Products Liability Law Daily Wrap Up, NOTICES—MOTOR VEHICLES—NHTSA to submit National Driver Register information collection to OMB, (Aug 25, 2025)

By WK Editorial Staff

The agency seeks to continue the collection of critical driver information to enhance road safety and facilitate interstate communication regarding driver licensing and offenses.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to extend an already approved information collection on the National Driver Register (NDR). The comment period is open until September 10, 2025 (NHTSA Notice, 90 Fed. Reg. 38693 (Aug. 11, 2025)).

Description. The NDR was established under the National Driver Register Act of 1982 to assist state driver licensing officials in exchanging information about individuals' driving records. The NDR maintains a database known as the Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS), which contains information on individuals whose driving privileges have been revoked, suspended, canceled, or denied, or who have been convicted of serious traffic offenses. It includes details such as name, date of birth, sex, driver’s license number, and the state reporting the driver's status. This information is collected daily.

Purpose. The primary purpose of maintaining the NDR is to ensure state access to vital safety information, which aids in driver licensing and the development of driver improvement programs. The system eliminates the need for states to individually contact every other state, thus enhancing transportation safety. The NDR also facilitates access to driver information for various authorized users, such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, for accident investigations and other purposes.

Burden estimates. The total estimated annual burden for maintaining this information collection is 13,763 hours. This includes routine transactions and maintenance of the PDPS infrastructure by the states. The estimated labor cost associated with these hours totals $443,700 annually. Additionally, states are expected to submit an average of 31 "clean files" each year to verify the accuracy of the data, requiring further IT specialist hours estimated at 248 annually, with an associated labor cost of $23,647.

RegulatoryActivity: NoticesFR MotorVehiclesNews