In today’s world of rapid advancements in technology, there are many websites that offer license plate lookup services. The availability of these websites has been occasioned by the need to provide information to people looking for some information about vehicles and their owners.
For instance, in the unfortunate event that you are involved in an accident and the owner of the vehicle that caused the accident flees from the scene, you may need to get information about their license plates to help arrest them. Keep in mind the fact that the number of hit-and-run crashes in the USA has been on the rise since the year 2009, as was noted in the USA Today in November 2013.
The USA Today also reported that the number of fatalities from hit-and-run crashes in 2009 was 1,274. The figure surged to 1,393 in the year 2010, and in 2011, there were 1,449 fatalities. The losses are one of the reasons why license plate lookup services are gaining popularity.
Important things to look out for when using license plate lookup services
- License plate lookup databases contain private information
According tothe Wall Street Journal, databases for license plate services have revealing details about people’s location. Not everyone is able to have access to such information due to the plate owner’s right to privacy.
For instance, while the police can by and large obtain license plate information without having to get approval from a judge, prosecutors have to get a court order so as to track other people’s vehicles. This means that you and your attorney have to comply with the legal requirements before being granted authority to access other people’s license plate data.
- License plate lookup databases contain limited information
License plate lookup databases do not have information such the name and address of a vehicle owner. This means that if you are looking for such details, you have to get information from different sources. The good thing is that you can get details such as the name and address of a vehicle owner from the database of the motor vehicle department of your state.
For instance, if you are doing a Texas license plate lookup, you should look for further details from the motor vehicle department in Texas. The same applies to information pertaining to the other states.
- License plate lookup websites do not provide the information for free
Although you may be promised free access to the information that you are looking for, this is not always the case. Most websites will require you to subscribe in order to get access. In this way, you end up paying for the information that you get.
- Not all information from license plate lookup websites may be current
Many websites do not have current information about vehicle owners. This is because such information can only be accessed by law enforcers or licensed professionals.
It is therefore important to understand the legal implications of the information that you are looking for. Some of the information may be found from license plate lookup websites. However, in order to get the most current information, it is important to contact the motor vehicle department of the relevant state.