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DMV services are available online during Thanksgiving closure

Crystal Graham

DMV All Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles full-service customer service centers will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday from Thursday, Nov. 24 through Saturday, Nov. 26, and will reopen on Monday, Nov. 28.

More than 50 services are available online at dmvNOW.com or through the mail if customers need access to DMV during the holiday closure.

DMV also reminds motorists to buckle up during the Thanksgiving holiday – and every day.

  • State and local police officers across Virginia will be on the lookout for unbelted motorists during the Click It or Ticket campaign, which runs from Nov. 26-30. Click It or Ticket combines high-visibility enforcement of seat belt and child safety seat laws with outreach and education.
  • During the Thanksgiving holiday last year, one person was killed and 61 injured in 110 alcohol-related crashes on Virginia roadways.
  • According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 30 percent of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States in 2020 involved drunk drivers, and of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2020, 51 percent were not wearing seat belts.

“Wearing a seatbelt is the easiest and most effective thing you can do to stay safe while driving,” said Acting DMV Commissioner Linda Ford, the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative. “And if your Thanksgiving celebration involves alcohol, select a designated driver to keep you and others on the roads safe.”

Virginia law requires everyone under age 18 to be properly secured in a safety belt or child safety seat no matter where they are sitting in the vehicle, and the driver is responsible for making sure this happens. In addition, Virginia law requires everyone in the front seat of vehicles to be properly restrained, regardless of age, with passengers 18 and older subject to tickets and penalties.

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.