The Interstate Driver’s License Compact

Like many other states, Oklahoma has enacted the Interstate Driver’s License Compact. The Interstate Driver’s License Compact (IDLC), 47 O.S. 781 et seq., is an agreement adopted by states who want to exchange information about license suspensions and traffic violations to other states in the U.S.

Because each state has its own system for recording and tracking license suspensions and traffic violations, they do not communicate driver’s records to each other unless they have the IDLC in place. The IDLC gives states the power to communicate an out-of-state driver’s offenses to his home state. The home state then may treat the offense as if it had been committed in the home state and impose penalties such as points on the license, license suspension, and more. The IDLC generally does not apply to non-moving violations like parking tickets.

For example, imagine an Oklahoma driver who travelled to Texas, another state that has enacted the IDLC, and drove a car while under the influence of alcohol. If the Oklahoma driver is pulled over, arrested, and then is convicted of DUI in Texas, the IDLC applies. Texas would report the conviction to Oklahoma through the DMV, and Oklahoma could revoke the driver’s license under IDLC Article IV. Even if the laws are a little different from one state to another, the IDLC instructs states to use the law that is substantially similar to the descriptions in the IDLC for purposes of license revocation or other effect. The Oklahoma driver will likely have his license revoked in both Texas and Oklahoma, and he could face other penalties in Oklahoma as well.

For new driver’s license applicants, the IDLC indicates that anyone who holds a license from another state should have his record in the other state checked for suspensions and revocations. If the out-of-state license is suspended, the home state should not issue a new license. If the license was revoked less than one year before, the home state should not issue a new license. The home state may make a determination that, based on the driver’s record out of state, it would not be safe to issue him a license. Finally, if the driver holds a current license from another state, he must surrender that license to get a license from the home state – one driver, one license, one record.

Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Tennessee are the only states that have not enacted the IDLC. There are many other interstate compacts besides the IDLC with similar goals of reporting information and maintaining uniformity of records.

Have you been charged with a DUI in Oklahoma and don’t know where to turn? Seek out the attorney who knows the system. Clint Patterson, Esq., of Patterson Law Firm, a former Tulsa prosecutor now using his trial experience and expert-level knowledge of DUI science to defend drivers, has the experience and the insight to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your case. To schedule a case evaluation, visit Patterson Law Firm online or call Clint’s office at (918) 550-9175.