PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation joins traffic safety stakeholders across the country in recognizing National Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct. 16-22) and encouraging teens to make safe choices when driving. Nationally, car crashes are among the leading causes of death for teens. In 2021 in Arizona, 33 teen drivers died in vehicle collisions and 3,293 others suffered injuries, according to statewide crash reports.

These simple actions can help teen drivers – and drivers of any age – be safer on the roads:

• Always wear a seat belt.
• Don’t speed or drive recklessly.
• Don’t drive distracted – put down the phone.
• Don’t drive impaired or let impaired people get behind the wheel.

Teens preparing to apply for their instruction permit and the written test can study by reviewing the Arizona Driver License Manual and take practice tests on ADOT’s website before taking your instruction permit test online via Permit Test @ Home. 

Once they have their permit, and want to test their driving skills, they can find many resources on ADOT’s website. The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) recently updated the road test for new drivers to enhance safety awareness for the new drivers so they are ready to safely join the millions of drivers on Arizona roads.

ADOT and the MVD makes these materials available for free as part of MVD’s mission to get you out of the line and safely on the road.

ADOT MVD unveils new specialty license plates
Arizona 4-H, Arizona Education, Congenital Heart Defect Awareness and Thunderbirds Charities among new plates offered

PHOENIX – Arizonans now have even more choices to support their favorite charitable cause as the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is making available four new specialty license plates.

“We know that people who choose specialty license plates for their vehicles take pride in displaying their connection to these community organizations,” MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said. “MVD is pleased that we can partner with various organizations that benefit Arizonans.”

Most specialty plates cost $25 each year. Of that amount, $17 goes to a designated charity or non-profit group. Each Fiscal Year the total statewide sales of specialty plates contributes over $10 million for various causes and charities.

All specialty license plates can be viewed and purchased at azmvdnow.gov. These are the new specialty license plates:

Arizona 4-H

This specialty plate is available to anyone and $17 goes toward inspiring the next generation of inventors, entrepreneurs and community leaders through Arizona 4-H. 

“The Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation is proud to announce the availability of the new 4-H license plate, ‘Empowering Today’s Youth,’” said President Kari Petterson of Gilbert. “It is more important today to have positive opportunities and growth experiences for young people ages 5-19. Arizona 4-H does that through the club model in a very robust way that focuses on the youths’ interests, allowing them to explore, create, innovate, master and excel in over 70 project areas. We are positive youth development driven,” she adds, “all-inclusive with a vision of inspiring the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and community leaders.”

Arizona Education

This specialty plate is available to anyone and $17 goes to a special fund that provides scholarships and grants to eligible teachers and students to fund continuing education.

“The Scottsdale Charros fund many charitable organizations, but we have a long history of supporting education because we believe it is the foundation of our community. Our programs include grants to individual schools, student scholarships, and celebrating educators in a multitude of ways,” said Dennis Robbins, executive director of the Scottsdale Charros. “We are excited to add to these efforts by offering a specialty license plate that highlights our dedication to Arizona education.”

Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Awareness

This specialty plate is available to anyone and $17 goes to the Phoenix Children's Hospital-Heart Center for critical research, education and community programs to lead children born with Congenital Heart Defects to longer, healthier lives.

“The Heart Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital is grateful to Raerae of Light for making the CHD specialty license plate possible,” said Daniel A. Velez, MD, co-director, Heart Center; Division Chief Cardiac Surgery. “This is an incredible opportunity. We are grateful for their generosity, and that of all who purchase the license plate. This will give hope to families and save lives by providing access to nationally recognized pediatric cardiac care. At the Heart Center, we aim to leverage the latest technology to achieve the best possible outcomes.”

Thunderbirds Charities

This specialty plate is available to anyone and $17 goes to assist children and families, help people in need and improve the quality of life in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

“We are extremely excited to have a specialty license plate that will highlight Thunderbirds Charities and what The Thunderbirds do in the community,” said Big Chief of the Thunderbirds and President of Thunderbirds Charities, Michael Golding. “This is just another great way people can get involved with Thunderbirds Charities and ultimately make a bigger impact for kids in Arizona.”

To view and order any specialty plate, visit azmvdnow.gov. Personalization can be added for an additional $25 per year.

Specialty plates are authorized by the Arizona legislature and have been offered since 1989. Authorized plate designs complete a review by ADOT and law enforcement. In all, there are more than 80 license plate options for Arizona motorists.

PHOENIX – School may be out for the summer, but some students still have a test in their future, one they might even be looking forward to: the written driver Instruction Permit test.

Typically, June and July are two of the busier months for permit tests for the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division. However, ADOT’s official website – azdot.gov – is a one-stop shop for test-takers, offering all the study material a test-taker will need, including the Arizona Driver License Manual and practice tests.

A person must be at least 15 years and 6 months old to apply for an Instruction Permit and first-time drivers younger than 18 years old have a few options for taking the written test. Most applicants choose to take the test online via Permit Test @ Home at AZMVDNow.gov. Some take the test at an MVD office -- applicants can schedule their in-person test appointment time and date online -- and participating Arizona Professional Driving School trainers can also administer the written test.