Driver’s licenses are going digital

Wednesday, May 1, 2002 | 9:06 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The state Department of Motor Vehicles is rolling out new digital driver's licenses, which will be harder to counterfeit.

After several years of planning, the state started using its new digital equipment Tuesday in Minden and will begin using it Friday in Reno.

Department officials said the new system will start in Clark County the week of May 20. The new licenses will be available May 20 at the Carey and Flamingo offices; May 21 at the Donovan and Henderson offices; May 23 at Mesquite and Pahrump; and May 24 at the Sahara and Laughlin offices.

Department Director Ginny Lewis said Tuesday residents should wait until their current laminated licenses expire before they seek a new one, which will cost an extra $1.25. The extra money will go to Digimarc Corp. of Oregon, which provides the technology, equipment, training, maintenance and supplies for the licenses.

The present cost for residents is $20.50 for a four-year permit.

The new license will be the size of a credit card and will be harder to fake, Lewis said.

Driver's licenses are used as a primary source of identification, and some experts say there are millions of false licenses in the country.

Besides being used by those under 21 to buy alcohol, fake IDs are used to commit crimes. Banks estimate identity fraud costs them more than $1 million annually, the department said.

To combat underage drinking, licenses issued to those under 21 will be printed in a vertical format, unlike licenses for those over 21. There is also a bright yellow band across the license with the date the driver turns 21 clearly displayed.

The new licenses also have a readable strip printed on the back that is similar to the product code on grocery store items. All the information printed on the card is coded on the strip, which can be read by hand-held equipment.

If the information displayed when it is swiped isn't what is printed on the license, then the license could be bogus, Lewis said.