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Several law changes affect many Oregon drivers
December 20, 2005
05-175
Several changes to Oregon laws that will take effect in January focus on traffic safety and driving-related topics that affect significant numbers of Oregonians.
Five bills passed by the 2005 Oregon Legislature are aimed at improving traffic safety inside vehicles – including passengers as well as drivers:
- House Bill 2361 clarifies Oregon law by giving DMV authority to automatically revoke a driver’s license after a third conviction for driving under the influence of intoxicants. Previous law stated that a court could order revocation with a third conviction. Intoxicants are a factor in more than one-third of traffic fatalities.
- Senate Bill 568 allows courts to suspend a driver’s license for up to 30 days for motorists convicted of driving more than 30 mph faster than the speed limit or by going 100 mph or faster. The conviction must take place after Jan. 1, 2006. Excessive speed is a factor in about one-third of Oregon traffic deaths.
- House Bill 2811 expands the Oregon law prohibiting placement of a television screen within view of a driver to include all image devices, such as DVD and CD players. The law exempts vehicle navigation systems. Distractions to drivers increase the chances of a crash.
- Senate Bill 76 adds the term “legal guardian” to clarify who may withdraw parental consent for a driver younger than 18. The bill also removed the obsolete language permitting an employer from withdrawing consent for a minor’s driving privileges.
- Senate Bill 367 requires drivers and passengers in privately owned commercial vehicles that carry 15 or fewer people to use safety restraints. The law exempts tax operators themselves and places the responsibility for proper use of child safety restraints on the adult passengers with the child.
As part of efforts to ease the transition of military personnel back into civilian life, lawmakers created a 90-day grace period for service member returning from active deployment abroad:
- Senate Bill 487 allows Oregon residents returning from active deployment outside the United States up to 90 days after discharge to renew their expired driver’s license or vehicle registration. The grace period will apply only to citations written on or after Jan. 1, 2006.
During the 2005 session, lawmakers also clarified two aspects of Oregon vehicle registration laws:
- Senate Bill 998 increases the minimum weight at which a vehicle must be registered by weight to more than 10,000 pounds, replacing the 8,000-pound threshold. The change will allow the heaviest pickups and sport-utility vehicles to be registered as passenger vehicles rather than by weight, as with commercial vehicles.
- House Bill 2825 will allow Oregonians to transfer some discontinued plates to other vehicles without needing to pay the $50 custom plate surcharge at each renewal. The law applies to these plate styles: Oregon Trail; ham radio on Salmon, Crater Lake or Cultural Trust backgrounds; and “group” motor home and travel trailer. “Group” plates include university, military-service and other such nonprofit organization plates. The custom plate fee will be dropped only for registrations that expire after Jan. 1, 2006.
From the don’t-do-this category, the 2005 Oregon Legislature toughened the consequences for stealing gasoline amid a summer of high fuel prices:
- House Bill 2937 allows courts to suspend a driver’s license for up to six months upon conviction of theft of gasoline.
All the above laws will take effect Jan. 1, 2006.
Preventing identity theft and fraud motivated lawmakers to make a major change to how DMV issues driver licenses and identity cards. But this law will not take effect until 2007 or 2008:
- Senate Bill 640 will require DMV to compare an applicant’s photo to customer photos already on file, using facial recognition software, prior to issuing a license or ID card. The law has a 2008 implementation date, to give DMV time to set up the system and procedures, and DMV expects to put the new requirement in place no sooner than mid-2007.
In addition, President Bush in May 2005 signed the Real ID Act, federal legislation that affects the issuance of driver licenses and ID cards. In Oregon, the largest single impact of this act will be to require DMV customers to prove that they are citizens or otherwise legally present in the United States before being issued a driver’s license or ID card.
However, the act gives states until May 2008 to comply, and Oregon lawmakers must consider any state law changes needed to meet he act’s requirements – probably during the 2007 session. Therefore, Oregon is not likely to implement these requirements sooner than 2008.
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For more information, contact:
DMV Public Affairs
(503) 945-5270
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