Did you receive a traffic ticket in Washington?
You might be worried about getting your WA driver’s license suspended!
While Washington drivers don’t have to worry about accumulating traffic points, your license can still be suspended for getting too many moving violations.
Fortunately, it’s easy to check your license status by ordering your driving record from the WA DOL.
Now, in this article, we’ll tell you:
- How to get a driving record in Washington
- How to find a reliable Washington defensive driving school
Let’s begin!
Who Needs Washington Driving Records?
Washington driving records provide an account of your driver history and infractions, including:
- Traffic violations
- Convictions
- Traffic accidents
- Driver’s license status - suspension, revocation
These driving records are available upon request by the driver on the record or another entity for official use.
Typically, most WA driving record requests are used by:
- Law enforcement
- Insurance companies
- Employers or businesses
- Attorneys
- Government agency
- Transit agencies
- School districts
- State colleges or universities
What are the Types of Driving Records in Washington?
You can request 4 types of driving records from the WA DOL. These are:
- Full driving record
- Insurance record (3-year driving history)
- Employment driving record
- Alcohol/Drug assessment (5-year driving history)
Full driving record
Your full driving record is used for official purposes only.
It will contain a complete account of your driving history as a Washington driver’s license holder.
Insurance record (3-year driving history)
Insurance agencies mostly use the 3-year abstract.
To help insurance agencies estimate your premiums, this record contains 3 years of your driving history, including tickets, collisions, convictions, failure to appear (FTA), and violations.
Employment driving record
Employers and businesses use the Washington employment record for pre-employment screening.
This record will contain a complete history of your life as a Washington state driver.
Alcohol/Drug Assessment (5-year driving history)
This record is used for referral to alcohol or drug rehabilitation facilities. This record may only be requested by rehabilitation facilities or the person on the record.
It will contain a 5-year record of your driving history.
Visit the WA DOL website for complete information on driving record type content and how you can use them.
How to Request a Driving Record in Washington
You can request your Washington driver record online or by mail.
However, if you would just like to check your driver’s license status, you can do it for free on the Washington DOL website. Simply provide a Washington card number and date of birth.
If you want the full driving record, then follow these steps:
Online
The easiest way to get your Washington driving record is to request it online.
To do that, you will need to apply for a Washington License eXpress account.
There, provide this information:
- Washington driver’s license number
- Social Security Number
- Driving record type
Once you’ve provided your driver information, you will need to pay the record fee of $13.
If you request a record online, you won’t get a physical copy; only a digital one.
That said, you can save the copy directly on your computer. You can also print a PDF copy of your driving record within 24 hours.
To request your Washington driving record by mail, submit:
- A completed WA Driving Record Request Form
- $13 payment of driving record fee
Mail your form and payment to:
Driver Records
Department of Licensing
PO Box 3907
Seattle, WA 98124
If you request by mail, allow the WA DOL a lead time of 10 to 14 days.
Why is it Important to Check Your Driving Record?
As we said earlier, Washington doesn’t follow a points system.
But even if that’s the case, remember that your license can still be suspended or revoked if you’ve been convicted in court for a moving violation many times.
Suspension and revocation of WA driver’s license can last from 30 days up to a year, depending on the amount and/or severity of the traffic violation.
Aside from the hassle of suspension or revocation, you will have to spend a lot of money to have your WA license reinstated. You might even have a difficult time looking for a new job or auto insurance discount.
So it’s important to check your driving record to see how many traffic violations you’ve accumulated. This will help you be more careful when out on the road.
Visit the WA DOL website for a complete list of driver’s license suspension types.
How to Avoid Accumulating Violations on My Washington Driving Record?
The best solution to avoid getting more violations on your Washington driving record is to:
- Dismiss a traffic ticket
- Improve your defensive driving skills
- Refresh knowledge of Washington traffic laws
This is all possible with a state-approved in-person or online Washington defensive driving course.
Note: If you want a defensive driving course to dismiss a traffic ticket, you first have to ask permission from your court handler.
With a Washington defensive driving course, you can also:
- Fulfill a court-ordered defensive driving course requirement (4 or 8 hours)
- Get an insurance discount
Best Defensive Driving Course in Washington
For convenience and affordability, we highly recommend an online defensive driving course.
Looking for a reliable online traffic school?
Check out iDriveSafey!
iDriveSafely offers three (3) defensive driving course packages in Washington:
- Level 1 Court Ordered: 4-hour
- Level 2 8-hour Court-Ordered: 8-hour
- Voluntary Defensive Driving
The Level 1 and Level 2 defensive driving courses are fully approved by Washington courts.
This means that you can fulfill your WA court-ordered course all in the comfort of your home and at your own pace!
Washington drivers who want to improve their skills or get an insurance discount can avail of the voluntary defensive driving package.
With all iDriveSafely WA packages, you can expect to get 24/7 access to 100% learning tools and resources, including:
- Easy-to-understand text
- Audio narration
- Videos
- Graphics
- Animations
- Multiple choice quizzes
iDriveSafely also has a reliable customer and technical support team available 7 days a week.
To get your money’s worth, iDriveSafely offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all Washington Defensive Driving Courses.
Conclusion
You might feel relieved that Washington doesn’t follow a point system!
Well, getting a WA traffic ticket can still get your license suspended or revoked!
Because of that, check your license status and driving history by requesting a Washington driving record:
- Online by creating a Washington License Express account.
- By Mail by sending your completed WA Driving Record Request Form and payment to the Driver Records Department of Licensing, PO Box 3907, Seattle, WA 98124.
Online defensive driving school is also one of the most effective ways to get an insurance discount and avoid getting violations added to your record.