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What your driving record means for you, and how to check yours

Police Safety Car Insurance Urban Hacks
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So what does your driving record mean for you, and why should you care?
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
12 Nov 2019
5 min read

It turns out you don’t need to be a criminal to get yourself a record that will follow you around for life. Ever run a red light? Used a phone while driving? Been caught speeding? It’s all recorded in your driving record.

And like a vehicular coldsore, once you’ve got one, it’s yours for good.

In NSW, for example, your driving (or traffic) record captures every fine you've ever paid, with the exception of parking fines, along with any traffic offence you've opted to fight in court and lost.

And that includes any for which you were issued a 'Section 10', in which the court finds you guilty but records no conviction. Should you go to court and win, however (and yes, we're told that can actually happen), there'll be no mark recorded on your file.

All of that information is stored on government servers, and all of it is waiting to pop up again when you least expect it.

So what does that mean for you, and why should you care? You would know already that an unblemished driving record can mean cheaper insurance, but did you know that having too many offences recorded against your name could mean a stiffer penalty should you challenge an offence in court?

Yup, in the same way that you can hope for leniency should you sport an unblemished driving record, you should equally be crossing every finger and toe if yours is the kind of file the judge needs a wheelbarrow to lug into the courtroom.

"In NSW, your driving record will have all the offences recorded against your name - period," says Andrew Tiedt, partner at Armstrong Legal in Sydney. "The RMS (Roads and Maritime Services) has a record of every offence that has ever been recorded against your name.

"Should you find yourself in court for a traffic-related offence, you can expect that record to be tendered. And it might help or hinder, depending on what’s on it".

If you’re applying for a certain role, like a professional driving job, you might be expected to present a copy of your driving record,

So you know that time you forgot to wear a seatbelt while on your P-plates, or when you accidentally jumped a stop sign? All of that information is stored on government servers, and all of it is waiting to pop up again when you least expect it. The good news, though, is that only you or the police can access that information, with insurance companies, employers and everybody else locked out unless they're in possession of an appropriate subpoena.

But that doesn't mean your driving record won't stop you getting particular jobs.

"If you’re applying for a certain role, like a professional driving job, you might be expected to present a copy of your driving record, and not doing so can harm your chances of getting that job. But nobody can go to the RMS and get a copy of your record without a subpoena," Mr Tiedt says.

Lying about your record can be a very serious criminal offence.

"Insurance companies can’t access you record either, but they can require you to provide it. For example, when they say a certain policy is available if you haven’t committed an offence in the past five years, they might require you to prove that you qualify.

"And lying about your record can be a very serious criminal offence."

Want to see what's on your record? In NSW, getting a copy is fairly straightforward, with the RMS able to post or email you a copy, provided you're willing to pay for it. And it's the same in Queensland, where your standard traffic history report will show every offence recorded against your name for the proceeding five years (but they can go back further, if required).

In South Australia, you can apply to have your driving record posted to you, either as an unofficial document or as a certified file you can use in court, while in Western Australia, a record spanning the past five years can be ordered through the WA Police website.

In Victoria, you can choose between a five year or lifetime record, both of which are ordered through the VicRoads website, while in the Northern Territory, you can apply for all fines and offences since your licence was issued, but any convictions can only be accessed via the Northern Territory Police.

Finally, in the ACT you can apply for a licence statement covering three, five or 10 years, while in Tasmania, you can access a five-year history.

Has your driving record ever been a help or hinderance? Tell us in the comments below.

CarsGuide does not operate under an Australian financial services licence and relies on the exemption available under section 911A(2)(eb) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) in respect of any advice given. Any advice on this site is general in nature and does not take into consideration your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision please consider these and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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