Driving/Motor Vehicle Records in Florida

Your driving record has many more implications than just your driver's license. For example, it can affect your car insurance rates and your ability to find a job. Therefore, you should know what exactly is on your driving record, which is also sometimes called your motor vehicle record.

The FL DHSMV allows you to obtain your driving record so that you may see what is on it. The benefits of getting your driving record include:

  • The ability to see how many points you have.
  • The ability to verify everything is correct.
  • The ability to look out for identity theft.

Types of FL Motor Vehicle Records

The Florida DHSMV has the following types of records available to you:

  • A three-year record.
  • A seven-year record.
  • A complete driving record.
  • A certified driver record.

Three/Seven-Year Driving Records

On these records, you will find the following:

  • The issuance dates of your driver's license along with its status.
  • The traffic offenses you have been convicted of along with the point amounts for the past three or seven years.
  • All car accidents that brought with it a traffic violation.
  • Any suspension, revocation, cancelation, or disqualification of your license that is either open or cleared in the past three or seven years.
  • Any suspension for failing to pay for a traffic violation, which stays on your record for one whole year once your license has been reinstated.

Complete Driving Record

The complete Florida driving record contains the following information:

  • The issuance dates of your driver's license along with its status.
  • Any traffic offense you have been convicted of along with the point values. Any adjudications that have been withheld.
    • Usually, adjudications are due to someone finishing a driver improvement course to avoid having the points added to their records.
  • Any car accident that has brought with it a traffic violation.
  • Any suspension, revocation, cancelation, or disqualification of your license that is either open or cleared in the past three or seven years.
  • Any suspension for failing to pay for a traffic violation, which stays on your record for one whole year once your license has been reinstated.
    • Once a full year has passed, the suspension will turn into a correspondence entry on your complete driving record for the next two years.
      • Correspondence entries are notes made by the court and are not a specific violation.

Certified Driving Records

In some instances like court appearances and the request of an employer to see a driving record, you'll need to get a certified copy of your record to provide them with. Ordering a certified version of your driving record can be done for any of the types (three-year, seven-year, complete, etc). Traffic Violations Depending on the violation, you are looking at a different amount of time that each offense will appear on your driving record.

  • Traffic violations: Many traffic violations will stay on a driving record for three to five years, but the more severe violations may remain on there for longer.
  • License suspensions: The amount of time a suspension stays on your record will vary.
  • Traffic school course completions: These will remain on a record for 75 years.
  • Alcohol-related violations: These will remain on a record for 75 years.

How to Order Your Florida Driving Record

You are able to purchase your driving record at any FL DMV, with a tax collector with those types of services, or with a court clerk with those types of services. Plus, you can get your driving record in the mail if you send in a filled out request form (HSMV 90511) to the Bureau of Records in Tallahassee, FL. You may experience a full two week waiting period until your driving record comes in the mail. Fees for Ordering a Driving Record The price will differ depending on what kind of driving record you want:

  • A three-year driving record will cost $8.
  • A seven-year driving record will cost $10.
  • A complete driver history record will cost $10.
  • A certified driver history record will cost $10.

The fee must be paid at the time of your ordering.

FL Driving Records and Privacy

All of your private information will remain protected when you order a driving record. However, the Driver Privacy Protection Act can give out personal information for the following:

  • Government agencies.
  • Use in a matter that relates to vehicle and/or driver safety.
  • For business uses, only only for:
    • Verifying how accurate your submission of personal information is.
    • Getting the right information about personal information if it was incorrectly given.
  • For any court proceedings.
  • The state can get a copy of your driver's license for another person if you have given your written consent.
  • An employer may request a driving record.
  • A car insurance company can request a driving record for determining auto insurance rates.

Fixing Errors on a Motor Vehicle Record

Since a driving record can be the determining factor in getting a job and getting better car insurance rates, you should definitely check to see that all of the information on your record is accurate so something random doesn't show up to a person checking on it. If you've found something on your driving record you'd like to have changed, please call the prosecuting court and give proof of the violation being wrongly put on your driving record