Governor Cuomo announced that the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles website, dmv.ny.gov has won the 2015 Pinnacle Award from the National Association of Government Web Professionals, the second national accolade it has received this year for its design, ease of use, and scope of services. The Department of Motor Vehicles won in the state and non-governmental organization category, and also picked up a Members' Choice distinction.
"New York is proud to continue making our DMV website better and more convenient than ever before, saving drivers both time and trips to the DMV," Governor Cuomo said. "I encourage all New Yorkers to take advantage of the easy to use services available to them on this award winning website."
The Pinnacle Awards are judged by a group of web professionals from inside and outside of government web development. Each site is judged using eight scoring criteria for a total of 100 points: team size, content, organization, design, performance and flexibility, accessibility, standards, and interactivity.
Additionally, DMV's website, which was redesigned in February 2014, was named one of the nation's best DMV websites earlier this year by DMV.com, a portal for driver and motor vehicle information. Available services include ordering replacement driver licenses, renewing registrations on mobile devices, signing up to receive license and registration renewal reminders via email and text, and carrying out more than 35 other transactions.
Customers completed more than 5.5 million transactions on the website last year, up from about 5 million in 2013 and 3.4 million in 2010. Use of the website has also helped decrease average wait times in DMV offices statewide. If customers must make a trip to state run DMV offices, they can visit dmv.ny.gov to make a reservation. In fact, New Yorkers have made more than 700,000 reservations to visit DMV offices since the service launched in 2013.
In March 2013, the average wait time at state run DMV offices was 72 minutes. Governor Cuomo announced that in September 2014 the average wait time was reduced to 30 minutes. Wait times have remained stable at around 30 minutes since then. In addition, self serve kiosks in DMV offices allow customers to complete transactions and bypass lines saving them time. DMV averages more than 300,000 transactions at these kiosks per year.
New Yorkers have more opportunities than ever before to save a trip to DMV offices and complete transactions online. In July 2015, the Governor announced that New Yorkers can print a temporary license from the DMV website when they renew or replace their driver licenses, learner permits, or non-driver identification cards online. The ability to download a temporary document is also offered to customers renewing or replacing their registrations.
"DMV understands how convenient it is for New Yorkers to complete all of their important business online. Our team has stepped up its web presence and continuously improved the services we provide so motorists can get things done quickly and easily," said DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. "This well deserved award gives us the opportunity to recognize all staff members who have gone above and beyond to serve the public's needs. I urge all New Yorkers to use our site and save a trip to the office."
