The National Driver Register (NDR) is a computerized

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...

of information about

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

drivers who have had their

driver's license A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, ca ...

s revoked or suspended, or who have been

convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...

of serious

traffic violation A moving violation or traffic violation is any violation of the law committed by the driver of a vehicle while it is in motion. The term "moving" distinguishes it from other motor vehicle violations, such as paperwork violations (which include ...

s, such as

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (drug), alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether re ...

drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

(see 23 Code of Federal Regulations 1327 Appendix A for a complete list of violations). The records are added and maintained and deleted by the motor vehicle agency (MVA) of the state that convicted the driver or withdrew the driver's license.

Checks for problem drivers

When a person applies for a driver's license, either as a new applicant or as a renewing applicant in a participating state, the state MVA must check if the name is on the NDR's Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS) (as required by federal regulation—see 23 CFR 1327.5(b)(1)). If a person has been reported to the NDR by any state as a "problem driver", the prospective licensing state must investigate the driver's history from the state that added the NDR record. Depending on the results of the investigation and the state's own laws, the prospective licensing state may be required to deny the license. Thus, this "PDPS check" enables the state MVAs to prevent someone with a suspended or revoked driver's license in one state from obtaining a driver's license in another state. On March, 29th, 2021 the California DMV declined to renew a California DL for a California resident of 32 years based upon and NDR PDPS flag created by the state of MA for a $50 parking ticket levied in 1989 and a $40 late fee. A driver in Washington State nearly had their license revoked due to a PDPS flag created by the Ohio BMV for an unpaid $24 fee from 1998. The Ohio BMV generated a new Ohio DL for the Washington resident in order to suspend it and report it to the NDR. The PDPS check also makes it harder for a person to obtain more than one driver's license at any one time. Not all records on the NDR are correct. Some may have been added in the past incorrectly for misdemeanor violations, such as not returning

license plate A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British, Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for ...

s in New York state. Some records may identify the wrong driver. Some records for specific convictions may have met data retention requirements and are eligible for deletion. A driver must contact the state that added the record to have that state delete an incorrect record. To find out if you have a record on NDR PDPS, see the next section. The NDR may not contain all required records. For example, a man in Pennsylvania was convicted of driving under the influence of

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

cigarettes and

crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be Smoking, smoked. Crack offers a short, intense Euphoria (emotion), high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Sub ...

in 1997, and was never put on the NDR.

Participation by states

Currently, and for the past few decades, all U.S. states participate in NDR, to avoid losing federal funding. Federal Regulation 23 CFR 1327.1 states, "This part provides procedures for States to participate in the National Driver Register (NDR) Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS) and for other authorized parties to receive information from the NDR. It includes, in accordance with section 204(c) of the NDR Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-364), procedures for a State to notify the Secretary of Transportation of its intention to be bound by the requirements of section 205 of the Act (i.e., requirements for reporting by chief driver licensing officials) and for a State to notify the Secretary in the event it becomes necessary to withdraw from participation. The rule also contains the conditions for becoming a participating State as well as conditions and procedures for other authorized users of the NDR."

Obtaining information from NDR

The following groups are authorized to receive information from the NDR: * Individuals requesting their own records under the

Privacy Act of 1974 Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of ...

* State and federal driver's licensing officials *

Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce railroa ...

and employers of locomotive operators *

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

for airman medical certification *

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

for merchant mariner certification *

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

for accident investigations *

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

for accident investigations * Federal agencies performing background investigations for employment * Current or prospective employers of commercial motor vehicles operators, with permission by the operator * Air carriers for

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

applicants, with permission by the applicant

Requesting your record

Under the provisions of the

and Title 23 § 1327.7, you are entitled to request a file search to see if you have a record on the NDR. As a private citizen, you must send a

notarized A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is distin ...

letter commonly referred to as a "privacy act request" to the NDR indicating that you would like an NDR file check. There is no charge for this service. See the NDR Frequently Asked Questions. A request (the service is free of charge) must be made in writing, via notarized letter and mailed to the address below. National Driver Register 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. NVS-422 Washington, D.C. 20590 Include in your request: * Your Full Legal Name * Date of Birth * State and Driver License Number* * Social Security Number* * Gender* * Height* * Weight* * Eye Color* *Optional PII helps eliminate you from other possible matches.

Identity data sharing

According to National Drivers Register officials, problem drivers' records posted to the NDR database by the states are made available to all states in the U.S. Information supplied by one state to the NDR is obtained by another state from the NDR using the first four letters of the driver's first and last names, date of birth, and, often, if it is published, that driver's

social security number In the United States, a Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to United States nationality law, U.S. citizens, Permanent residence (United States), permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents under section 205(c)(2 ...

and/or license number.

References

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External links

National Driver Register

Law enforcement databases in the United States Transportation in the United States United States criminal law