The pass rate on first attempt for those taking a road test exam is a measure that compares the total volume of road tests exams against those that pass their road test exam on the first try by age demographic (junior operators and 18+ individuals). In Massachusetts, individuals must pass a road test exam to be eligible for a driver’s license. Junior operators (any driver under the age of 18) are also required to complete a driver’s education program before their road test exam. Customers who are 18 years of age and older do not have to attend driver’s education classes.
During FY23, 82% of Junior Operator License (JOL) customers passed their road test exam on first attempt as opposed to 55% of 18+ who customers passed their road test exam on first attempt.
Massachusetts began offering a REAL ID compliant credential in March 2018 to meet the established federal compliance deadline at the time of 2020. When being issued or renewing a driver’s license, customers can choose a standard Massachusetts license or identification card or REAL ID compliant license or identification card.
Federal regulations due to the REAL ID law impact the options customers have when renewing their license or ID. If a customer chooses a REAL ID credential, they must complete their initial REAL ID transaction in-person at a Service Center or AAA location to meet federal documentation and image capture requirements.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has since revised its REAL ID compliance deadline to allow more time customers to obtain a REAL ID. Beginning May 7, 2025, customers will need to present a REAL ID or another acceptable form of federal identification for certain federal purposes such as boarding domestic aircraft. More information on REAL ID requirements in Massachusetts is available at Mass.gov/ID: https://www.mass.gov/guides/massachusetts-identification-id-requirements
At the end of FY23, 53% held a REAL ID. There has been a steady adoption of REAL IDs, and the FY23 adoption has already exceeded the FY24 target (45%).
The out of state (OOS) mail measures track the performance of the out of state mail processing program which handles violations and citations of Massachusetts drivers from other states. Cases are processed within two queues: high priority and low priority.
The percentage of high priority OOS mail processed within the next business day compares total volume of OOS mail with high priority mail that is processed within the next business day. High priority mail is defined as out of state violations or citations that are related to severe motor vehicles violations and criminal acts such as alcohol offenses, hit and run, or any other felony act.
In FY23, 96% of high priority out of state mail was processed within the next business day, exceeding the target of 90%.
The percentage of low priority out of state mail processed within five business days compares total volume of OOS mail with low priority mail that is processed within five business days. Low priority mail is defined as out of state violations or citations that are non-felony related such as moving violations, speeding, texting while driving, or multiple convictions.
In FY23, 100% of low priority out of state mail was processed within the five business days, also exceeding the target of 90%. This value held steady from FY22.
The Massachusetts Vehicle Check program is the vehicle emissions testing and safety inspection program for the Commonwealth. All vehicles driven on Massachusetts roads must pass a yearly safety inspection and newly purchased vehicles must be inspected within seven days of registration. Vehicle inspection data is collected by the OPUS system of record.
For passenger vehicles, 14 key components of a vehicle are evaluated during the safety inspection. A vehicle may fail its safety inspection due to a faulty taillight, cracked windshield, defective suspension component, or any other defect. A vehicle that fails its safety inspection must be repaired immediately and be re-inspected within 60 days.
The percentage of failed safety vehicle inspections is reported through the OPUS system and is calculated by the total volume of vehicles inspections compared with the total volume of safety failures.
In FY23, 4% of vehicles failed their safety inspections. This value remained constant from FY22.
Vehicle inspections occur annually in Massachusetts. When a vehicle does not complete a new vehicle inspection by the last day of the month of expiration for the current inspection, the vehicle considered overdue for inspection. The RMV sends email reminders for customers who are one month overdue for their vehicle inspections.
At the end of FY23, 24% of vehicles had vehicle inspections overdue by at least one month. This is a one percentage point decrease from FY22*.
The RMV’s e-Citation program, or electronic citation program, allows law enforcement to submit citations to the RMV through an electronic system. The RMV currently accepts citations via paper, and accepts electronic citations from 289 of the 351 municipal police departments in Massachusetts and the Massachusetts State Police. Interested police departments are encouraged to join the e-Citation program.
In FY23, 762,646 citations were submitted to the RMV. An average of 72% of those citations were submitted via the e-Citation process, which fails to meet the target of 75%. While this does not meet the target, it is an increase from 63% of citations in FY22. Adoption of e-Citation by additional police departments will assist the RMV in achieving this target.
License suspensions in Massachusetts occur when a driver’s license or right to operate has been suspended or revoked due to a violation of driving laws. CDL drivers are held to higher standards than passenger drivers and have more disqualifying factors that lead to a license suspension or suspension of operating privileges. For more information on the type of motor vehicle suspensions and CDL suspensions visit mass.gov/RMV.
In FY23, there were 110,663 suspended drivers, with 4,747 of those drivers holding CDL licenses. On average, 4% of license suspensions were issued to CDL holders. This is consistent with the volume of CDL suspensions in FY22.*
The RMV process for reinstating a suspended license or registration is called a suspension hearing. If a driver’s license, learner’s permit, vehicle registration, or right to operate is suspended or revoked, the operator can seek a hearing to appeal your suspension of revocation. Appointments are made online with the ability to upload documents to streamline hearing processing time and reduce the need for multiple hearings for one subject matter and customer.
In FY23, most hearings occurred in a virtual format. There were 84,307 hearings held at the RMV in FY23. This includes General, Public Safety, Vehicular Homicide, and Interlock hearing types. This is a substantial increase from FY22 (66,009) due to the appointment of additional hearing officers.
*FY22 numbers were recalculated to correct a methodological error and therefore differ from what was reported in Tracker 2022
