How to Obtain a Free Driving Record
Your driving record is one of the most important and valuable bits of information about you and your daily habits. It can impact your life financially and professionally, and can make several aspects of owning a car either more or less expensive, depending on what’s on it. Getting a driving record costs money, however, though you might find online offers to deliver your driving record for free. Are these offers legitimate? Is it possible to find a free driving record? Let’s take a look at whether or not this is true, along with other valuable information on driving records.
How to Obtain a Free Driving Record
There is good news and bad news here. First, the bad news. There is no legitimate way to order or obtain a driving record online, or anywhere else, for free. State and local governments are the gatekeepers of this information, and as you might expect, they are very protective of who gets access and when. In the best cases, websites and other companies that promise to deliver your driving record for free are just collecting email addresses to sell onto third-party scammers. In the worst case scenarios, providing information to these companies can result in years of financial issues and many phone calls to credit reporting agencies, trying to figure out who is using your personal information to sign up for credit cards and other accounts.
What is a Driving Record?
Driving records mean different things to different states, but in general they include information on a driver’s:
- Contact information
- Driver’s license status
- Traffic violations
- Convictions
Why is a Driving Record Important?
Beyond keeping track of your driving habits, your driving record can be used in a variety of ways that greatly impact your daily life.
- Auto insurance companies view a driving record as an indication of how risky you are to insure. If you have a long list of speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, or severe infractions like a DUI, you could be looking at big charges to insure your vehicle.
- Employers consider driving records for jobs that require operation of machinery or company vehicles. This is especially true for government jobs and others with strict codes of conduct. Your driving record can drastically impact your chances of becoming and remaining employed with these companies.
- If there are mistakes on your record, they can make it more difficult to register your car or may even cause issues at your next traffic stop.
What To Do If There Are Points On Your Record/How To Reduce Points
Depending on where you live, you may have an option to take a class or course to reduce the number of points on your driving record. This is not true in all states, and is not true for all violations, so it’s best to check with your local department of motor vehicles to determine what is available in your area. In many cases, points and other negative items “fall off” a driving record over time, so you might not need to do anything but wait for your record to improve.
Read more on our top pics and recommendations for Online Traffic Schools here
Does My Driving Record Impact My Insurance Rates? Options For Lowering Insurance Costs
Your driving record absolutely impacts your insurance rates. Remember, insurance companies are in business to make money, and taking you at your good word is not enough for them to make a determination on what you’ll pay. Companies view your driving record as a way to learn about your driving habits and to figure out just how risky you’ll be as a customer. Lowering your insurance costs isn’t always easy, but it is possible by maintaining a good driving record, keeping an eye on your credit score, and by making sure that your driving record contains accurate and complete information.
Read more on How to Save on Insurance with Driver Ed here
Golden Wrench Winners for Best Online Drivers Ed and Traffic Schools
Aceable is not only an excellent program in terms of content, it is incredibly user-friendly and engaging. Classes are available on any device, have accessible audio and video and manage to make the subject matter interesting and fun. The site itself is easy to use and intuitive.
Improv Traffic School is a great program geared towards keeping the student engaged in the materials. Classes are a mixture of text, audio and video and hold the attention of the user using comedy whenever possible. The site is user-friendly and engaging.
This solid program is less flashy than others in the industry, but is a good choice in terms of content. The site is easy to use and self explanatory. The program tracks your progress and helps you along with prompt questions throughout.
This program is filled with all the information you need to pass the tests. The site is a little slow and simple compared to others in the industry. This content is timed, and users are expected to get through the material at a set pace. An audio option is available for a price.
This program is the basic offering in terms of frills. IDriveSafely has all the information you need, and no extras or distractions. The user-experience is very basic, but the content is complete.
FAQ
- How can I get a copy of my driving record?
Depending on where you live, obtaining a copy of your driving record can be as easy as making a trip to your local DMV. In some cases, you can order an unofficial copy online, or by calling your local state offices. Be aware that there are different types of driving records, and in most cases you’ll be required to pay a small fee for the service.
- What is a clean driving record?
A clean driving record is one that is free of moving violations, wrecks, and other driving-related convictions. The length of time that violations remain on a record varies from place to place and from violation to violation.
- How can I get insurance with a bad driving record?
It is completely possible to obtain insurance with a bad driving record, but your costs and policy options may be limited. Some insurance companies may limit the number of high-risk policies offered, but in many cases a policy will be offered with a higher price and deductible.
- What is considered a bad driving record?
A “bad” driving record can include more than one violation, some of which may be considered more serious than others. One speeding ticket on a driving record doesn’t necessarily make it bad, but a DUI and other infractions together can add up to a bad record.
