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As a result of the tragic death of 7 motorcyclists in New Hampshire, caused by Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, MassDOT recently discovered that the Registry of Motor Vehicles has not processed paper out of state suspension notices since March of 2018, when that function was apparently transferred from the Registry’s Driver Control Unit (Suspension Department) to the Merit Rating Board, which is the Department responsible for maintaining Massachusetts Driving Records.
Apparently, thousands of paper notifications were stored at the Registry’s Headquarters at 25 Newport Avenue Extension in Quincy. Those documents are being entered into the Registry’s computer system and they have already triggered hundreds of license suspensions.
The Registry has re-programmed its computer to automatically revoke Massachusetts Drivers Licenses when it receives electronic notifications of DUI convictions or breath test refusals from other state motor vehicle departments.
The Registry will actively process written notifications of out of state suspensions either the same day or by the next business day.
The Registry will be attempting to check the records of all licensed drivers in Massachusetts against the National Driver Register. This is a nationwide database overseen by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and administered by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis. All Motor Vehicle Departments in the United States are legally required to enter all revocations, suspensions, and license denials in a timely manner. This requirement is not dependent on whether or not a state is a member of any interstate agreement or driver’s license compact. This is a federal requirement and it is mandatory.
When the Mass. RMV conducts a crossmatch of all Massachusetts Drivers License records against the National Driver Register, thousands of indefinite NDR license revocations and/or DUI license suspensions will be generated.
If you have previously committed an out of sate DUI and it is not currently reflected on your Massachusetts Driving Record, this NDR crossmatch will likely result in the addition of that DUI onto your MA record. This will likely generate a new Massachusetts license suspension. Under Massachusetts Law, the Registry is required to penalize Massachusetts residents or license holders for out of state violations such as DUI. Also, the MA RMV is required to honor out of state suspensions and revocations by taking action against the driver’s Massachusetts License. This is to prevent a driver from not addressing violations and suspensions in other states.
My office has years of experience in dealing with NDR issues and out of state DUI suspensions. If you have been the unfortunate recipient of a suspension or revocation notice from the Registry of Motor Vehicles, I invite you to contact me for a review of your situation.