Look up a Washington 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 Washington State Department of Licensing? No — Jerk Alert filings are community records between drivers. They never reach the Washington State Department of Licensing, 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.
Washington 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 Washington-specific line is listed here. We publish a patrol code only when a state police or DOT page carries it.
2. Reporting to Washington 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 Washington
- The non-emergency line of the Washington municipal 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: Anyone. Form 500008 has a Concerned citizen box beside the law enforcement and medical professional ones, with a relationship-to-driver field — an unrelated witness is contemplated by the form itself.
Administrative fitness process
- Agency
- Washington State Department of Licensing
- Unit
- Driver and Vehicle Records
- Form
- Driver Evaluation Request (form 500008; printed as DR-500-008, R/7/24)
- Where to send
- Driver and Vehicle Records, Department of Licensing, PO Box 9030, Olympia WA 98507
- Contact
- fax (360) 570-7893 · MedicalCerts@dol.wa.gov · DOL 360-902-3900
What information do I need to report a driver?
- The Concerned citizen section asks for your name, mailing address, phone, email and relationship to the driver.
- Describe in detail the driver's driving ability and any medical or vision conditions; the form's statement block offers three grounds — medical condition, vision condition, or poor driving skills. Include supporting documents if needed.
- All information must be personal knowledge or observation. DOL will not accept secondhand information or anonymous letters, and insufficient information may result in no action.
- You certify under penalty of perjury under the law of Washington that what you have written is true, and the form must be printed and signed.
- The age of the driver is not a consideration.
- The form is available in English, Spanish, Russian and other languages.
Will the driver find out who reported them?
NOT confidential, and the form says so on its face: DOL is unable to divulge the outcome to you, and it will provide this form to the driver or their attorney on written request. Under Washington law the information DOL receives about unsafe drivers is not confidential. DOL's own page adds: don't let that stop you from intervening when your safety and the safety of others are at risk.
What can the Washington State Department of Licensing do after a report?
- Processing typically takes 7-10 business days; incomplete requests take longer. If there is no update within 30 days, call 360-902-3900.
- DOL may send the driver a medical or vision certificate seeking more information from a physician or eye care practitioner, require a re-examination of driving knowledge and skills, require equipment to accommodate impairments, or cancel the driving privilege.
Statutory authority: RCW 46.20.305 — the Department, having good cause to believe a licensed driver is incompetent or otherwise not qualified to be licensed, may upon notice require an examination (1) and may also require a certificate of the driver's condition signed by a licensed physician or other designated authority (3); at the conclusion it takes driver improvement action as appropriate and may suspend or revoke the licence or permit its retention, and may suspend or revoke the licence of a driver who refuses or neglects to submit (4); it may charge a fee for the examination (5)
What this route can and cannot do
Washington is one of the few states whose process covers observed driving behaviour and not only medical impairment — but it is still a fitness-to-drive referral: it asks for the driver’s name and date of birth, which a plate number does not give you, and its remedy is a competence re-test that a capable but aggressive driver passes.
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