The DMV is responsible for vehicle-related tasks such as issuing driver’s licenses and conducting driving tests. Different states have different names for this government office. The DMV is often satirized for slow service and rude interactions, but many services have moved online to combat this image.
In the United States, the Department of Motor Vehicles, more commonly known as the DMV, is the official agency responsible for everything to do with vehicles, from registering a car to issuing a driver’s license to safety and emissions inspection. While the DMV has become the standard designation for all departments of transportation, the truth is that different states have different names for this government office. For example, the DMV is called the Office of Motor Vehicles in Louisiana, the Transportation Cabinet in Kentucky, and the Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Department of Public Safety in Minnesota.
The DMV is usually an employee of the state government, except in the District of Columbia, where it is governed by the city government, and in Hawaii, where the county government operates the department of the DMV. In other states, the DMV is not a separate office, but rather a division within the Department of Justice (Montana) or the Department of Security (New Hampshire).
In the United States, where there are no official identification cards, driver’s licenses have become the standard identification, and thus the DMV is responsible for verifying the driver’s identity before the cards are actually issued. The DMV is also responsible for issuing plates and registration stickers for all cars owned by residents of that state, and also for conducting driving tests (both theoretical and practical). The DMV also handles the deeds of sale and transfer of ownership and the maintenance of driving records.
The general public has a general image that motorization has slow service and rude interaction with customers. It has often been satirized in TV shows and comedy shows. In The Simpsons, for example, Patty and Selma Bouvier, Marge Simpson’s sisters, work at the motor vehicle and enjoy annoying customers by asking them to do outrageous things and making them wait weeks for little things like laminating their driver’s licenses. In recent years, many of the DMV’s services have moved online, helping people avoid lines and combating this image by making processes faster and easier.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
