Look up a Michigan plate
See whether other drivers have filed reports against a plate.
A plate with no reports comes back clean — that is the common result, and it is not an error.
Avoidance & safety rules
- Do not follow or pursue the vehicle, under any circumstances.
- Do not try to read or photograph the plate if doing so means getting closer or driving unsafely.
- Do not engage. No gestures, no eye contact, no reply to an aggressive driver.
- Keep your distance and let them pass. Pull over somewhere public before you make a call, or have a passenger call.
- Note details only if it is safe: make, model and colour, full or partial plate, direction of travel, and the exact location or mile marker.
Does a Jerk Alert report reach the Michigan Department of State? No — Jerk Alert filings are community records between drivers. They never reach the Michigan Department of State, any other government body, or law enforcement, and they do not replace the calls in sections 1 and 2. If you are in danger, call 911. The Terms prohibit following, approaching, or identifying another driver on any Jerk Alert platform.
Michigan bad driver reporting & safety guide
1. If it is happening now immediate danger
Emergency hotlines
- 911 — for a driver who is an active danger to other people right now. That is a police matter, and no app is a substitute for the call.
- No Michigan-specific line is listed here. We publish a patrol code only when a state police or DOT page carries it.
2. Reporting to Michigan law enforcement after the fact
Neither the hotlines above nor anything in this section is the licence-review route in section 3, and nothing filed on Jerk Alert reaches any of them.
Who takes the report in Michigan
- The non-emergency line of the Michigan city, township or village police department or county sheriff’s office with jurisdiction where it happened takes reports of dangerous driving that has already happened.
- Bring: the plate (full or partial) and state, the vehicle’s make, model and colour, the location, the date and time, the direction of travel, and what you saw.
- Expect a record rather than a ticket. An officer who did not witness the driving usually cannot cite for it, and what each agency acts on varies.
3. State DMV & licensing agency review
Public reporting accessYes — citizens can report dangerous drivers
A named form a member of the public can file with the licensing agency.
Who can file: Private citizens as well as officials — the form itself refers to “requests by private citizens”. Law enforcement use the separate electronic eDA-88; everyone else submits the signed DA-88.
Administrative fitness process
- Agency
- Michigan Department of State
- Unit
- Driver Assessment Section
- Form
- DA-88 — Request for Driver Evaluation (Rev. 06/09/2025; formerly OC-88)
- Where to send
- Michigan Department of State, Driver Assessment Section, PO Box 30810, Lansing MI 48909-9832
- Contact
- 517-335-7051 (printed on the form) · 888-SOS-MICH (888-767-6424) · MedicalForms@Michigan.gov · fax (517) 335-2189
What information do I need to report a driver?
- Describe the medical episode, incident, pattern of behaviour or other evidence justifying an evaluation of the person's ability to drive safely.
- The Department of State cannot process a request for an evaluation unless specific information is provided indicating that an unsafe driving condition may exist — a general concern is not enough.
- Attach any related reports.
- The form carries a warning in bold: submitting false information regarding a person may result in civil or criminal penalties. You certify that the information you provide is true to the best of your knowledge and belief.
Will the driver find out who reported them?
Not anonymous, and not absolute. The Secretary of State does not accept anonymous requests: Form DA-88 requires the requestor's full name, address, telephone number and signature, and an unsigned request is not acted on. The form's own printed wording is that requests by private citizens WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY MICHIGAN AND FEDERAL LAW — which means the protection can give way where disclosure is compelled, as in a subpoena or a formal appeal.
What can the Michigan Department of State do after a report?
- After the examination the Driver Assessment Section issues an Order of Action summarising the examination and any licence restrictions imposed. A written appeal from an adverse final determination must be filed within 14 days of that determination, under MCL § 257.322(2) — a flat statutory deadline that does not vary with the type of order.
- The appeal may be filed online through the Department's DAIS system, and review in the circuit court is an alternative route.
Statutory authority: Section 257.320 of the Michigan Vehicle Code — the Department may re-examine a person where there is reason to believe they are incompetent to drive, or afflicted with a mental or physical infirmity or disability rendering it unsafe for them to drive.
What this route can and cannot do
A fitness-to-drive referral, not a bad-driving complaint: it is built around a medical, cognitive or physical condition and asks for the driver’s name and date of birth, which a plate number does not give you.
Jerk Alert