Department: Motor Vehicles
Category: Customer Service
Idea/Initiative Name: Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Teen Public Information Campaign
Objective: Share safe driving information and resources with California’s teen drivers and their parents.
Description: The DMV encourages teen drivers to learn the rules of the road and drive safely. The Teen Public Information Campaign features the Teen Website, 128 two-minute videos, the Top 10 Reasons for Failing the Driving Test video on YouTube, the Parent-Teen Training Guide, the award-winning Treasure Hunt automated test, sample driving tests, and five brochures with information outlining safe driving habits.
The Teen Website contains information on safe driving practices, driver license renewal, a practice written driver license exam, how to obtain a provisional driving permit, and 128 two-minute information videos. The Teen Website engages teenagers with its youth-oriented design.
The two-minute informational videos prove highly popular with teens already accustomed to utilizing the Internet. A two-minute video conveys important driver safety information that would have taken 20 minutes to read. Research shows that listening and viewing information results in a higher level of retention than simply reading text. The current generation of teens are accustomed to using computer technology in their academic and personal lives and expect to conduct business online. The DMV Teen Website is one way the department is preparing to meet the expectations of these customers.
The Parent-Teen Training Guide assists parents and teens with information on the “Provisional” type of license and instruction permit, issued to drivers under the age of 18. The guide includes information on driving skills and practice questions for the driver test.
The Treasure Hunt automated test is a fun way for teens to learn vehicle and license information. The Hunt reveals information on provisional instruction permits, driver education and training, driver license, and driver safety.
The Top 10 Reasons for Failing the Driving Test video presents information found in the General Information and Actions that Result in Loss of License chapters of the California Driver Handbook. The video focuses on the provisional license, the driver license process, and how to pass the driver test and is available in English and Spanish.
Results: Teenage focus groups reveal that students like the website, can locate information easily, and find the layout appealing. Teenage drivers receive more traffic tickets, injuries, and a greater amount of traffic related fatalities than any other driving group. In an effort to reduce these alarming statistics, the DMV created the Teen Website and other educational tools for teens and parents.