State Senator Chris Jacobs wants to create a law that gives drivers the option to not have their information sold. He says this is only necessary because the state DMV doesn't follow its own rules.
The state DMV shares your driving information for a profit - over $63 million each year. It sells information including your driving record, your car's make and model, and your lease information. The information mostly goes to insurance companies to give drivers instant quotes and driving businesses to have access to their drivers' records on the road.
State Senator Jacobs says the money the DMV collects doesn't even go back into fixing roads; it simply gets mixed back into the state budget.
He added he guesses most New Yorkers, if not all, have had their driving information sold at some point in time.
The senator also says his proposed law wouldn't be necessary if the state DMV followed its own rule, which requires it let drivers opt out of having their information shared. He said once he came upon that rule, he couldn't find an "opt out" section on any state DMV form.
The state DMV tells 7 Eyewitness News it only sells information that keeps drivers safe, like notifying a driver if their car is being recalled. It says it won't comment on any pending law.
