That’s right, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) has updated the road test portion for new drivers looking to get their license. 

As new drivers learn to drive by taking loops around empty parking lots or crawling through neighborhoods, here are a few additional areas to review that will ensure a good experience when advancing to take the recently updated road test and make them better drivers.

Drivers taking the road test will need to know where the vehicle insurance and registration cards are located in the vehicle so they can present them to the instructor and begin the road test. This is a new step that makes sure new drivers know what documents are required for the vehicle and where they are located. Previously, these documents were asked for at the counter when a test-taker arrived at the MVD office.

Be able to locate and demonstrate how to engage hazard lights, windshield wipers, high beams, emergency brakes and other safety features of the vehicle. 

The instructor will also look to make sure the vehicle is in good working order and safe to drive on streets before the driving portion begins. Tire safety, functioning seatbelts and turn signals are some of the elements that will be checked.

This checklist helps explain what is expected during the road test. We encourage you to review this with your new driver to ensure they are relaxed and ready for their driving test. 

These updated measures are designed to help prepare the new driver how to more completely operate the vehicle once they receive their driver license.

Additional changes to the road test include a longer course to better reflect driving needs during a typical commute. The course will now take about 15-20 minutes to complete the five to eight mile course

More information about the road tests can also be found on the ADOT MVD website.

Arizona motorists now have four new choices to show their support for community organizations while on the roadways and highways. Thunderbirds Charities, Arizona 4-H, Arizona Education and Congenital Heart Defect Awareness plates are available, along with many other options to display what is important to you.

Placing a specialty license plate on your car can be a fun way to show off your fandom, interests and past experiences. Did you know that specialty plates also raise money for charities in Arizona?

That’s right, for most specialty plates, $17 of the $25 initial application and annual renewal fees goes straight to charity. In fact, nearly 740,000 specialty plates helped generate more than $12 million for charitable causes across Arizona in the past 12 months.

Some of the most popular specialty license plates include:

     1. Veterans

     2. First Responders

     3. Arizona Cardinals

     4. Arizona Highways

     5. Military Support/Freedom 

In fact, the Veterans, First Responder, Arizona Cardinals and Arizona Highways plates each generated more than $1 million in revenue this past fiscal year.

To order a specialty plate and support a great cause, visit azmvdnow.gov, an MVD office or Authorized Third-Party office.

2023 might feel like a long way away, but it’ll be here quickly. Join the 1.65 million Arizonans who have already upgraded to the Arizona Travel ID. 

Now, we do understand this might seem a bit… repetitive. This date has changed before. Please understand that this is a federal program and the implementation has been affected, like so much else, by the events of the past two years. But when the time finally comes, you want to be prepared because without a federally-approved ID, you won’t be able to fly commercially or get into federal buildings.

Beginning May 3, 2023, you will need a federally-compliant credential -- like the Arizona Travel ID -- to get past TSA checkpoints at airports for domestic flights. This credential is distinguished by a gold star in the upper right corner and is available to Arizona residents as a driver license or identification card.  

You can also walk into an MVD office for this service, but we suggest scheduling an appointment and that can be done online at azmvdnow.gov. Even if you haven’t activated your AZ MVD NOW account, you can still schedule a Travel ID appointment. 

Because the Arizona Travel ID is compliant with the federal standards, you will need to provide extra documentation like a birth certificate, social security number and proof of Arizona residency.

More information, and a full list of qualifying documents are available at azdot.gov/TravelID

For ADOT Condemnation Team Leader Ron Middlebrook, the Old MVD Building was more than just a place where Right of Way records were stored.

He became intrigued about the building’s history during his frequent visits to manage documents from 2005 until 2018 when files were relocated because the Old MVD Building on 17th Avenue in Phoenix, was closed due to fire safety issues.

Middlebrook’s interest didn’t stop then. In fact, he decided to write a report about the Old MVD Building as a way to celebrate its centennial in 2021.

When he began his quest in 2018, he planned to write about 10 to 20 pages. But it turned into a labor of love, resulting in a 342- page report. “Report on the Old MVD Building: Its First 100 Years” is posted on the Arizona State Library’s Arizona Memory Project web page.

Extensive research

Middlebrook did most of his research on his own time. He pored over thousands of old photos and documents from the ADOT archives, Arizona State Archives, Maricopa County Assessor, city of Phoenix and more.

He combed through prior issues of Arizona Highways magazines and newsletters, and The Arizona Republic and its predecessor, the Arizona Republican. To help fill in gaps, he spoke to long-time ADOT employees like Hazardous Materials Coordinator Ed Green, who has worked at ADOT for over 50 years.

Since there was no funding to print the historical photos, Middlebrook paid for them at his own expense.

“When I saw all of these undeveloped negatives with such great images in ADOT’s photo archive, I knew that my report would not be complete without them,” Middlebrook said. “I'm still stunned that the old negatives with images from the 1920s were still as good as they are.”

Most of the report is filled with historic photos showing the building’s expansions and the employees who worked there spanning decades.

Middlebrook enjoyed creating then-and-now comparisons of the interior and exterior of the building.

“I enjoyed standing in places depicted in old photos and looking at how those places had changed and why,” he added.

Right of Way Titles Manager Steven Channer praised Middlebrook’s comprehensive report.

“Ron has always been a font of detailed critical knowledge. His attention to detail, and his ability to break down complicated and complex concepts into easily understandable terms shows through on this report,” he added.

On February 14, while most of us are occupied with candy hearts and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, the Donor Network of Arizona keeps its focus on the real thing.

That’s because February 14 is also National Donor Day -- Happy Valventine's Day! -- making it a good time to remind the public that more than 75% of recovered heart valves go to pediatric patients, like Heather. Tissue donation, which includes heart valves, heals thousands of patients every year. Heather was 9 years old when she had her second open-heart surgery, a transplant that included heart valves. She’s now a high-school senior and looks forward to serving her community as an organ and tissue donation advocate.

“Losing a loved one is beyond tragic,” said Julia Young, Donor Network of Arizona spokesperson. “But knowing and fulfilling your loved one’s decision to save lives can be incredibly healing. Registering as an organ donor saves grief-stricken family members from having to make that important decision.”

For nearly two decades, ADOT MVD and Donor Network of Arizona have partnered to educate people about organ and tissue donation and make it easy to register. Today, more than 4.2 million Arizonans are registered donors and about 95% of donor registrations occur when a person applies for or renews their Arizona driver license or state ID card.

Though millions of Arizonans are on the donor registry, it’s vital that people continue to sign up to be donors. Fewer than 1% of registered donors ever become organ donors and so the need for organs to save lives remains great.

Visit DonateLifeAZ.org to learn more about organ and tissue donation and register as a donor.