American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators

AAMVA Headlines
Regional News

Motor Vehicle Industry Response on COVID-19 Pandemic

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, a novel (new) coronavirus, to be a global pandemic. By March 13, COVID-19 was declared a national emergency by President Donald Trump. This is a rapidly-evolving pandemic, and though early data suggested people above the age of 60 and/or with underlying medical conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease) were considered to be most at risk, recent data has shown 40% of hospitalized patients were between the ages of 20 and 54. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has encouraged many preventative measures, including social distancing and cancelling events, but local and state government officials and public health departments, in consultation with federal officials, have been tasked with making decisions based on local conditions. Lawmakers have asked DHS to delay the federal REAL ID deadline, and FMCSA has expanded on the national emergency declaration in the United States to provide HOS relief for commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency aid. In response to the emerging situation, AAMVA has cancelled multiple events, restricted staff business travel, and mandated a work from home period for all employees. Below are a selection of news articles regarding the effects of coronavirus on the motor vehicle community.

Visit cdc.gov for more information on COVID-19, guidance, press releases, press kits, and more.

This Week's Webinars

NMVTIS State Web Interface (SWI) – How to Correct Title and Brand Data on the Central Site

Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 2:00 - 3:00 pm (ET)

In the past, states contacted the AAMVA Help Desk directly if they needed to make a data correction. As part of the NMVTIS reengineering effort, a Help Desk feature was created to allow states to correct their title and brand data on the central site. When states perform their own data corrections the timeliness and accuracy of the data corrections improves substantially. This webinar is focused on explaining the capability of the Help Desk feature as included in the SWI. Data correction scenarios are explained and matched to the correct update operation within the SWI. A brief overview of the SWI application will also be provided

Note: This webinar is for AAMVA jurisdiction and federal members only.

The Detection of Fraudulent Identification

Wednesday, March 25, 2020, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm (ET)

The use of counterfeit identification documents continues to grow and the quality of these documents keeps improving, causing ever-increasing challenges for anyone authenticating them. To detect counterfeit identification, it’s important to have knowledge and skills in knowing what features are contained in genuine identity documents and how to authenticate those features. This webinar will provide detailed information on how to improve identity document authentication and provide techniques to enhance the ability to validate security features in order to detect counterfeit identification. Attendees are encouraged to have a basic understanding of document authentication prior to attending this webinar. The AAMVA Fraud Detection and Remediation (FDR) training program is an excellent resource to provide this foundation. Check with your agency training coordinator or visit https://www.aamva.org/FDR-Training/ to learn more about FDR training. This webinar is intended for law enforcement officers, DMV investigators, and all DMV staff responsible for validating and authenticating identification documents.

This webinar is for AAMVA jurisdiction and federal members only.

NMVTIS Suspense Resolution for Online States (AMIE Version) – Part 1

Wednesday, March 25, 2020, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm (ET)

NMVTIS has two third party transactions that involve updates between the central site and multiple states. Because the transactions involve multiple states and the central site, it is possible for a transaction to break down before it completes. Further activity against this title record is greatly restricted until the problem is resolved. This webinar provides instruction as to how to identify and resume suspended transactions. The intended audience for this webinar are NMVTIS Help Desk Personnel, Business Process Analyst and IT System Integrators.

Note: This webinar is for AAMVA jurisdiction members only.

NMVTIS Suspense Resolution for Online States (AMIE Version) – Part 2

Thursday, March 26, 2020, 1:00 - 2:00 pm (ET)

Note: This webinar is for AAMVA jurisdiction members only.

The following articles from AAMVA's Regional News for March 20, 2020 received the highest click-through rates:

Motor Vehicle Industry Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, a novel (new) coronavirus, to be a global pandemic. By March 13, COVID-19 was declared a national emergency by President Donald Trump. This is a rapidly-evolving pandemic, and though early data suggested people above the age of 60 and/or with underlying medical conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease) were considered to be most at risk, recent data has shown 40% of hospitalized patients were between the ages of 20 and 54. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has encouraged many preventative measures, including social distancing and cancelling events, but local and state government officials and public health departments, in consultation with federal officials, have been tasked with making decisions based on local conditions. Lawmakers have asked DHS to delay the federal REAL ID deadline, and FMCSA has expanded on the national emergency declaration in the United States to provide HOS relief for commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency aid. In response to the emerging situation, AAMVA has cancelled its 2020 Workshop & Law Institute, restricted staff business travel, and mandated a work from home period for all employees. Below are a selection of news articles regarding the effects of coronavirus on the motor vehicle community.

National News Coverage:

Jurisdictional News Coverage:

Visit cdc.gov for more information on COVID-19, guidance, press releases, press kits, and more.

Outta My Way, A–HOLE: What's Not OK on NY Personalized Plate (New York)

S–KER. Well, That's what you are if you think the DMV is going to let you put that word on a personalized plate. There's just no way, A–HOLE. Oh, that's another one that will never see the light of day... couple of other requests denied of late: MURDERQ and RAAPEVA, according to Tim O'Brien, a spokesman for the Department of Motor Vehicles. Then there is a laundry list of words so dirty that they're permanently banned. Read more at nypost.com.

Golf Cart, Off-Highway Plates Available at Motor-Vehicle Office (Texas)

Since the Texas Legislature approved House Bill 1548 this summer allowing golf carts and off-highway vehicles on certain public roads, motor-vehicle offices have been anxiously awaiting license plates for these vehicles. Wichita County Tax Collector/Assessor Tommy Smyth said they originally thought the office would be getting the plates in December 2019, but the roll-out date was pushed back. Read more at timesrecordnews.com.

Online Document Checker Added for Granite Staters Seeking to Get REAL ID (New Hampshire)

Officials with the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles have released a new online tool aimed at helping Granite Staters identify required documents for the transition to REAL ID. "The Document Checker will help customers in being fully prepared with the necessary paperwork which may save time during transactions and decrease the need for multiple visits," officials said in a press release. Read more at wmur.com.

Minnesota Trialling Bluetooth 'Tags' to Warn Drivers About Highway Workzones

In a project sponsored by the Roadway Safety Institute, University of Minnesota (UMN) researchers have developed a system that uses Bluetooth 'tags' to trigger in-vehicle audio warnings when approaching a highway workzone. According to USDOT data, more than 20,000 highway personnel are injured or killed in workzones each year. For several years, UMN researchers have been teaming up on an interdisciplinary effort to develop a Bluetooth-based system that can be placed in workzones to deliver advance warning messages to drivers. Read more at traffictechnologytoday.com.

Jurisdiction Response to COVID-19

COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) – Event Announcements

In the Spotlight

Shortcuts