How to Access Massachusetts DUI Records

Statistics prove that drunken driving is one of the leading causes of all road fatalities that take place every year in United States. Individual states too exhibit this trend and the numbers have risen disturbingly in the last few years. For this reason, states implement strict drunk driving laws and enforce harsh penalties on the offenders.

A person is convicted of a DUI or “driving under the influence” (of alcohol and/or drugs) crime if s/he is proved guilty of operating a vehicle when intoxicated and thus impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs, or certain types of medications. The charge is applicable to all vehicles that may be used for work or recreational purposes.

Massachusetts DUI Laws and Penalties

Massachusetts modified its DUI laws on July 2003 and as per the new guidelines, it is illegal to drive in Massachusetts if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level is .08% or more. This is the standard measurement level for most states in the US. For people who are less than 21 years of age, which is the legal permissible age for consuming alcohol in Massachusetts, it is illegal to drive a vehicle if your BAC level is 0.02% or more.

Massachusetts is an Implied Consent State, which means that a Massachusetts driving license holder will agree to take a blood, breath, or urine test to determine the level of alcohol in his/her body, if requested by a law officer during a DUI investigation. Refusing to be tested will result in suspension of the driving privileges.

A Massachusetts DUI conviction carries these penalties: serving a compulsory jail sentence; imposition of heavy fines; suspension of license for a certain period of time with hardship reinstatement being considered only after six months; participation in an alcohol-drug abuse education and treatment program; and placing an ignition interlock device in the offender’s vehicle.

Why Search for Massachusetts DUI Records

The steady rise in the number of drunken driving cases in Massachusetts had led the authorities to embrace strict DUI laws and come down heavily on offenders with heavy fines and harsh punishments. But the MA DUI occurrences did not decrease appreciably. This is because drivers with DUI charges on them continue to drive on suspended or restricted licenses and offenders often drop out from alcohol and substance abuse education and treatment programs and take to the roads.

To reduce the incidence of repeat offenses, you need to search the Mass DUI records whenever you have doubts about any driver or want to check the credentials of a suspected person behind the wheels.

There are more reasons that justify going through the Massachusetts DUI records: if you have drivers working for your logistics company or vehicles hire service, then it is your responsibility to look up the driving records of the drivers working under you and operating your vehicles. There could be someone who had once been convicted of a DUI crime. This will enable you to be cautious while hiring such individuals. A DUI record check would also identify if there is someone who has an outstanding suspended warrant against him/her.

You should also look up the driving records and check for the DUI crimes committed by the person who drives your child’s pool car services or the person whom you have just hired as your new chauffeur. You may also need to check for the Massachusetts DUI records if you are an insurance agent and the claims for vehicle damages resulting from a DUI case have to be paid by your insurance company.

Where to Find Massachusetts DUI Records

The National Driver Register (NDR) is a computerized database that lists the names and associated identification details of all US drivers whose licenses have been canceled, denied, revoked, or suspended and who have been charged with committing traffic violations like DUI crimes. The database is also known as the Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS). All the 50 states of US and the District of Columbia form a part of the NDR database. So if you are looking for a Massachusetts DUI record, you can request for it at the NDR.

For this, you will need to obtain a FAA Form 8060-13, from this site: http://forms.faa.gov/forms/faa8060-13.pdf . Complete the form and send it via US mail only, to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, ATTN: Bureau of Records, Neil Kirkman Building, PO Box 5775, Tallahassee Florida 32314. You can also hand over this form to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, but dispatching it to Florida directly would churn out results faster.

A driving record search result from the National Driver Register will contain the current state of a driving license, information on whether the license had been canceled, revoked or suspended, the name of the state where the crime was committed within the past five years, and reference to all DUI charges committed within the past five years.

You may also search for Massachusetts DUI records here: http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminal&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Consumer+Protection+%26+Business+Licensing&L2=Motor+Vehicle+Insurance+Merit+Rating+Board&sid=Eeops&b=terminalcontent&f=mrb_driving_history_page&csid=Eeops

For your convenience, the DUI records here are sorted by counties: Berkshire County, Bristol County, Hampshire County, Nantucket County, Suffolk County, Worchester County, and the like. To search for records, you will have to key in these parameters: the first and the last names of the driver and the state where the crime had been committed. You may or may not provide the name of the city. A driving record search result obtained from this site will contain contains the full name of the convicted person, his/her past and present addresses, a detailed description of his/her physical appearance, and the conviction details of the DUI crime.

A MA DUI record is easy to search. The state makes available to the public all driving records and all you need to do is submit a request for one by providing the relevant details. A small step, but it will go a long in ensuring that you prevent DUI crimes and make the roads of Massachusetts safe.