new york driving abstract The New York Department of Motor Vehicles provides a very comprehensive summary of your driving record called an abstract. Abstracts are available for both your standard driving record and your commercial driving record if you hold a separate Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) in New York. How Do I Check My Driving Record? There are several ways to view or order your abstract, however there is no way to acquire a free driving record in New York. The easiest method is through the My DMV portal on the NYS DMV website. All you’ll need is your latest issued New York driver’s license along with an accepted form of payment for the $7 fee. Your drivers abstract can be downloaded any time on the day of purchase in .pdf format. Remember you can complete a defensive driving course in order to have tickets or citations removed from your driving record. You can also acquire your NYS driving record by mail, at your local DMV office, or at the DMV Customer Service Desk in Albany, NY. You will need to provide your license or, if your license is unavailable, some government-issued form of identification. You will also need to bring or mail a check for $10, the required payment for your driving record NY. Contents of your NYS Driving Record Your DMV abstract NY profile is intuitive to follow and is divided into the following sections:
  • Header: You basic identifying information, including your DMV ID number and license number. If there are errors in your driving abstract NY profile, make sure this information matches your records.
  • Summary: The particulars of your license, including suspensions, revocations, or any other endorsements that restrain or expand your New York driving privileges.
  • Activity: Driving class completion, CDL activity, and any other notes associated with your license. Also included in this section is information on any moving violations you may have committed outside New York while driving on your New Your license in a place where New York State has a reciprocity or information-sharing agreement. Interestingly, at the time of this writing, no other U.S. States have a reciprocity agreement with New York, but the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec do; tickets issued in those territories and only those places will show up on your New York abstract.
  • Suspensions and Revocations: The history and details of current and past license suspension and revocations, including location data and legal adjudication. Most suspensions only appear on the drivers abstract for four years, though suspensions associated with refusal of a chemical test appear for five years.
  • Convictions and Forfeitures: All violations that resulted in a conviction associated with your license, as well as the amount and date paid of any fines. This is important information to determine the number of points on your license if you think you’re in danger of having your license suspended or revoked. It’s also important to note pedestrian and bicycle violations and some violations associated with your vehicle that are not moving violation will not show up on your abstract. Depending on the severity of the violation, most convictions drop off the abstract after 10-15 years though some, including most that resulted in a fatality, may appear on the abstract permanently.
  • Accidents: The basic data associated with any accidents you have been involved in while driving under the license queried in your abstract request, including injury information, police report data, and court case data if applicable.
If you’d like to see a sample abstract, one is available on the NY DMV website along with a more detailed description of each field. What if There’s an Error in Your Abstract? If you think there might be an error in your abstract or your driving record, the first step to resolution is to contact the NYS DMV Call Center by phone. Multiple language interpreters are available during normal business hours.