NYS drivers could be denied license renewals due to long-forgotten out-of-state unpaid tickets, under computer software upgrade

Old traffic tickets and other violations — including those issued decades ago and out of state — are haunting some New Yorkers’ ability to renew their driver’s licenses.

The ghosts are in the form of unpaid tickets apparently dug up by a recent computer system upgrade by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

It’s a reckoning for New York drivers that began elsewhere in recent years to drivers in other states, including Massachusetts, Illinois and New Jersey, when those jurisdictions got new systems that were able to tap into old records, including those from out of state. 

“The new drive system that we have in New York State DMV is bringing in information from other states,” the county clerk of Syracuse-area Madison County, Michael Keville, posted on a Facebook video to warn motorists.

Keville, who like some other upstate county clerks acts as an agent for the DMV, recalled having a resident come in to get a replacement license, only to be denied by the computer system because of what Keville later learned was an outstanding ticket from 1989.

DMV spokesman Walter McClure said the system is the National Driver Register, run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency also runs the Problem Driver Pointer System. All states participate, and the registry also includes those with revoked licenses. NHTSA did not return a call for comment.

“Any outstanding violation from out of state must be handled by an individual with that state before we can proceed with a renewal,” McClure wrote in an email.

David Weiss, of East Northport, said a ticket from 39 years ago in Rhode Island was preventing him from getting his license renewed. 

"I'm willing to pay any unpaid ticket. I'm willing to do anything but at this point New York State cannot act until Rhode Island clears my name," he told NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn. Weiss, who is the father of a Newsday journalist, said his license expires on Wednesday and he is still waiting for the Rhode Island DMV to respond to his inquiries. 

The New York DMV did not answer questions about the upgrade and the Rhode Island DMV couldn't be reached for comment.

But AAA Northeast spokesman Robert Sinclair Jr. said the upgrade happened earlier this year, part of a points-system upgrade, “making certain tickets have higher points.”

Sinclair said the computer system gets fed information from across the nation.

So what happened, say, in Vegas, is less likely to stay in Vegas.

“Pay your tickets,” Sinclair said. “If you get a ticket, you better take care of it. You know, there’s no escape. And folks get these violations, they have to be attended to.”

“There are reciprocal agreements with New York State,” he said. “With the update of the computer system, they’re able to go back,” he said.

The DMV can decline to renew a license, transfer a license from another state or take other steps due to what happened long ago, if the system flags it.

“We regret to inform you that your mailed in renewal application was rejected,” a form letter says, referring the driver to the out-of-state motor vehicle agency, where the ticket was issued, that should be contacted before the applicant would be able to proceed.

A driver can complete form NDR-1 for more information.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.