The Department of Motor Vehicles is a state agency, which controls and regulates vehicle registration and driver licensing. It has a certain degree of independence, with power to legislate through introduction of various rules and regulations, while the Department of Transportation (DOT) is a federal department of the United States Government that deals with transportation. The DMV is actually a division of the DOT. The DMV and the Department of Transportation handle different aspects of a certain state’s roads and transportation systems.
The DOT is mainly concerned with the construction, maintenance and administration of the state’s public transport systems. It is in charge of building roads, highways, railways and bridges, and the efficient and proper operation of these roads. It is also involved in the rule-making process, setting safety standards for vehicles and various rules and regulations in order to increase road safety. This can be achieved through keeping track of traffic accidents and setting the appropriate speed limits.
The Department of Motor Vehicles’ primary concerns are motor vehicles and the individuals operating them, privately as well as commercially, instead of the roads they are moving on and the transport system infrastructure. It’s responsibilities include checking vehicle safety and whether they meet all standards for public roads. It provides a wide range of services to the public, with driver license issuing, vehicle titling and registration, and state and federal laws enforcement concerning motor vehicles. It can also handle traffic ticket payments, and is involved in the education of the public in order to promote traffic safety.