Driver License Compact

The Driver License Compact is an agreement between states in the United States of America. The compact is used to exchange data between motorist's home state and a state where the motorist incurred a vehicular infraction. Not all states are members, and states respond to the data differently.^[1]

Overview

Under the Driver License Compact, which is a series of laws within the adopting States in the United States and adopting Provinces of Canada, in order for a driver's state to penalize him/her for an out-of-state offense, the driver's state must have the equivalent statute. If the driver's state does not have the statute, no action can be taken. For example, the State of Indiana does not have a careless driving offense whereas Colorado does. If an Indiana licensed driver gets convicted of careless driving in Colorado, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles takes no action.

History

The Driver License Compact came into existence with Nevada becoming the first member in 1960. Organizations in the Western States such as Governors came together to cooperate on traffic safety. Under the Beamer Resolution ("Interstate Compacts for Highway Safety Resolution"), Public Law 85-684, enacted on August 20, 1958, 72 Stat. 635 (named for Rep. John V. Beamer, R-Indiana),^[2] states were automatically given permission to form compacts in the areas of traffic safety. Originally, the Driver License Compact dealt with dangerous driving violations such as drunk driving, reckless driving, commission of a felony involving a motor vehicle and others. Later on, minor violations were included as well. Quite a few states joined in the 1960s but it languished in the 1970s and part of the 1980s. In the late 1980s, there was a push by the AAMVA to get states to join and in the early to mid 1990s, quite a few states joined.

The Driver License Compact is no longer being pushed by the AAMVA as it is being superseded by the Driver License Agreement (DLA), which also replaces the Non-Resident Violator Compact. However, as of 2011, there were only three member states to the DLA: Arkansas, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

States that are not members

Georgia, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Tennessee are not members.^[3] American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators:^[4] Nevada repealed the authorizing legislation in 2007,^[5] although it still generally conforms to the agreement through regulations.^[3]

Exceptions

• Some states, such as Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, New York,^[6] and Pennsylvania, do not assess points for minor offenses and apply the DLC for only major violations.
• States that are members are free to take action on violations reported from a non-member state as well.
• Pennsylvania only transfers points from another state within the agreement if it meets certain conditions.^[7]
• New Jersey assigns two points for all out-of-state minor violations regardless of whether the point values are higher if committed in the home state.^[8]

Special agreements

• New York does assess points for minor violations received in Ontario and Quebec.^[6]
• Michigan and Ontario exchange information and take adverse action.
• Maine and Quebec exchange information and take adverse action.
• Florida and Quebec exchange information and take adverse action.

National Driver Register

The National Driver Register (NDR) is a computerized database of information about drivers who have had their licenses revoked or suspended, or who have been convicted of serious traffic violations such as driving while impaired by alcohol or other drugs. State motor vehicle agencies provide NDR with the names of individuals who have lost their privilege or who have been convicted of a serious traffic violation. When a person applies for a driver's license the state checks to see if the name is on the NDR file. If a person has been reported to the NDR as a problem driver, the license may be denied.^[9]

Notes