Political activists can argue back and forth about how good a job the Department of Justice is doing, but drivers will probably be pleased with the new National Motor Vehicle Title Information System. NMVTIS is a program from that organization designed to protect consumers from unsafe used motor vehicles. It’s also supposed to help used car dealers from getting duped by other unscrupulous dealerships that sell rebuilt wrecks.

Since AAMVA took over the reins of the NMVTIS, the program is in contact with state motor vehicle tilting groups, auto recyclers, scrap yards and insurance agencies. In fact, these organizations are required to report their activities to the federal government. They have collected over 38.9 million records of salvaged or totaled vehicles. That means that there is plenty of data available for anyone buying a used car.

Consumers who purchase a vehicle history report from the system can have a look at regular odometer checks as well as accident history and salvage records. If the vehicle has ever had a question of ownership, that will also show up. The system has a good deal more information than what most people are used to. However, this doesn’t mean that buyers should let their guard down. Even with a federal history report, they should still beware of any possible frauds.

Some people might have been upset at the fact that the government runs the database. It might appear that this is costing a significant amount of taxpayer money. Nevertheless, it actually contracts out with private databases. Consumers who want to use the database will have to purchase a history report from a regular private dealer.

This means that the NMVTIS will be self-funding, and therefore relatively free of political controversy. Since many otherwise well-meaning government agencies go awry as a result of political squabbles, it’s nice to see that the NMVTIS is prepared to support itself. Carfax and Auto Data Direct are among the private contractors who deal with the database. Since many drivers already buy history reports from these agencies, they shouldn’t have much of a problem getting information from this new organization. One might hope that fewer people will be duped because of it.