Promote Uniformity and Fairness in Drivers Safety and Licensing

Ensure accurate charging of all licensing fees. Recent data from the Michigan Auditor General suggests that some residents in Michigan may be charged inaccurate licensing fees. We will work to implement accurate calculation of all licensing and vehicle fees. We will also work to promote transparency in the fee calculation process, to enable citizens to gain a greater understanding of how and why they are charged certain fees for their vehicles.

Explore possibility for multi-year license plates. Instead of requiring the renewal of vehicle licensing on an annual basis, we will seek to develop the implementation of multi-year licenses. This would potentially reduce wait time at branch offices and bring in increased revenue to the Department of State from consumers who opt for a three or five year license.

Modernize and update drivers education. Under MCLA 256.655 the secretary of state “shall prescribe a model curriculum for teen driver training.” The current curriculum advocates that young drivers completely abstain from use of these devices. Cell phones, i-pods, and texting have become such a distraction to young people today, on a scale that most older drivers do not understand, that the curriculum should be changed to instruct young drivers and their parents that using these devices while driving is a safety issue coequal to wearing a seat belt or drinking and driving. We will seek to create a clear and forceful curriculum instructing young drivers to completely abstain from driving while distracted by cell phones and other devices and include a question on the driver skills test regarding the use of distracting devices at any time while driving.