How to Find Driving Records or Accident Reports

Driving records and accident reports are documents that a majority of people need at some point during their lives. These documents contain a good deal of vital information that can greatly affect a person, and knowing how to find them can make life much easier.

Instructions

1. Call your local Department of Motor Vehicles office to obtain a copy of your driving record. Each state maintains a DMV office that keeps all records that pertain to your driver’s license, and they are typically the only ones that can release a copy of your driving record to you.

2. Fill out any required paperwork completely to obtain a copy of your driving history. The paperwork will normally ask for your name, date of birth, driver’s license number, address and social security number. Keep all of this information handy to make filling out your paperwork easier.

3. Pay the required fees to the clerk and pick up a copy of your driving record. Driving records are usually accessible immediately and can be returned to you within just a few minutes.

4. Contact your local law enforcement agency to obtain copies of accident reports. Police stations, sheriffs' departments and state patrol offices are the normal record keepers for accident reports, and they are the ones in charge of maintaining and releasing them.

5. Determine which agency would have handled your case. Many cities are multi-jurisdictional, which means that multiple agencies have permissions to serve over the same area. You might need to contact two or three different places to figure out which agency handled your case.

6. Report to the records division of the law enforcement agency you need to talk to. They will most likely ask you questions about the accident, such as when it occurred, where it happened and who was involved. Have as much of this information as possible available since the records departments deal with thousands of reports a year.

7. Complete any paperwork required to get a copy of your accident report. You will need to include any requested information and show identification to prove you are who you are claiming to be before you are allowed to get a copy of the accident report. Pay any fees at this time to speed up your report process.

8. Pick up your accident report when it is available. Depending on the age and size of your accident report, it may take a few days for the records department to locate and finish your request. Request your reports as far in advance as possible, so that you receive all of your paperwork in plenty of time.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep all of your vital information handy. You will need certain important information to request any kind of official paperwork.

• Never try and rush a report. It takes time for agencies to search for your files, and you will need to be patient in waiting for your request to be completed.