To check your accident history, you pull records from three separate places: your state motor vehicle agency for your official driving record, LexisNexis for your Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (C.L.U.E.) report, and Verisk for your A-PLUS report. No single database has the whole picture. The state record covers violations and law-enforcement-reported crashes; the two insurance databases cover claims filed against your policies, going back up to seven years. Federal law entitles you to one free C.L.U.E. report and one free A-PLUS report every twelve months, and each must be delivered within fifteen days of your request.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681j – Charges for Certain Disclosures
What to Have Ready Before You Request
Every request, government or private, requires you to prove who you are. Gather your full legal name, date of birth, driver’s license number, and the state that issued the license. Some agencies also ask for your Social Security number. Previous insurance policy numbers speed up a search of the underwriting databases, so pull those from a declarations page if you have one handy.
These identity requirements exist because the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act prohibits state motor vehicle agencies from releasing your personal information without authorization.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records Your C.L.U.E. and A-PLUS reports are classified as consumer disclosures under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which is the law that gives you the right to see them and dispute what they say.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681 – Congressional Findings and Statement of Purpose
Decide Whether You Need a Certified Copy
State agencies usually offer driving records in two formats. A certified copy carries an official authentication stamp and is what courts, attorneys, and some employers require, particularly for commercial driver’s license holders or when a record is going into evidence. An uncertified copy is fine for personal review or an informal insurance question. Certified copies cost more, often roughly double the uncertified fee, and may only be available by mail. Uncertified copies are typically available for instant download.
Requesting Your State Driving Record
Most states let you order your driving record online through the motor vehicle agency’s website. You log in or create an account, enter your identifying information, pick the certified or uncertified format, pay the fee, and download the result. Agencies also accept mailed requests using a paper form, which typically requires a notarized signature. Notary fees for a single signature vary by state but generally run between $2 and $25.
What you get back is your motor vehicle record: traffic violations, license suspensions, and accidents reported by law enforcement. Most states retain this data for three to ten years depending on the severity of the incident, and serious offenses like a DUI can stay on longer.
Requesting Your C.L.U.E. Report
The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange is a LexisNexis database that compiles auto and property insurance claim data going back up to seven years.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. LexisNexis CLUE and Telematics OnDemand Insurers consult it when deciding whether to offer you coverage and at what price.
To request your report, visit the LexisNexis consumer portal at consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com or call 1-866-312-8076. You provide your personal identifiers so LexisNexis can locate your file. The report must be delivered within fifteen days of your request.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681j – Charges for Certain Disclosures
Requesting Your A-PLUS Report
Verisk maintains a separate insurance claims database called A-PLUS, covering loss history for homes, vehicles, and personal property. Not every insurer reports to the same database, so your A-PLUS report and your C.L.U.E. report may contain different claims. You are entitled to one free A-PLUS report every twelve months.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A-PLUS Property by Verisk
Request the report by calling Verisk at 800-627-3487 (Option 2) or 800-709-8842, or by mailing a written request to Verisk Insurance Solutions, Consumer Inquiry Center, P.O. Box 5404, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054. The same fifteen-day delivery deadline applies.
Vehicle History Reports Are a Different Thing
Services like CARFAX and AutoCheck track a specific vehicle using its seventeen-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), not you as a driver. The VIN is stamped on a plate visible through the windshield on the driver’s side and printed on the title and registration.6National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. VIN Decoder These reports show reported collisions, title issues, odometer readings, and ownership changes for one car. They are the right tool when you are buying or selling a used vehicle. They will not show your driving history, and they are not covered by the free-annual-disclosure rules that apply to the insurance databases.
Fees and Turnaround
- State driving records: roughly $2 to $25 depending on your state and whether you order a basic status check or a certified complete history. Online orders often deliver an instant download or a PDF within twenty-four hours. Mailed requests typically take two to four weeks.
- C.L.U.E. and A-PLUS reports: one free report from each database every twelve months, delivered within fifteen days of your request.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. LexisNexis CLUE and Telematics OnDemand
- Vehicle history reports: commercial pricing, typically around $15 for a single report to $50 or more for a multi-report subscription, delivered instantly online.
Fixing an Error You Find
Mistakes happen. An accident can be attributed to the wrong driver, a resolved claim can still show as open, or a violation belonging to someone else can land on your file. The correction process depends on where the error appears.
State Driving Record
Contact your state’s motor vehicle agency. You will typically need to submit a written correction request with supporting documentation, such as an amended police report or a letter from law enforcement clarifying the original entry. Allow four to six weeks for the agency to review the request and update your file.
C.L.U.E. or A-PLUS Report
File a dispute directly with LexisNexis by calling 888-497-0011 or emailing Consumer.Documents@LexisNexis.com. The agency will contact the insurance company that supplied the disputed data and conduct a reinvestigation. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the agency generally has thirty days to complete the investigation and five business days after that to notify you of the results.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Long Does It Take to Repair an Error on a Credit Report If you provide additional supporting evidence during the investigation, the agency may extend the review by up to fifteen additional days. The same dispute rights and timelines apply to your Verisk A-PLUS report.
When the investigation ends, the reporting agency sends you a written notice of the results. If the disputed item is corrected or removed, the updated report is what the next insurer or employer sees. If the agency concludes the information is accurate and declines to change it, you have the right to add a brief statement to your file explaining why you believe the entry is wrong. That statement must travel with the report whenever it is sent to a third party.
Freezing Your LexisNexis File
If you are worried about unauthorized access to your insurance claims history, you can place a security freeze on your LexisNexis file. A freeze blocks third parties from pulling your C.L.U.E. report without your explicit permission. Three ways to request one:
- Online at consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/freeze.
- By mail: send a completed Security Freeze Request Form to LexisNexis Risk Solutions Consumer Center, Attn: Security Freeze, P.O. Box 105108, Atlanta, GA 30348-5108.
- By phone at 888-395-0277 for questions or help with the process.
Once LexisNexis receives your request and verifies your identity, the freeze is processed within one business day. A freeze also blocks legitimate inquiries, so if you are shopping for new insurance, temporarily lift the freeze first so the carrier can pull your claims history to quote you.