Information from the department of motor vehicles (“DMV”) is protected by the Drivers Privacy Protection Act. Your DMV records can only be accessed by people who have a permissible purpose to access the records. These permissible purposes include: for use by law enforcement in carrying out its functions, for use in connection with motor vehicle safety or theft, for use in court proceedings, for use in research activities as long as personal information is not published, for use by insurers, for use in providing notice to owners of towed vehicles, and for use if the requester has obtained the written consent of the person involved.
If someone has accessed your report without a permissible purpose, they are liable to you for your actual damages or $2,500 whichever is greater. In many states, you can request to see who has accessed your DMV report through your state DMV. If you suspect that your DMV information has been accessed without a permissible purpose, our law firm may be able to help. Contact us today.