It doesn’t matter if you’re a new driver or an experienced race car fanatic in Florida, there will be a time when you need to know what’s on your driving record. You may already know that your driving record plays a large role in determining your car insurance costs, but you might not know that your driving record can keep you from getting and keeping certain jobs. In this post, we’ll take a look at the basics of finding and obtaining your Florida driving record, as well as why it’s important to see what’s on it.
There are several reasons why you might want to check your driving record in Florida. In some cases, your record will be used to determine the price you pay for certain services, and in others, you may be required to have a clean driving record to work in certain environments.
Obtaining the status of a driver license in Florida is free, and can be done online or in person at a driver license service center. If a three-year or seven-year complete driving record is required, it may be ordered from a driver license service center, or through a court clerk or private vendor.
Drivers may also purchase a copy of their record by mail, and must complete a driver license record request form. Ordering a copy of a driving record by mail involves a fee. Florida notes that the personal information contained within driving records is protected by its Driver Privacy Protection Act. In order to obtain a copy of another person’s driving record, you must have that person’s name, date of birth, social security number, and Florida license number.
Florida drivers can order three types of complete driving records:
Both the three- and seven-year driving records are available to drivers upon request and contain:
The Complete driving record displays additional information, which includes department-approved correspondence and records relating to an incomplete attempt at a driving course or ineligibility to take a driving course.
Ordering a driver history record in Florida requires the payment of a record fee to the state. The three-year record costs $8 and the seven-year/complete records each cost $10. An individual crash report costs $10.
If, upon checking your driving record, you discover errors, you must contact the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Customer Service Center at (850) 617-2000. The center will investigate the record and correct issues, if they exist, as quickly as possible.
Florida accepts online driving schools, either as part of a court-ordered improvement program or as part of an effort to improve a driving record.
The state maintains a list of approved providers, many of which offer both online and in-person instruction. The list includes: