Two New Changes For 2023 at the Mass RMV: Cannabis Education Added to Driving School Curriculum & Opt Out Option For Voter Registration Removed

First in the nation to add new AAA curriculum to Driver’s Ed Program

Starting this January, Massachusetts will become the first in the nation to adopt a new AAA curriculum geared at educating teens on the risks of cannabis-impaired driving. In partnership with members of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission and AAA Northeast, the Mass RMV says that the new curriculum will be taught via a 25-minute informative and easy to follow educational video on Youtube, entitled “Shifting Gears: the Blunt Truth about Marijuana and Driving. 

Lt. Governor Karyn Polito made the announcement during an appearance at the Worcester Registry of Motor Vehicles alongside Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie, Cannabis Control Commission Commissioner Kimberly Roy, AAA Northeast Vice President of Public & Government Affairs Mary Maguire, and Newton Chief of Police John Carmichael.

“The new cannabis curriculum is an important addition to driver’s education in the Commonwealth and will help inform and educate new drivers of the inherent dangers of being cannabis-impaired while driving,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “The curriculum was collaboratively developed and reviewed by public and private stakeholders, academia, students and their peers to ensure that critical research-based information and safety messaging on cannabis was incorporated as a key component of all driver’s education to help reduce crashes and help keep all roadway users safe.”

“Adding information about cannabis to the Massachusetts’s Registry’s driver education class is important for the safety and wellbeing of teens that are just learning to drive,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The new cannabis instruction will help individuals make informed decisions and I am pleased that Massachusetts is leading in including it in driver education.” 

The current driver education module addressing impaired driving will be updated to include research-based information on cannabis, explaining how tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active chemical in marijuana, affects cognition, vision, reaction time, and perception of time and distance.  This is the first generation of driver education students to be licensed since cannabis became legal in Massachusetts, and AAA research shows that impaired driving crashes may increase and continue to injure and kill motorists and their passengers. The Shifting Gears, cannabis-impaired driving curriculum, will be taught to approximately fifty-thousand young drivers per year in over 460 Massachusetts driving school locations.

“Today’s young drivers in Massachusetts are the first generation to get behind the wheel since cannabis became legal in the state. Considering that, it is critically important they also understand how THC can impact the body including the risks associated from cannabis impaired driving,” said Cannabis Control Commission Commissioner Kimberly Roy. “With today’s announcement, Massachusetts takes the lead in prevention and increasing awareness around this issue by providing every driver’s education student a comprehensive, evidence-based cannabis-impaired driving information curriculum to help them understand those risks and make safe decisions.”

“Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety sheds light on the fact that in legalizing recreational marijuana, states face the consequential risk of increased cannabis-impaired driving,” said AAA Northeast President and CEO John Galvin.  “As a countermeasure, AAA Northeast developed a curriculum to educate young drivers on how THC impacts driving abilities. We are happy to share this curriculum with the Commonwealth to ensure every new driver licensed in Massachusetts will be equipped with the facts.”

“Law enforcement across Massachusetts fully supports education and awareness as a preventative measure to enhance public safety, especially amongst our most vulnerable drivers, said Newton Chief of Police John Carmichael. “This comprehensive driver’s education curriculum will teach student drivers the risks associated with impaired driving with an added emphasis on how cannabis may cause a diminished capacity to operate their vehicle safely.” 

The driver’s education module previously referenced alcohol and drugs overall, but going forward, the curriculum will include a section, Cannabis Impaired driving.  In addition, the Implied Consent Law will be defined, and sanctions mentioned.

Massachusetts drivers’ education is managed by the RMV and requires all first-time drivers younger than 18 to complete 30 hours of classroom instruction and 12 hours of actual behind-the-wheel instruction and 6 hours of observation while another student is taking behind-the-wheel instruction before they can receive a full, Class D or Class M license.  For more information, please visit: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/drivers-education-programs.

“We are pleased to incorporate this new cannabis curriculum video into the RMV’s educational tools and resources that are currently available help new drivers learn about safety impacts, rules and responsibilities, and risks associated with operating motor vehicles on statewide roadways,” said Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie. “The video provides detailed information on affects cannabis use has on driving including impacts to an individual’s cognitive ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, delays in response time, attention and coordination issues, and the ability to drive straight or ‘track’ and underscores the importance making smart decisions when deciding to operate a vehicle or be a passenger in a vehicle in which the driver may be cannabis impaired.”

“VOTES Act” Requires Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles to Remove Option for Customers to Opt Out of Automatic Voter Registration

Effective January 1, 2023, the opportunity to decline the automatic voter registration option at the RMV will be removed. According to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) the RMV is no longer allowed to offer the option for customers to opt out of automatic voter registration in accordance with “The VOTES Act,” a new election reform law which was passed by the Massachusetts State Legislature on June 22, 2022.

On each business day, the RMV will be required to transmit to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, specific applicant information on all eligible transactions with the RMV meeting the select criteria of persons attesting to U.S. citizenship and providing proof of lawful presence. Information that is sent to the Secretary of the Commonwealth will include the applicant’s name, date of birth, address, attestation of citizenship, and an electronic signature.

RMV customers will be allowed to decline voter registration after receiving the acknowledgment notice from their respective municipal election officials.

The RMV has revised its driver’s license and ID applications and the “Voter Registration Receipt” to reflect the new changes referenced above. To learn more, go online to: Automatic Voter Registration.