MassDOT RMV Announces Enhanced RoadReady App

03:54PM / Saturday, June 27, 2026Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON?— The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), in collaboration with Safe Roads Alliance, J.F. Griffin Publishing, and program sponsors Life 360, AAA Northeast, and the Massachusetts ROTC announced today that?a major upgrade to The RoadReady ?mobile app has been launched to promote safe driving habits among teens learning to drive with customized coaching.

The Parent's Supervised Driving Program and?RoadReady?mobile app are available in all 50 states and focus on the critical role that families play in the teen driver education process.?The program includes a printed and digital curriculum and the RoadReady?mobile app. The app allows parents and teens to electronically log and manage their driving hours with their smartphone or similar device and produce a state approved log upon completion.

?In addition to improved user experience and security features, the latest RoadReady version adds a telematics feature that measures the teen's driving performance during each supervised drive. Using this measurement, the app will identify risky behaviors and offer customized coaching. Parents can also view the education information from the program curriculum in the app, distilled into a series of short, animated videos. These new features, updated June 1, 2026, supports parents and caregivers through the process of teaching their teens to drive.

"We're pleased to continue our partnership with the Safe Roads Alliance and JF Griffin along with sponsors Life 360, AAA Northeast and MA ROTC for this important initiative,"?said Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie. "We recommend that all families utilize the?RoadReady?mobile app to make the most of the graduated licensing process. With the support of this application, parents and caregivers can be more effective teachers during the critical supervised driving time."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, crashes are the leading cause of teen deaths. To support building safe driving habits, the agency recommends that parents familiarize themselves with Junior Operator Laws (JOL), also known as Graduated Driver License Laws (GDL), which are designed to keep new teen drivers safe by giving them more driving privileges as they gain more experience behind the wheel. Information on these laws is available online, and restrictions on learner's permits and Junior Operator Licenses include night driving and passenger limits,

The learning process also requires Junior Operators to spend at least 40 hours of supervised driving with a parent or guardian in a variety of road and traffic conditions, in addition to successfully completing an RMV-approved driver education and training program. A video explaining the learning permit process in greater detail is available on YouTube. In 2025, the RMV issued 47,758 Junior Operator Permits.

The RMV recommends that customers visit Mass.Gov/RMV to review more than 50 transactions and services that are available, such as paying a fee, scheduling a road test, and renewing a registration, and "Get Ready" online before visiting a service center. For more information and to start transactions, go to?Mass.Gov/RMV.

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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Saturday, October 10, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics.

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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