DUI - When a law enforcement officer has reason to believe you have been driving while under the influence (DUI), the officer will request that you submit to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test. The BAC level for DUI has been lowered from 0.10 to 0.08.

Driving On A Suspended Or Revoked License – If you are cited for driving on a revoked or suspended license your vehicle may be impounded by the law enforcement agency for up to 30 days.

Diesel Fee – Every person who is required to register or apportionally register a diesel powered motor vehicle in Arizona with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVW) of more than 8,500 lbs will now pay an additional diesel fee of $10, to be used for the Voluntary Vehicle Repair and Retrofit Program designed to help high polluting vehicles meet emissions standards.

Underage Violations – Arizona law outlines license suspension procedures for minors 17 years and younger convicted of DUI violations. Minors under the age of 18 who have been convicted of any DUI violation are required to have their driving privileges suspended for 2 years, upon the receipt of a conviction. However, there were no statutory provisions for suspending the privileges for a person 18 through 20 years of age. This new law ends this discrepancy. The same 2 year suspension procedure now applies to persons 18 through 20.

Red-Light Running – Red light running crashes have become an increasing concern for the traffic safety community. According to the Federal Highway Administration, in 1998, red light running accounted for about 89,000 crashes, 80,000 injuries and nearly 1,000 deaths. The cost to the public is estimated to be as much as $7 billion per year. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arizona has the highest rate of fatal red light running accidents in the United States.

MVD administers the Traffic Survival School program to attempt to modify the behavior of drivers by teaching them how to avoid adverse traffic situations by increasing their knowledge of Arizona traffic laws, defining their responsibilities while driving and improving their attitude toward safe driving. Traffic Survival School should not be confused with Defensive Driving School, administered by the Arizona Supreme Court, that allows for the dismissal of a citation based on attendance.

This new Arizona law requires any person who violates the red light statutes to attend Traffic Survival School for each and every conviction. If a person fails to attend the school, their driving privileges will be suspended until the class is completed.

Ignition Interlock Device – This new law requires that an ignition interlock device (IID) be used for 12 months beginning on the date of conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) offenses or on the conclusion of the license suspension or revocation period, whichever occurs later. The courts may order additional time.

An IID is a device that connects a breath analyzer to a motor vehicle's ignition system. The IID monitors the concentration of alcohol in the breath of any person attempting to start the vehicle and only allows the ignition to start if the alcohol in the person's breath is below a preset level.

Additionally, the new law allows MVD to check its own records for prior DUI offenses rather than requiring courts to send records of DUI offenses.

Railroad Crossings – A person who is convicted of or found responsible for violating any federal, state or local railroad grade crossing law, ordinance or regulation is disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle as follows:

1. For 60 days if a person is convicted of or found responsible for a first violation
2. For 120 days if a person is convicted of or found responsible for a second violation during any three year period
3. For 12 months if a person is convicted of or found responsible for a third or subsequent violation during any three year period.

Rental Surcharge – The five-percent rental vehicle surcharge, currently collected by rental companies for passenger vehicle rentals, is expanded to include trucks, trailers or semitrailers having a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of less than 26,001 pounds.

Nitrous Oxide - If you are under 18 years of age and use an Arizona driver license or identification card (including a fictitious license or card) to purchase a nitrous oxide container, your license or ID card will be suspended for 6 months for the first conviction and 12 months for any additional convictions. Nitrous oxide is commonly known as laughing gas and has a variety of uses, including as an anesthetic by doctors and dentists. It can also be addictive and long-term use may cause severe medical problems or death.

Extreme DUI - When a law enforcement officer has reason to believe you have been driving while under the influence (DUI), the officer will request that you submit to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test. The BAC level for the more severe category, with greater penalties, called Extreme DUI has been lowered from 0.18 to 0.15.

Arizona Driver License Gets a New Look – February 7, 2001, the Motor Vehicle Division unveiled an updated driver license with a distinctive new look and some new security enhancments.

New features include:

• Background image of the Grand Canyon
• Horizontally printed license for drivers age 21 and over
• Vertically printed license for drivers under age 21. Displays date when licensee will be age 21.
• Magnetic "MAG" stripe contains license information, including endorsements and restrictions
• Barcode moved to back of license. Secures credential information
• New Optically Variable Ink (OVI) technology provides security to reduce fraud

"On average, more than 100,000 driver licenses are issued by MVD each month" said MVD Director Stacey Stanton. "The new driver license will be issued in most MVD offices by February 15th and is available to new applicants as well as drivers who require a duplicate driver license."

Duplicate driver licenses are now available on-line or by telephone to those with digital, credit-card style Arizona licenses. Digital driver licenses with photo storage capabilities were first introduced in 1995, enabling MVD to issue a duplicate document complete with photograph.

MVD now offers Arizona drivers the option to choose a system-generated driver license number to replace their Social Security Number (SSN). The fee is the same as for a duplicate license. Drivers may also report a change of address and purchase a duplicate driver license. All drivers are required by Arizona law to report a change of address within 10 days.

Duplicate driver licenses are available on-line at https://servicearizona.com/ or by calling, toll-free 877-301-8093. There is a $4.00 fee for a duplicate driver license.