How to Find the West Virginia DUI Records

The DUI and DWI laws in West Virginia are similar to the DUI laws of many other states in the country. A DUI or DWI arrest elicits two different cases. In the first case, an offender charged with a DUI offense in West Virginia State is subjected to punishments and penalties by the state court under a criminal court case, and the second case involves punishment from the West Virginia Department of the Transportation.

Under the criminal court case, the punishment for a DUI offense includes fines, jail terms, attending programs on drug and alcohol treatment, installation of the ignition interlock device into the motor vehicle used by the offender, and the suspension of the offender’s driving privileges and the driver’s license.

Penalties offered to an offender for DUI offenses in West Virginia State by the Department of Transportation are separate from the criminal court penalties. The Department of Transportation imposes penalties in the form of suspension of driver’s license, revocation and suspension of the driving privileges of the offender.

Punishment for DUI Offenses in West Virginia State

Just like some of the other states in the United States, the punishment and penalties for DUI offenses and convictions in West Virginia State varies on the basis of the offender’s DUI offense history and whether it was the offender’s first, second or third DUI offense. A repeat conviction for a DUI offense in West Virginia attracts steeper fines and punishments depending on the number of previous offenses that the offender may have committed in a period of 10 years. West Virginia allows a 10 years look back period. This implies that if the offender has not committed any additional DUI offenses within 10 years of his or her previous offense then the next DUI offense is considered as a first DUI offense.

For more information on West Virginia DUI cases, DUI laws, and accessing DUI records, you can visit http://www.transportation.wv.gov/dmv/Driver-Licenses/Pages/default.aspx

West Virginia DUI Records

The driving records in the state of West Virginia are also referred to as the MVRs. These records are maintained by the Division of Motor Vehicles in the West Virginia State and provide information about the individual’s history of violations including details such as the traffic violations, convictions, accidents, DUI offenses, department sanctions such as the revocation, disqualification or suspension of the driver’s license as well as the validity, status and the type of the driver’s license.

Information Contained in the West Virginia DUI Records

A West Virginia driving record includes information such as the failure to appear (in case of a citation or warrants), the details of the collisions, the actions taken by the Division of Motor Vehicles in the West Virginia State including the suspensions, disqualifications or any revocation of the driver’s license, records of traffic violations (for five years after the latest offense was committed) as well as the DUI convictions which remain in the driving record for a period of 15 years after the date of conviction of the crime. 

Why is it Important to Search for the West Virginia DUI Records

If you wish to check the validity or the status of your own driver’s license you may request for the copy of driving record report from the Division of Motor Vehicles in West Virginia. The abstract of your official West Virginia driving record will not only spell out if the license is valid,  disqualified , suspended or even revoked but also tell you about your driving history which includes details such as any traffic tickets, reports of accidents, collisions, DUI offenses, convictions or active warrants against you, the points against your driver’s license and such.

Knowing about the details of your own driving record will serve you well especially if you need to defend yourself against a court case for a traffic ticket or even a DUI conviction in West Virginia.

Requesting for a copy of the individual driving records for the purpose of screening for application is also a standard procedure which is followed by the banks, lenders, schools, credit agencies as well as the insurance companies operating statewide in West Virginia for the purpose of risk assessment and insurance eligibility.

Apart from these, individuals with a commercial driver’s license for their work require to be assessed on a regular basis by their employers. The employers of the commercial drivers usually request for a copy of their driving records.

The West Virginia driving records also form an important a part of a standard background check that is used by most employers.

Who Can Request for the West Virginia DUI Records

In the state of West Virginia individuals can request for a copy of their own driving record from the Division of Motor Vehicles. You can also request for a copy of another person’s driving records in West Virginia if you have the permission of that individual along with the driving record request form duly signed by that individual. Apart from that the concerned individual needs to sign the release form that requires to be processed by the Division of the Motor Vehicles. This facility can only be accessed from the office in Charleston.

The regional offices do not have the authority to process these requests or the release forms. They can only provide information on how to acquire the driving record request form. The driving record request form can be downloaded from http://www.transportation.wv.gov/dmv/Forms/DMVForms/DMV-101-PS.pdf. You can also call (304) 558-3900 for any assistance or queries regarding the West Virginia driving records.

Apart from the individuals the state of West Virginia also allows certain other qualified agencies to request for the driving records provided there is a valid reason such as for legal purposes or for the purpose of insurance or employment.

Complete access to the driving records is available only to the individuals that are the subjects of the driving records along with the law enforcement agencies and the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles.

For additional information on the West Virginia DUI records you can contact the Division of Motor Vehicles, Driving Records, Bldg. 3, Capitol Complex, Charleston, WV 25317.