Richardson v. Driver & Motor Vehicle Services Division

159 P.3d 1227, 213 Or. App. 18, 2007 Ore. App. LEXIS 738
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedMay 23, 2007
Docket120463, A130241
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 159 P.3d 1227 (Richardson v. Driver & Motor Vehicle Services Division) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Richardson v. Driver & Motor Vehicle Services Division, 159 P.3d 1227, 213 Or. App. 18, 2007 Ore. App. LEXIS 738 (Or. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

*20 LANDAU, P. J.

The Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation (DMV) cancelled petitioner’s driving privileges, denied further driving tests, and denied a request for a permit to take driving lessons. She seeks judicial review, challenging each of those three rulings. We affirm DMV’s cancellation of petitioner’s driving privileges and its denial of further driving tests, but reverse and remand for reconsideration of its denial of a permit.

I. BACKGROUND

We begin with a brief description of the statutes and administrative rules that pertain to DMV’s authority to regulate driving privileges in this state to provide context for the issues on review. We then follow with a description of the material facts.

A. Regulatory framework

DMV is required to issue a driver license to a person who meets certain eligibility requirements. ORS 807.040. Those statutory eligibility requirements are stated both in positive terms — what a person affirmatively must do to meet the requirements — and in negative terms — what a person may do to render himself or herself ¿«eligible. ORS 807.040(1).

Among the former is the requirement that an applicant must successfully pass an examination. ORS 807.070. One of the examination requirements is an “actual demonstration” of a person’s ability to “operate a motor vehicle without endangering the safety of persons or property.” ORS 807.070(3). Among the latter are certain medical conditions or mental impairments that may render a person ineligible, including a “mental or physical condition that affects the person’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle on the highways.” ORS 807.060(5).

In addition, DMV is authorized to cancel driving privileges when it determines that a person once eligible is no longer eligible. That authority is set out in ORS 807.350, which provides, in part:

*21 “(1) The Department of Transportation, at any time, may cancel the driving privileges or part of the driving privileges granted any person under any class of license or under any endorsement or any driver permit if the department determines that the person no longer meets the qualifications or requirements for the license, endorsement or permit.
“(2) Upon cancellation under this section, a person whose privileges are canceled shall surrender to the department any license or driver permit issued for the driving privileges. Failure to comply with this subsection is subject to penalty as provided under ORS 809.500.
“(3) If the department cancels driving privileges under this section, the department may provide for the issuance of a license, driver permit or license with endorsement or limitations granting driving privileges for which the person does qualify or meet the requirements. The department may provide for the waiver of all or part of the fees relating to the issuance of a license or driver permit when the department issues a driver permit or license under this subsection, as the department determines equitable.”

Under administrative rules that DMV has adopted to implement ORS 807.350, the agency may request that a person to whom driving privileges have been granted provide proof that he or she remains eligible. OAR 735-074-0170. 1 The agency may do so because it has received a report from a citizen, a police officer, or a medical professional; or it may do so because the driver has advised DMV directly of a medical condition that may impair driving. Id. Under those rules, DMV will cancel a person’s driving privileges if the agency “determines the person no longer meets the qualifications for a driver license, permit or endorsement because of a physical or mental disability or disease” and may do so immediately if it has reason to believe that permitting the person to continue to drive “may endanger people or property.” OAR 735-074-0180(3).

DMA may determine continuing eligibility to drive by means of an examination, including a driving test. The *22 agency may, however, refuse to continue a driving test or conduct further testing if the agency official conducting the test “reasonably believes that the person is likely to endanger persons or property’ while being tested. OAR 735-062-0073(3). Specific reasons for immediately stopping a driving test include:

“(a) An accident during the drive test which could have been avoided by the driver being tested;
“(b) Dangerous driving behaviors including but not limited to the following:
“(A) Failure to obey traffic control devices;
“(B) Is prevented from causing an accident by the actions of other drivers or the examiner;
“(C) Turns from the wrong lane or into the wrong lane in a way that it impedes the right of way of others;
“(D) Fails to stop for a school bus that has its red lights flashing;
“(E) Fails to yield to a pedestrian or fails to stop when another vehicle is stopped at a crosswalk because a person is occupying the crosswalk;
“(F) Drives over a curb, sidewalk or median;
“(G) Depends on the action of other drivers for his or her own safety; or
“(H) Changes lanes or merges into traffic without checking for other vehicles.
“(c) Is an experienced driver who is unable to perform basic driving tasks;
“(d) Is unable to follow instructions to the point the drive examiner is not certain he or she can verbally guide the driver back to the DMV field office; or
“(e) Seems unaware of driving mistakes made, takes no responsibility as mistakes are pointed out and shows a pattern of denial of any error.”

OAR 735-062-0073(3). The same reasons may justify denial of further testing, as well. OAR 735-062-0073(4).

*23 A person whose driving privileges have been canceled may reapply to DMV and establish his or her qualifications.

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Related

Lenon v. Public Employees Retirement Board
206 P.3d 1165 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
159 P.3d 1227, 213 Or. App. 18, 2007 Ore. App. LEXIS 738, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/richardson-v-driver-motor-vehicle-services-division-orctapp-2007.