The Interstate Driver’s License Compact and the National Driver Register
The Driver’s License Compact (DLC), commonly referred to as the Interstate Driver’s License Compact, is an agreement between each of the 45 member states and the District of Columbia to exchange and report information concerning serious traffic violations, such as a DUI, DWAI, reckless driving and others and suspensions of non-resident violators back to their home state. The violator’s home state will in turn treat the offense as if it had been committed by the violator in their home state and apply any home state laws to the out-of-state offense. For example, if a driver were to be arrested and convicted in Colorado for a DUI, but the driver was a resident of California and possessed a California driver’s license at the time of arrest, Colorado would report the DUI conviction to California and California would treat the DUI conviction as if it happened in California. There are currently five states that are not members of the DLC; those states are Wisconsin, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Michigan and Georgia.
Originally, the DLC only reported serious traffic offenses such as a DUI, however now almost all moving violations, such as speeding, weaving and others are reported back to the driver’s home state. Meaning, if a Colorado driver receives a speeding ticket in Arizona, the state of Arizona will report the violation and possibly the points back to the driver’s home state of Colorado.
Not every driving offense will transfer back to the driver’s home state. Under the DLC, in order for the driver’s home state to penalize him or her for an out-of-state violation, the driver’s home state must have the same statute for the offense for which the driver was charged. For example, not every state has a careless driving offense. If an out-of-state driver is convicted of careless driving in Colorado and the driver’s home state does not have a statute for careless driving, then no action will be taken by the driver’s home state.
The National Driver Register (NDR) is a computerized national database used by states to report information on drivers who have had their driving privileges suspended or revoked or who have been convicted of serious traffic offenses such as a DUI. When a person goes to apply for a new state driver’s license or to renew a driver’s license in their home state, the state DMV will check to see if that person is on the National Driver Register. If that person is listed on the NDR, then the licensing state is required to investigate the report made by the state adding the person’s name to the NDR. Depending on the report and investigation, the licensing state may refuse to issue a license or renew the license. The NDR was designed to prevent a person who’s driver’s license is suspended or revoked in one state from getting a license in another state. It also makes it very difficult for a person to obtain multiple driver’s licenses.
