This is a records request form which has two main branches of information available – “DL/ID” and “VR/Vessel” records. In California, the DMV form INF 70 can be used to obtain information on a subject’s driving and vehicle ownership history. We’ll examine the Californian record request in detail, as it lies in the middle of the road in terms of information demanded and is comparably easy to complete. Since the law was passed in 1994, states all follow the same rules regarding disclosure of personal information, but all have different methods of offering access to driving records. The most prominent of these cases was regarding Midwestern abortion doctor, Susan Wicklund, who had been harassed and stalked by anti-abortion protestors who used DMV records to track her. The DPPA was introduced in 1992 after abortion doctors and patients were being harassed by people using DMV records to track them. Requirements of written consent or notarization further make the process of obtaining records cumbersome, if not impossible.

Acceptable uses as defined by the Act include use by a government agency, use in the normal course of business by a legitimate business or its agents for verification or correction purposes, and for use in connection with any matter before a court or arbitration proceeding. Additionally, this information is protected from release under definitions of acceptable use. The federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994 codified protections against disclosing personal information associated with driver’s licenses unless express permission of the subject whose records are being accessed is obtained. Personal information which is integral to driving records is heavily protected by federal law and by states’ interpretation of that law. In this entry we go over what makes these records unique and where to look for them.

The accessibility to these records varies wildly state-to-state, making it less of a dependable source record and more of an intriguing auxiliary item. Driving records are one such instance of this. Sometimes, what would seem like or seem like it ought to be a public record may not actually be so.

Florida driving record search