Out-of-state drivers take notice: Massachusetts to notify other states of 45,000 driving violations here

Transportation officials in Massachusetts owe officials in other states some mail. Specifically, 45,000 letters.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation released an updated interim report Thursday on changes happening within the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Among the changes happening within the department is stronger communication between Massachusetts and other states.

The RMV did not have a "consistent practice of sending out mail or electronic notification of violations or suspension actions taken in Massachusetts to other states in ‘real time,’” the latest report outlines.

Going forward, registry officials will mail paper notifications to other states when a driver is given a ticket or arrested in Massachusetts.

In addition, officials are mailing notices for approximately 45,000 convictions and/or suspensions issued to out-of-state drivers in Massachusetts since March of 2018, dating back to the launch of ATLAS, a new computer system for transportation officials.

Total of suspended Massachusetts driver’s licenses rises to more than 2,400 amid RMV review

Several hundred more Massachusetts driver’s licenses have been suspended amid an ongoing review of operations and communication within the state Registry of Motor Vehicles.

A review of the RMV was launched following a deadly crash in New Hampshire that took the lives of seven motorcycle riders and injured three more.

Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, a 23-year-old truck driver from West Springfield, was behind the wheel of the truck involved in the crash.

According to a federal inspection report, Zhukovskyy said he was reaching for a beverage when his pickup truck swerved into the members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club. The report states he was high on a narcotic or amphetamine.

Zhukovskyy had a valid commercial license in Massachusetts despite an OUI arrest a month prior in Connecticut.

Massachusetts RMV creating unit to focus on interstate communication following deadly New Hampshire crash

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is creating a dedicated unit to handle driver records for out-of-state violations, in weeks following a deadly crash.

In weeks following the crash, transportation officials say the out-of-state violation which should have suspended his license was one of tens of thousands that went unprocessed. The violations were discovered stored in 72 bins in a records room.

Massachusetts transportation officials have suspended more than 2,400 licenses issued by the state as part of an ongoing review of lapses related to processing out-of-state drivers’ violations. The tally of driver suspensions has risen in recent weeks amid the ongoing review of the RMV.

RMV scandal: What we know about the failures within the registry before New Hampshire crash that killed 7

After the tragic New Hampshire crash, state officials confirmed tens of thousands of out-of-state violations were unprocessed. Now they say the problem is a lot worse than they initially thought.