How to Read Your California Driving Record

by Desi Crall

A California driving record contains information about your driving history and personal identification information as well as lists any restrictions on a license. Some employers will ask that you purchase and submit a driving record for hiring purposes. This can also be a requirement when you will be transporting other people, such as children, even if it is on a volunteer basis. It is important to know how to read a driving record in order to check for accuracy and outdated information. The record can be difficult to read if it contains a number of different violation codes and restrictions.

Reading Your California Driving Record

Step 1

Locate personal information by the following abbreviations: B/D is date of birth; RES ADD stands for Residential Address; HT is your height; and WT is your weight. This information should match your driver's license.

Step 2

Find information about your license by identifying the following abbreviations: DL/NO is your driver's license number; LIC/ISS tells when the license was issued; and EXP stands for the expiration date of the license.

Step 3

Locate driving history information by looking for the following abbreviations: COURT stands for courthouse number. If you appeared in court for a violation, you will find the number listed here. VIOL/DT lists the date of a traffic violation. The specific violation is listed under SEC/VIOL. You will find the docket number, which is the same thing as a court case number, listed under DKT/NO.

Step 4

Check for violations on your driving record. California uses a number code system to simplify the violations code. Refer to the Common California Vehicle Code Violations Used In Negligent Operator Counts chart to locate a specific code. This can be found in the Resources section.

Step 5

Identify any driving restrictions that are listed on your record. First-year drivers will have a statement on their driving record that tells who they can drive in a vehicle with and for how long this restriction will last. Restrictions should be automatically removed by the DMV computer system once time limits have been reached.

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