Last year’s NBA Western Conference champions are delightfully continuing their winning ways in the 2021-22 season.

After watching our hometown team go undefeated in November, we were reminded of the time more than twenty years ago that the Phoenix Suns' Gorilla lumbered over from his tree high atop the arena to the MVD and scored his driver license.

In 1995, "G. Gorilla," aced the written portion of his test. As for the driving? We were told he was an expert in three-point-turns and reverse pivots, and also committed no lane violations.

After getting two thumbs up from the road test administrator, basketball’s favorite mascot posed for his driver license photo and hopped in the team truck to for a road game.

Are you interested in taking the steps to obtain a first driver license? If you’re under 18, you can start with the Permit Test @ Home. If you’re over 18, check out these resources.

And have you heard about this? The Phoenix Suns recently redesigned their specialty license plate! Learn all about it here.

Most of us in Arizona can probably go whole days, if not months or even years, without paying much thought to the ringtail, Arizona’s official state mammal.

But chances are, most of you are carrying a photo of it in your wallet. That’s because, in 2014, the Arizona Department of Transportation included a picture of this elusive animal on the redesigned driver licenses.

You can seeing it lounging on the bottom right hand corner. For today’s Throwback Thursday, we are throwing back to 2014, when ADOT held a “name the ringtail” contest. We thought the little creature deserved a nickname, so we asked all of you for ideas.  

You submitted plenty of suggestions. Ringo, Kai, Copper and even Lord Voldemort were among hundreds of entries.

But in the end, it was Rory, who at the time was a 7-year-old girl from Peoria, who came up with the winner: “Rocky” the ringtail was christened! Rory is pictured in the black and white dress to the right.

So what is a ringtail? Is it a cat, or a lemur? It’s actually related to the coati and raccoon.

The following information comes from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum:

Ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) have long tails with alternating bands of white and black fur. They have large eyes surrounded by white rings of fur, large rounded ears, short legs and a long grayish colored body.

Ringtails are omnivores which means they will eat just about anything if it is the right size. Some of their food choices are fruit, insects, lizards, snakes, small mammals such as mice, woodrat's, squirrels, as well as birds and bird eggs

As for Rory and her family, they visited MVD headquarters in Phoenix to receive her awards – a stuffed animal (a ringtail, of course!), a special license plate and a pink ADOT hard hat.

Olivia Rodrigo’s song “Drivers License” has taken the music world by storm, shattering streaming and airplay records and debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

While we here at the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division aren’t hit songwriters or noted music critics, we are professionals at issuing driver licenses and feel we can speak with some authority on this topic.

Both parents and teens can feel anxiety when a teen is learning to drive, but obtaining a permit or driver license shouldn't cause any stress. When it comes time for teens to get their license, here are the steps for first-time drivers younger than 18 years old:

First, check the permit and license requirements.

Next, you’ll need to take the written test to get an Instruction Permit. The written test can be taken at an MVD office – appointments are required – but we suggest doing the Permit Test @ Home through AZMVDNow.gov. Study the Arizona Driver Manual and take a few practice tests to ensure you’re prepared for the written test. Participating Arizona Professional Driving School trainers can also administer the written test. 

After the written test is passed, it’s time to get your Instruction Permit. Use the teen’s AZ MVD Now account to schedule an appointment at an MVD office or visit an Authorized Third Party driver license provider. Don’t forget to bring a completed application and all necessary original supporting documents.

Now, you’ve got your instruction permit! But don’t go off driving by yourself “through the suburbs” just yet -- permit-holders must have a licensed driver who is at least 21 years of age in the front seat next to them at all times. 

Finally, after meeting requirements, schedule a road test so you can get your “Driver’s License!”

For many of us, thinking about renewing our driver license rarely crosses our mind. Sure, we  update it with a new address when we move and some change their name after getting married, but the first time most of us will actually renew our driver license is when we turn 65 years old.

For about 75,000 Arizonans, many of whom are making safe and healthy choices to limit time spent outside their home, renewing their license was a growing concern. Those 75,000 Arizonans – all of them older than 65 – would have seen their driver licenses expire in January and February of 2021. Fortunately, they can continue to focus their attention on their health and delay a trip to an Arizona Motor Vehicle Division office.

Recently, Governor Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order that deferred renewals of standard Arizona driver licenses with an expiration date between March 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021, by one year from their original expiration date. This extension minimizes in-person visits to MVD offices for older adults and helps reduce the spread of COVID-19. That’s something we can all support. 

Although many of us use online methods to update our driver license throughout our lives, state law requires that persons age 65 and older must come into an MVD office to renew their driver license every five years and obtain a new credential with a new photograph. MVD is working on implementing a variety of low-touch or no-touch service options, including the potential for online renewal services in the future.

Ensuring the safety of our employees and customers during the public health emergency has been a driving force in implementing contactless options for most MVD services. In April, we launched AZMVDNow.gov, which allows customers to complete more than 30 services, including common ones like registration renewal, change of address, title transfers, sold notices and more. 

The last year brought a lot of change in just about every aspect of our lives. When it comes to engaging with the MVD, through the improvements we’ve made to increase customer convenience, we think that change is for the better. As we prepare to spring into the new year – I know we’re all eager to leave behind 2020 – I wish for everyone a healthy 2021.

As summer arrives, many teens will be spending more time practicing their driving skills and preparing for the driver license test. Along with the preparation can come a struggle between parent and teen of how to drive and who "knows it best." Today's driving quiz aims to help settle the debate. Parents and teens, take the quiz separately to see who really "knows it best!" For those wanting to take the quiz in Spanish, a Spanish version is immediately below the English version. Good luck!

By Doug Nick / ADOT Communications

Having a driver license suspended is a serious matter, to say the least, and the repercussions can go further than restricting someone’s privilege to drive.

Since many people rely on their license as a state-issued ID, having it suspended often means needing a temporary replacement. Fortunately, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has made it less complicated to order a temporary ID card by introducing an online ordering option through ServiceArizona.com.

We know that people often need a valid ID in order to buy items at the store, go to the bank, and apply for a job among other things When customers are faced with a suspended license, it makes having a temporary ID card vital.

By adding this to our growing menu of online services, we’ve eliminated one more reason to be compelled to visit an MVD office. That speeds the process for all of our customers because it reduces traffic at MVD offices so we can better serve everyone who needs to come to one of our locations.

To get a temporary ID card, a customer must first have a suspended Arizona driver license. The expiration date on the suspended license must be beyond the six months the temporary ID is valid. Also, the customer must already have an Arizona license photo that has been taken within the past 12 years on file with MVD in order for the temporary ID to be produced.

To learn more, go to ServiceArizona.com.