Over 2 Million Served: Kentucky's Digital Drivers License Gets High Marks

May 3, 2004

By Gail Tucker
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

The benefits of digitized drivers licenses are realizing their potential for Kentucky residents. When the new form of licenses were first instituted in December 2001, there were high hopes on the part of state and law enforcement agencies for the additional security measures they would provide. Apparently, all the work and planning paid off, because today Kentucky has one of the best driver's license products in the nation. In fact, in a report released earlier in April, Kentucky was one of three states to receive a grade of "A" for their ability to screen for fraudulent applications. The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. issued the report.

When internal planning began in 1997 to create the new type of licenses, several new considerations entered into the discussion. The look of our licenses had remained constant for about 20 years and with this upgrade, Cabinet officials realized that many aspects of "how" the license was being used had changed through the years. Although still called a "driver's" license, the document was now being used primarily for identification purposes and secondly as a driving standard. Staff in the driver's licensing division examined where and how the document was used and what new security features were needed.

The benefits of the new licenses are that select personnel can review photos and signatures; electronic citations can now be written using the license-meaning that law enforcement officials can issue a ticket for a violation and that information can automatically go to the courts. The e-citations save paperwork, while increasing the speed of the information being available and reducing potential errors. Being able to view the image and signature is assisting law enforcement officers in their investigation of fraudulent activities. Kentucky was the first state to put the driver's image in the bar code on the back of the license. The security enhancements are enabling law enforcement, merchants and government agencies to fight fraud, assist investigations and verify a person's identity.

When the change to the new form of licensing was implemented, major distinctions were made for young drivers. All the "under 21" licenses were formatted vertically. The design makes it easier to know the age of the cardholder as well and prevent tampering with the license. The dates for tobacco and alcohol purchase are clearly labeled on the front, making it much easier for stores to distinguish the legal status of customers.

While the use of digitized licenses began in other states in the early '90s, Kentucky was the 43rd state to issue a digitized license. According to Steve Coffey, assistant director of the driver's licensing division for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, "We were able to take the best practices of other states and create what has essentially become a national model. Kentucky's inter-operability and document security of the license has substantially changed the future of licensing in the state forever."

The price of our driver's license is also something to brag about-- while many states charge $16-$20 for a license, Kentucky drivers have been paying only $8 since the 1970s.

Currently, about 2.7 million digitized licenses and identification cards have been issued in Kentucky and every licensed driver in the state will have a digitized license by March 2006.

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