take effect Jan. 1 will refine how Oregonians learn to drive, how they continue driving, and if and when they may need to stop driving.
House Bill 2704, passed by the 2007 Oregon Legislature, will add fuel-efficient driving techniques to the Oregon Driver Manual. The bill also will add questions about these fuel-saving techniques to the knowledge test given to applicants for Oregon driver licenses and instruction permits.
New questions on fuel-efficient driving will be added to the pool of knowledge test questions after DMV publishes the next edition of the Oregon Driver Manual, expected in late January. Passage of the knowledge test is one of the requirements for new drivers to obtain an instruction permit or for new Oregon residents to obtain a driver license in the state.
In addition, instruction permit holders will be able to renew their permit under another new law, HB 2267. This bill will allow DMV to renew an instruction permit if the holder applies for renewal within one year of the permits’ expiration date or within six months of discharge from the U.S. armed forces.
Under another new law, Oregonians who receive traffic citations will have added incentive to respond to courts over those traffic offenses and to pay any fines.
HB 2321 will allow courts to suspend driving privileges for 10 years when a person fails to appear in court for a traffic offense or fails to comply with the court’s fine or other orders for traffic offenses. The bill will extend the maximum suspension – currently five years – so that individuals with court-ordered suspensions no longer can out-wait the suspension and then renew their licenses at DMV.
The 2007 Legislature also refined laws affecting the mobility of Oregonians with medical issues. These include:
- Senate Bill 716 directs DMV to create a “wheelchair only” placard – in addition to the standard disabled parking placard – for Oregonians needing parking spaces large enough for a wheelchair-bearing vehicle. The bill requires some parking spaces to be reserved for use by wheelchair users only. Use of a wheelchair only parking space without permit will be a Class A offense with a minimum fine of $190.
- Senate Bill 728 turns Oregon’s limited-vision driving permit pilot project into a permanent program. The program allows individuals to qualify for limited driving privileges if a vision specialist certifies that they can drive safely with a bioptic-telescopic lens. The 16 individuals using the program in Oregon have been driving safely since the pilot began July 1, 2004, according to DMV records.
- SB 620 expands the term “physician” for the Medically At-Risk Driver Program. The change will add doctors of naturopathic medicine to those who can advise DMV about the physical or cognitive ability to drive safely. Oregon law requires physicians to notify DMV of a patient’s loss of physical or cognitive ability to drive safely.
- HB 2176 transfers the responsibility of determining medical eligibility for driver licensing from the State Health Officer to a medical determination officer at DMV.
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| Passenger vehicles and license plates |
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Some new Oregon laws for passenger vehicles and license plates that take effect Jan. 1 will impact all Oregonians, while others will affect specific residents or vehicles. And one new law will affect only one Oregonian, at least for now.
House Bill 2390, passed by the 2007 Oregon Legislature, authorizes DMV to issue a custom Medal of Honor license plate to World War II veteran Robert Maxwell, the state’s only living recipient of the highest Congressional military award. Future Oregon Medal of Honor recipients also will be eligible for this new plate.
Other military veterans and their families in Oregon also will get new plate options under House Bill 3161.
Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs worked with DMV to create a unique plate background to be used on all veteran group plates. Qualifying veterans may choose a basic veteran plate, a service branch insignia or a service-related medal on their plate. Plate choices will be available for viewing on the DMV Web site Dec. 24. Issuance of the new plates will begin the first week of January 2008.
HB 3161 also creates an Oregon Gold Star Family plate, which will be issued only to surviving family members of individuals who have died while on active duty in the armed forces. The plates will be on the new veteran plate background and include a gold star decal, a tri-fold flag and the words “Gold Star Family.”
Meanwhile, another new plate will combine the safety interests of both drivers and bicyclists under the “Share the Road” plate authorized by Senate Bill 789. Share the Road group plates will be on a unique silver and dark blue background with a yellow graphic of a bicyclist on the left-hand side.
All special plates require a surcharge that goes to the sponsoring group, in addition to plate manufacturing and regular registration fees. Some plates have a one-time surcharge, and others require the surcharge at each registration renewal. All group plates are issued by mail from DMV Headquarters and are not available at a DMV field office.
For information on special and group plates, surcharges and what sponsoring group receives the money, visit the license plate section of www.OregonDMV.com.
In addition to creating new plates, the 2007 Oregon Legislature enacted several other changes to vehicle laws that will take effect Jan. 1:
- HB 2272 tightens clean-air standards for future vehicles. The bill authorizes DMV to deny registration to a vehicle that does not comply with emission standards of the Environmental Quality Commission for model years 2009 or later model year vehicles that have fewer than 7,500 miles at the time of registration.
- HB 2034 sets a 30-day deadline after establishing residency in Oregon for new residents to title and register their vehicles here and to obtain an Oregon driver license. Current law does not set a clear deadline for new state residents.
- HB 2119 clarifies that it is a traffic violation to display a registration plate on a vehicle other than the one for which the plates or registration tags were issued.
- HB 2271 adds the term “loaded weight” to the definition of “registration weight” that is used to determine registration fees. This law is intended to ensure that vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds when loaded pay appropriate registration fees.
- HB 2936 lowers registration fees for some motor homes, creates a traffic violation for failure to remove a vehicle from a highway after a non-injury crash, and creates a violation for failure to use a pilot car with some heavy-vehicle permits.
- HB 3527 defines a “racing activity vehicle” for purposes of titling and registration, and exempts such vehicles from federal and state equipment standards and Department of Environmental Quality emissions testing.
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| Professional drivers and vehicle businesses |
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If you drive a vehicle for a living or your business deals with motor vehicles, a few changes coming to Oregon laws might affect you.
A handful of bills passed by the 2007 Oregon Legislature will take effect Jan. 1 with changes to laws governing some commercial driver license holders, vehicle appraisers, vehicle dealers and vehicle dismantlers:
- House Bill 3380 will allow people with regular Class C driver licenses to drive a passenger vehicle, van or minivan for a community based transportation service, even if the vehicle is owned by a mass transit authority. The bill removes these vehicles from the definition of “commercial vehicle,” which requires the operator to hold a commercial driver license.
- HB 2266 requires DMV to notify the Oregon Department of Education whenever the driving privileges of a school bus endorsement holder are suspended, canceled or revoked. The bill is designed to improve the notification process.
- HB 2435 defines the term “vehicle appraiser” to be a person who holds an appraiser’s certificate issued by the Oregon Department of Transportation and is paid to estimate the value of vehicles. The department may establish education requirements for the certificate.
- HB 2437 requires that applicants for a vehicle dealer’s certificate pass a test within one year of completing the eight hours of education required for the certificate.
- HB 3377 authorizes DMV to adopt administrative rules that allow it to sanction vehicle dismantlers for violations of their dismantler licenses. Current law has no flexibility, allowing only a fine or license revocation.
These are only a few of the new state laws taking effect Jan. 1 that involve DMV and the rest of the Oregon Department of Transportation. For more information on commercial driving and vehicle-related businesses, visit www.OregonDMV.com or www.Oregon.gov/ODOT.
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