New Indiana licenses introduced to combat underage activities

Indiana drivers can expect to see a change the next time they go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.\nThe Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels unveiled a new driver’s license and identification card designed to battle identity theft, card tampering and underage alcohol consumption, said Greg Cook, BMV spokesman. Cook said the new driver’s licenses and identification cards were designed in large part to prevent those who are under the age of 21 from purchasing alcohol or those under 18 from purchasing tobacco.\nThe BMV worked with the Indiana State Police to develop the card’s new security features. Included in the added security measures is a vertical format for anyone under the age of 21, with the dates the cardholder turns 18 and 21 highlighted. Officer Travis Thickstun of the Indiana State Excise Police said he believes the vertical format will help store clerks and other alcohol and tobacco providers detect underage purchasers.\n“It makes it easy for someone without any other tools to immediately recognize that this person wasn’t 21 when they got the license,” Thickstun said.\nOther added security measures include embedded digital enhancements to assure authenticity, including a 2-D barcode on the back of the card which can be run in a text format to show the cardholder’s name and date of birth. Thickstun said this should help to correct the identity-theft and card-tampering problems facing Bloomington.\n“I’ve seen close to 100 instances where people have altered their date of birth and ‘under 21 until’ (on their licenses),” Thickstun said. \nThese high numbers, Thickstun said, are partly due to the high population of students who want to purchase alcohol but are underage. He believes that over time the new licenses will help deter people from purchasing fake IDs or altering their own licenses.\nAlthough the BMV and Indiana State Police have high hopes for the added security measures, some IU students aren’t so optimistic.\n“As a waiter, I just look at the age and ask their birthday,” senior John Hightshue said, “but it might help at bars if they have special technology to detect underage drinkers.” \nIn addition to added security, the new licenses will save the state $2.5 million over a six-year period. The savings, Cook said, come from the contract negotiated between the state and the BMV and the new technology that will be used to produce the cards.\nBut junior Katie Mitsch doesn’t think the new licenses will make a difference with underage drinkers.\n“People will just get a different ID from a different state,” she said.\nCook said the new technology will not only add the digital enhancements to the cards, it will also produce the driver’s licenses and identification cards at a faster rate and a smaller cost. The new machines will produce licenses in 45 seconds, as opposed to the three minutes it took with the old machines, and will cost about 99 cents each to produce, as opposed to the old price of $1.27.\nThe first batch of new licenses was distributed June 8 in Fort Wayne. By mid-August, all Indiana license branches will be distributing the new licenses, Cook said.\n“We wanted to make sure we did it right,” Cook said. “Logistically speaking, a pilot program was the best option to effectively make all the needed personnel available at every branch.” \nThe added security measures also help the state meet the requirements of the REAL ID Act, which will go into effect December 2009, according to the U.S. Congress’ Web site. This act requires all states to maintain a motor vehicle database containing license recipients’ personal information. \n“I think it’s a worthwhile effort to help law enforcement officials combat this particular problem,” Thickstun said.