How does Nevada compare to other states in tracking driver records?
Nevada courts operate in information silos, making it difficult for police and judges to know a person’s complete driving history. This means some people are treated as first-time defendants by traffic courts even when they have received infractions in neighboring cities.
The state plans to launch a single case-management system for low-level tickets in January. Doing so would bring Nevada up to speed with several of its neighbors, who already share information between courts.
Read more: Thousands of ticketed drivers get breaks in Las Vegas courts, sometimes with fatal results
Here’s how it works in those states:
Utah
Information on traffic cases has been stored in a central online repository since the late 2000s. It is accessible to both government officials and members of the public.
“It helps prosecutors know what they’re dealing with when a case lands on their desk,” said Keri Sargent, a state courts official.
Despite having a similar population size to Nevada, Utah more commonly suspends the licenses of drivers who are repeatedly ticketed. The state issued more than 3,000 demerit points-related license suspensions last year, while Nevada issued fewer than 100.
Idaho
Has stored traffic case information in a central online repository since 2008. Like Utah’s, it is useable by the government and the public.
The state issued more than 1,100 points-related license suspensions last year, despite its population being far smaller than Nevada.
California
Does not have a statewide case-management system or a central online repository.
However, the state’s 58 counties each have a single trial court that handles all traffic tickets for that county, instead of each city having its own court.
California has a population roughly 12 times larger than Nevada, but last year it issued about 150 times more points-related license suspensions.
Arizona
Thirteen of the state’s 15 counties use the same case-management system and submit traffic court records to a central online repository available to officials and the public.
The state’s two largest counties, Maricopa and Pima, do not participate.
Arizona did not provide data on how many points-related license suspensions it issued last year.
Oregon
The statewide case-management system does not include all local courts, so not every traffic case is stored there.
The state’s most populated county files its traffic cases into the statewide system. About 820,000 people live in Multnomah County.
Oregon does not use a demerit points system to suspend licenses.
Contact Michael Scott Davidson at sdavidson@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Follow @davidsonlvrj on Twitter.
