LoRenzo Bates, the sponsor of the legislation, said he would like to see an agreement made between the nation and the states that overlap the reservation - New Mexico, Arizona and Utah - to make the roads safer.

Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr., who lost his daughter to a drunken driver in November 2001, supports the proposal.

''All the president wants to do is see this information available to all law enforcement authorities, to get drunks off the road,'' said George Hardeen, Shirley's spokesman.

''He doesn't care if you're Navajo or not. He doesn't want being Navajo to be any kind of protection.''

New Mexico passed a law in 2003 authorizing the sharing of traffic records with pueblos in the state. Rachel O'Connor, the state's DWI czar, said some tribes voluntarily are sharing information with the state, though none has entered into formal agreements.

''We're really thrilled that Navajo is moving forward with this,'' she said. ''They are the largest tribe in the country, and we believe that if they start sharing more data with us, we will eventually end up having other tribes come along with that.''

The sharing of records could mean harsher sentences for DWI offenders with prior convictions in tribal courts, O'Connor said.

''If we have someone whose driver history we are aware of, the courts can consider that in sentencing,'' she said.

The council plans to take up the measure during the spring session.