QR codes are big nowadays … you see them everywhere.

They’re the two-dimensional bar codes that provide a quick link to Web pages for your smart phone.

They are not only fun (there’s something kind of awesome about scanning a code and instantly being taken to a web destination), but they’re also convenient and that’s why ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division is utilizing QR codes along with a new mobile site to provide customers the ability to renew vehicle and aircraft registration on the go!

Mobile site
MVD just launched a mobile version of its popular online service for renewing vehicle registrations. The procedure has been streamlined to make an easier process for users of ServiceArizona.com, MVD’s website for online customer services.

EZ Renewal Mobile is not an app, but a universal design that’s compatible with smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices. When users access the renewal web page with a mobile device, they will automatically be linked to the mobile portal.

“We know the needs of our customers are changing and we want to accommodate people who conduct business while on the go," said MVD Director Stacey Stanton.

QR Codes
The QR codes provide mobile customers instant access to some of its most popular services. The registration renewal notice that customers receive in the mail will soon have a QR code that will take users directly to the online mobile version. The QR code quick links have been implemented for easier motor vehicle and aircraft registration renewal.

MVD is using a QR code also to assist customers in field offices applying for an Arizona driver license. Customers taking the written examination will find posters in the office with a quick link QR code to the MVD website where they can a take practice test for the written exam or simply check their knowledge of traffic laws.

"We're seeing a steady increase in customers utilizing mobile devices. Our goal is to make it quick and easy to find the information they need or to complete a transaction," said Stanton.

For more information, visit this Web page or scan the QR code above.

Nobody likes a bumpy ride.

In fact, ADOT goes to great lengths to make sure Arizona ’s roads are as smooth as possible…even when that means walking hundreds of miles of roadway!

To measure the smoothness of a road, ADOT uses a machine called a profilograph that surveys the road for any lumps, bumps or dips. (Recently it was used to identify any imperfections in the newest stretch of Loop 303 before it opens this month – see video above.)

Basically, a profilograph is a highly sophisticated computer system attached to a large metal frame, 12 small wheels and an ordinary bicycle tire. The entire contraption, which is 25-feet long and weighs about 350 pounds, is pushed by hand over the full stretch of a roadway several times to provide the road’s “smoothness factor.”

The bicycle tire, which simulates the travel of a vehicle, indicates to the computer any dip or bump in the road greater than 3/10 of an inch. The resulting data details each imperfection in the road letting the contractor know what areas they need to go back and either fill or grind down.