New Jersey MVC wants you to stay home

The "Skip the Trip" campaign by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, urging drivers to mail in license renewals or do them online, has reached a milestone.

MVC Chairman and Chief Administrator Ray Martinez said 2 million New Jersey drivers have, "skipped the trip" instead of showing up at the office, "so if you are going to a Motor Vehicle Commission office, and there has been 2 million less people in front of you, it's because they renewed their license by mail. "

Martinez "Skip the Trip" began in 2012 with a slow rollout to test it and make sure that all of the systems were operational.

But he said the MVC still has a ways to go. Just 70 percent of customers are eligible to renew their licenses from home, and only 45 percent take advantage of that.

Martinez said 94 percent of our customers can renew their registrations by mail or online, and only about 60 percent take advantage.

"Here is (what) always fascinates me," he said. "I go to visit Motor Vehicle offices, and I see people standing in line or coming in, and they have got the 'Skip the Trip' envelope and the invitation. And you ask, 'Why are you here?' And they say, 'I waited until the last minute' or 'I was not sure what this was.' I just feel bad for customers who end up coming into the office, because there are options out there."

Joe Cutter is the afternoon news anchor at New Jersey 101.5.