Could Getting an Out-of-State Conviction for DUI
Jeopardize Your Driving Privilege in Florida?
Multi-State Compact Acts
NATIONAL DRIVER REGISTER (NDR)
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 drugs.
Florida is a member of the Driver License Compact (DLC) and the Non-Resident Violators Compact of 1977 (NRVC). Being a member of these compacts requires a member state to post a conviction arising from a traffic offense within their state to the National Driver Register (NDR). The NDR is a nationwide database accessible to all members. Therefore, the Florida Department of Highway Safety, Division of Drivers Licenses can easily check to see if you received any convictions in another state.
For example, if you are convicted of a DUI in Georgia and part of your sentence was a one-year suspension of your driving privilege, the Florida Department of Highway Safety, Division of Drivers Licenses could easily check the NDR. In accordance with the DLC and NRVC, Florida would recognize and honor your Georgia sentence by simultaneously suspending your Florida driving privilege for one-year.
THE DRIVER LICENSE COMPACT (DLC):
Membership in the DLC requires Florida and other member states to enforce the “one driver license theory.” This theory compels the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles to require that citizens applying for a Florida license must surrender any out-of state licenses. The DLC also requires Florida to maintain a complete driving record to determine not only your driving status in Florida, but any other states as well. Most worrisome, is the fact that other member states must report any traffic convictions, license suspensions and revocations to Florida, whereby Florida is required to then treat your out-of state traffic offense as if committed within its own borders. For example, if you get a ticket in one of the DLC member states, the department of motor vehicles in that state will relay the information to your home state, whereby the violation will add points to your driving record just as if the ticket had been issued in Florida.
THE NON-RESIDENT VIOLATORS COMPACT (NRVC):
The NRVC requires that if a resident motorist of a NRVC member state fails to comply with the terms of a citation received in a sister state, their Driver’s License must be suspended in their home state.
Is Your Name on the National Drivers Registry?
Inquiries by the general public can be made directly to the NDR. You can download the Individual Request Form, have it notarized, and mail your request to the NDR at:
National Driver Register
400 7th Street, SW., Room 6124
Washington, DC 20590-0001
(202) 366-4800
Or, you can take the completed form to your drivers license office and, for a small fee, they will send your request to NDR. In either case, NDR will send a response to your inquiry directly to you.
Related Links:
