Motor Vehicle Records May Not Provide an Accurate or Complete Account of Driving Histories

MALVERN, Pa. - One in five convictions for traffic violations may be missing from motor vehicle records (MVRs), according to a new study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) of court records and MVRs in four states. Twenty-two percent of convictions sampled in Connecticut and 21 percent of convictions sampled in Florida were not found on the respective drivers' MVRs. Also, 14 percent of traffic convictions from a sample in Ohio and 10 percent of sampled convictions from the state of Washington were missing from MVRs. The analysis was limited to those traffic citations that resulted in convictions, either from fines paid without contesting the charges or from guilty findings in court. It did not include any tickets dismissed through traffic school, court supervision, or any other legal methods that prevent traffic violations from appearing on MVRs.

Convictions for traffic violations issued to out-of-state drivers appeared even less frequently on motorists' driving histories. Nearly half (47 percent) of a sample of convictions were missing from MVRs in a separate analysis of Florida drivers who were convicted of traffic violations while in Connecticut.

Traffic violations, such as running red lights or driving under the influence of alcohol, indicate unsafe driving behavior. Insurers and many company risk managers use traffic violation histories found on MVRs to predict drivers' future conduct. If MVRs are inaccurate or incomplete, higher-risk drivers whose traffic convictions do not appear on MVRs may pay less than their fair share of the cost of accidents and thereby increase auto insurance rates for lower-risk drivers.

"These violations all met the criteria to appear on MVRs. The inaccuracies revealed by this study are inherently greater when considering that many other violations are withheld from driving records through traffic school dismissals and other similar methods," explained Elizabeth A. Sprinkel, senior vice president of the IRC. "Ultimately, if insurers must rely on driving history records that are inaccurate or incomplete, it will result in good drivers subsidizing the insurance costs of poor drivers."

The report, Accuracy of Motor Vehicle Records: An Analysis of Traffic Convictions, examines more than 50,000 traffic convictions in four states to determine the accuracy of MVRs. In addition to the data analysis, the report contains details about traffic schools and other conviction avoidance methods across the United States that further reduce the appearance of traffic violations on MVRs.

For more detailed information on the study's methodology and findings, contact Elizabeth Sprinkel by phone at (610) 644-2212, ext. 7568; by fax at (610) 640-5388; or by e-mail at irc@cpcuiia.org. Or visit IRC's Web site at www.ircweb.org. Copies of the study are available at $35 each in the U.S. ($50 elsewhere) postpaid from the IRC, 718 Providence Road, Malvern, Pa. 19355-0725. Phone: (610) 644-2212, ext. 7569; Fax: (610) 640-5388.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: The Insurance Research Council is a division of the American Institute for CPCU and the Insurance Institute of America. The Institutes are independent, nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing educational programs, professional certification, and research for the property-casualty insurance business. The IRC provides timely and reliable research to all parties involved in public policy issues affecting insurance companies and their customers. The IRC does not lobby or advocate legislative positions. It is supported by leading property-casualty organizations.