Establishes a fixed fee for the purchase of registration lists and title information

• Democratic2
• Republican2

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Jeremy Cooney says this is needed

The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) requires the state Department of Motor Vehicles to release motor vehicle records for the purpose of safety recall. The DPPA permits states to charge an adminis- trative fee. The New York Vehicle and Traffic Law contains a state-ena- bling section that provides protection for data being released by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles however, there are no cost parame- ters on how much permitted entities must pay to purchase registration lists and title information that adequately reflect the public safety benefit reasonable access to this data provides. This bill sets a reasonable flat fee, providing a consistent revenue stream to the State while adding clarity to the bidding process and safety recall process. In addition, with the continued increase in fraud related to vehicle purchases and automobile insurance, this legislation would also add the federally permissible use of these records for motor vehicle claims investigation activities, antifraud activities, rating or underwriting as well as adding several safeguards to prevent misuse. Millions of New Yorkers look to buy pre-owned vehicles each year, and drivers looking to purchase a used vehicle deserve to know the full vehicle history when making such a large purchase. The Department of Motor Vehicles currently has the authority to sell non-personal vehicle accident data and has been doing so for many years with the understand- ing that having the entire history of the car, and whether it had previ- ously been in an accident is critical. The statute currently allows for distribution on a per-vehicle basis and does not address the sale of data in bulk. This bill would authorize the DMV to offer the sale of vehicle accident data to companies in bulk, in the same manner as currently provided for registration and title infor- mation, so that customers are not left in the dark about the history of their potential new vehicle. This information has significant utility in protecting used vehicle consumers as it both identifies vehicles involved in crashes and further illuminates the nature and severity of those crash events. Without access to the more than 1.4 million annual VIN-level crash records that have been permissibly provided for more than 2 decades, New York consum- ers are now left blind to the safety and value implications of a used vehicle previously involved in a crash. This information is essential for public safety and strengthening consumer protection across New York State.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.