Department of Public Safety. Driver License Division

Purpose: "Responsible for the licensing and examining of Utah motorists and for determining a driver's skill level and taking corrective action against errant driving." (From "Capitol Connections" newsletter, volume 1, issue 4, August 1993, page 4.)??"Driver License examines and licenses Utah motorists and takes corrective action against substandard drivers." (From "State and Local Government in Utah," 1992 ed., p. 168.) Historical Information: "In January 1934, the 'Uniform Operator's and Chauffeur's Act' went into effect. Written and eye tests were implemented in 1935. The Driver License Division was a part of the Tax Commission until 1951, when it was put under the new Department of Public Safety. The Laws concerning expiration dates and license types have changed several times over the years, ending with the present expiration on the birthdate over five years. A renewal-by-mail program was started in the early 1980s to reduce the number of customers in our field stations. The division began with a staff of 10 and now employs over 230." (Source: Driver License division web site, http://www.ps.ex.state.ut.us/dl/dlhome.htm.)

Made its own division in April 1987 ("Laws of Utah, 1987," chapter 137, pp. 708-734.)