Tuesday, April 21, 1998 | 9:54 a.m.
It's an all-too-familiar scenario.
You're at the end of a long line at a convenience store as the beleaguered clerk stares at a driver's license and tries to do some quick subtraction while a youthful looking customer waits to purchase a six pack of beer or a carton of cigarettes.
To streamline the system, tobacco giant Phillip Morris has teamed with Southland Corp., owner of the 7-Eleven chain, to fund a $12,000 color-coding system for licenses held by drivers under the ages of 21 and 18.
The system, which has been in use by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles since Wednesday, red flags drivers under the age of 18 by issuing them a license with a light blue header bar across the top bearing the words, "MINOR DRIVER UNDER 18." Licenses for drivers 18-21 carry a yellow header bar with the words, "MINOR DRIVER UNDER 21."
At a press conference Monday at the 7-Eleven store at 3716 Paradise Road, state Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said the change will allow employees who sell or monitor age-restricted products and activities such as alcohol, tobacco and gaming to more easily identify those who are underage.
In Nevada residents must be 21 to gamble or purchase alcohol and 18 to purchase tobacco products.
"The licenses distinctly say 'under 18' and 'under 21' and this makes it much easier for clerks who sell alcohol and tobacco products to identify underage customers," Del Papa said.
Bill Nolan of Southland Corp., which operates 188 7-Elevens in Nevada, said the change will help clerks operate more efficiently.
"We're doing this because the typical 7-Eleven store is a very busy place, and this will make it easier for our sales associates to do their jobs," Nolan said. "It will eliminate the need for them to make mathematical calculations in the sale of age-restricted products."
Also present at the press conference was John Albrecht, senior deputy attorney general in charge of tobacco enforcement, and Nevada State Trooper Steve Harney.
Albrecht explained that stricter enforcement of tobacco sales will help reduce the number of smokers in Nevada.
"The problem for the state is that we have a high incidence of smoking, and studies show that 90 percent of those who smoke started before the age of 18," Albrecht said.
Harney said smoking is not only a health hazard -- it's a distraction to drivers, especially teenaged ones.
In Congress, lawmakers in support of a bill to prod states to crack down on teenaged repeat traffic offenders note that although teenagers hold 7.4 percent of all driver's licenses, they are involved in 15.4 percent of all fatal accidents.
Harney said preventing the illegal sale of tobacco products to motorists under the age of 18 will help them keep their attention on the road.
"It's just one more thing people do behind the wheel, when they should be paying attention to the road," Harney said. "Anything that can make it safer I'm all for it. That's a key issue."
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