For many people, getting a driving record check done can be deeply stressful. What tickets will show up? How long do convictions stay on your record? Will my driver’s license history affect whether I get hired for a new job?
Traffic tickets do show up on a driving record check, remaining visible for the entire duration of the record (3, 5, or 10 years). It’s important to understand how these tickets may impact your driving history and potential job applications.
Key Takeaways
- A driving record, or driver’s abstract, contains your driving history over a specified period (3, 5, or 10 years).
- Traffic tickets stay on your record for the entire duration, while demerit points disappear after 2 years.
- Speeding tickets appear on your driving record, but photo radar tickets do not.
- Police and insurance companies can access your driving record, which may impact insurance premiums and job applications.
- Fighting traffic tickets can help keep your driving record clean and avoid financial repercussions.
What Is a Driving Record?
Your driving record is also known as your driver’s abstract and is a document that contains all of your history. There are 3-, 5-, or 10-year driving records, each containing detailed information about you and your driving history over that period.
Information includes:
- Your license number, name, and address
- Your appearance, including gender, age, height, and weight
- The status of your license
- Ticket convictions
- Demerit points
- Suspensions and reinstatements
How Long Do Traffic Tickets Stay on Your Driving Record?
When you are convicted as a result of a traffic ticket, it will remain on your driving record for the entire time period, whether that’s 3, 5, or 10 years. This is different from demerit points, which can add up quickly and can result in your license being suspended if you accumulate enough in a 2-year period. Demerit points disappear after 2 years, but the tickets themselves do not.
It’s important to remember, too, that traffic tickets appear on your driving record as of the day you are convicted, not from the day that you received the ticket in the first place.
How Do You Check Your Driving Record?
Most of us know that we have a driver’s abstract, but how do we actually do a driving record check? Fortunately, it’s relatively simple to do a driving record check.
You have 2 options for checking your driver’s license history:
- You can request your driver’s abstract from the Province of Alberta’s website. To do so, you’ll require a verified Alberta.ca account. If you don’t have one, it can take up to 10 days to receive your verification code in the mail, and you can’t actually order your driver’s abstract until you’ve received one.
- Go to a registry agent. This is generally the simplest option. You can download a request form and simply drop it off at a registry agent. Don’t sign the form until you arrive and are in front of an agent, and make sure you have photo ID.
Do Speeding Tickets Show Up on Background Checks?
As some of the most common tickets that are issued in Alberta, many people want to know whether a speeding ticket goes on their record. The answer is yes, they will show up on a driving record check, although not if they were issued because of photo radar. They will not appear on a criminal record check.
If you receive a photo radar ticket in the mail, it is assigned to the vehicle’s license plate, not the driver. In those cases, the tickets do not go on driving records and will not affect insurance.
In general, though, speeding tickets do show up on your driving abstract and will be shown on your driver’s license history.
Who Else Can Check Your Driving Record?
While you can personally do a driving record check for yourself whenever you’d like, there are also situations where others can gain access to your record. These are situations where questions like “Do speeding tickets show up on background checks?” really start to matter.
Police
The police have access to your driver’s abstract and can check it whenever they pull you over. This allows them to see whether your license is suspended and to ensure that all the information you provide is accurate and consistent with what is on your driving record.
Insurance Companies
When you are shopping for insurance, insurance companies will be able to access your driving record so that they can determine what coverage you should be offered and what premiums you will have to pay.
This is one of the reasons why so many people choose to fight even minor traffic tickets. When convicted, they can affect the premiums you pay and cost you a lot in the long term.
Authorized Third-Parties
When applying for a job, some companies will request a copy of your driving record if it’s likely that you will be driving machinery or vehicles for them. This is standard practice in many fields, and you will need to provide them with written legal consent to do a driving record check.
Keep Tickets Off Your Driving Record with We Defend
Having traffic tickets on your driving record can be a real pain, and it can cost you money, too. The best way to avoid tickets showing up on a driving record check is to avoid the conviction. That means fighting traffic tickets and having experts like the team at We Defend on your side is the best way to avoid blemishes on your driving record down the road.
Book a free consultation to fight your next traffic ticket.
FAQ
Is a speeding ticket a criminal offense?
No, speeding tickets are not criminal offenses. They come with expensive fines, demerit points, and can have costly impacts on the insurance premiums you pay, but they will not show up on your criminal record.
Can an employer ask for a copy of my driver’s license?
If driving is an essential part of your job, yes, an employer can request a copy of your valid driver’s license.
Do parking tickets go on my driver’s record?
No, parking tickets will not appear on your driver’s record.