CVV News

September 6, 2023

Huddle Up with the DMV to Get Your REAL ID

Sacramento – More than 16.3 million Californians now have a REAL ID – an increase of 179,670 from the previous month – according to California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) data.

With Labor Day signaling the unofficial end of summer, it’s time to move into fall. Before grabbing your pumpkin spice latte and settling in for football season, start your application online to get a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card. There is no need to wait for the federal enforcement date of May 7, 2025, that requires a REAL ID or other federally approved document to board flights within the United States and access secure federal facilities. Doing it now means one less thing to worry about later.

“Don’t punt getting your REAL ID into the future. Tackle it today,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “It’s the easiest play call yet, whether it’s time to renew your driver’s license or you’re applying for the very first time. Take it to the end zone with a REAL ID.”

To apply for a REAL ID, Californians should visit REALID.dmv.ca.gov, fill out the online application and upload their documents. Customers must visit a DMV office and bring their uploaded documents to complete the application. Customers need to provide:

• Proof of identity* – One original or certified document (example: valid passport, birth certificate) *Legal name change document(s) is required if name on proof of identity is different from the name on the other documents (example: marriage certificate, adoption papers).
• Proofs of California residency – Two documents, paper copies (example: utility bill, bank statement).
• Social Security number (exceptions may apply).

Visit REALID.dmv.ca.gov for a complete list of acceptable documents and a link to the online application.

Historical REAL ID information:

• Total REAL ID cardholders as of September 1, 2023: 16,332,785
• Total REAL ID cardholders as of August 1, 2023: 16,153,115
• Total REAL ID cardholders as September 1, 2022: 14,094,438

Online Services         

The DMV has taken many steps to offer more digital services. Most DMV tasks do not require an office visit. The DMV encourages customers to use its online services and other service channels to complete transactions, including eligible driver’s license and vehicle registration renewals. Customers can also use the Service Advisor on the DMV website to learn their options to complete DMV tasks.

To sign up for paperless vehicle registration and driver’s license renewal notices, customers must sign in or create a secure online account at dmv.ca.gov, and then opt in.

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Autonomous Vehicle Permit Holders Report 5.7 Million Test Miles in California

CVV News l February 17, 2023

Companies with a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California reported their technologies drove more than 5.7 million miles during the latest reporting period (December 1, 2021-November 30, 2022), according to disengagement reports recently submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The annual reports summarize when vehicles disengaged from autonomous mode during tests and reveal test vehicles traveled a record 5.7 million miles in autonomous mode on California’s public roads during the reporting period – 5.1 million miles with a safety driver and 622,257 miles of driverless testing. The total is an increase of more than 1 million miles from the previous reporting period.

The reports include the total number of disengagements, the circumstances or testing conditions, the location, and the total miles traveled in autonomous mode on public roads for each permit holder. Disengagements can occur when a failure of the technology is detected or when the safety driver needs to take immediate control of the vehicle. The reports provide insights on a company’s testing activities in California but are not intended to compare one company with another or reach broad conclusions on technological capabilities.

Twenty-two permit holders reported they did not test autonomous vehicles on California public roads during the reporting period. The DMV is suspending two companies for failing to file the annual report. Another company let its testing permit lapse and failed to file a report.

Under California’s regulations, companies are not required to report testing on private roads/test tracks, testing that occurs out of state, testing below SAE Level 3, or testing done in simulation. The regulations require submitting an annual report to the DMV every January 1. The first report a company provides covers the period from when the permit was issued to November 30 of the following year. Subsequent reports provide 12-month details starting December 1 each year.

Currently, 43 companies have valid permits to test autonomous vehicles with a safety driver, seven companies have a permit for driverless testing and three manufacturers are authorized to deploy autonomous vehicles. All active testing permit holders that received authorization prior to 2022 were required to submit a disengagement report by January 1, 2023. The four companies that received a permit to test with a safety driver in 2022 will submit their first report by January 1, 2024.

The Office of Traffic Safety and Caltrans Continue to Promote National Pedestrian Safety Month During October

Kimberly Brown | Sr. Director l LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS

October 24, 2022

ELK GROVE, Calif. — October is best known for its Halloween festivities, but it is also National Pedestrian Safety Month, which ties in perfectly with the need for pedestrians and drivers to be extra careful and watch for increased foot traffic on the streets. This month, the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and Caltrans are encouraging people to do their part to help reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities. 

The streets are becoming more deadly for pedestrians, with an alarming increase in the number of people being struck and killed while walking. During the pandemic in 2020, 6,516 pedestrians were killed throughout the U.S., including 986 in California. The same year, pedestrian deaths accounted for 17 percent of all traffic fatalities and 2 percent of all people injured in traffic crashes.

According to a 2022 report by Smart Growth America, people of color, particularly Black and Native American pedestrians, are more likely to die while walking than any other race or ethnic group. Older adults and people walking in low-income neighborhoods were also killed at much higher rates than other populations in 2020 as with past years. Traditionally, these neighborhoods have fewer sidewalks and parks, as well as more roads without controlled access that can carry large volumes of local traffic at generally high speeds. These factors support the need for a heightened focus on road safety for residents who rely on walking or public transportation.

Safety is a two-way street. Drivers and pedestrians must share the road, share the responsibility and work together to demonstrate safe behaviors on the road, helping to protect themselves and those around them. OTS and Caltrans offer the following tips for pedestrians and drivers to keep each other safe, particularly as Halloween approaches: 

Safety tips for pedestrians:

• Make yourself visible: wear bright colored clothes and carry a flashlight if you are walking at night.
• Avoid dangerous behaviors: always walk on the sidewalk (don’t cross mid-block), stay sober and make eye contact with drivers – don’t assume the driver can see you.
• Stay off your phone: talking and especially texting distracts you from paying attention to your surroundings.
• Look before you step: cross streets at marked crosswalks/intersections, obey traffic signals and watch for turning vehicles.
• To prevent stumbling or tripping, make sure that costumes don’t drag on the ground.
• Look left-right-left before crossing a street.

Safety tips for drivers:

• Don’t speed! Obey the speed limit, never use your phone, and always be cautious of your surroundings.
• Never drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
• Look out for pedestrians, especially in hard-to-see conditions such as at night or in bad weather.
• Pedestrians have the right of way at any crosswalk or intersection, so yield and be prepared to stop.
• Stop at the crosswalk stop line to give drivers in other lanes an opportunity to see and yield to pedestrians too.
• Be cautious when backing up – pedestrians, especially young children, can move into your path suddenly.

National Pedestrian Safety Month is an ideal time to shine a light on the importance of prioritizing safer behaviors on the road to protect our children, parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, and co-workers.

To learn more about ways to stay safe, visit www.gosafelyca.org.