Chair, AAMVA’s Special Task Force on Identification Security and Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
January 14, 2002
National Press Club
As a motor vehicle official, as the chair of AMMVA’s Special Task Force on Identification Security, and as a citizen who holds a valid state-issued driver’s license, I understand the importance that is placed on the driver’s license.
These 2-by-3 inch cards are not just plastic things we keep in our wallet … they are about people, they are about identification, and they are about security.
In fact, the driver’s license has become the most requested form of identification in North America. Think how often you use it … you use it every day to cash checks, to board planes, to board buses – even to get in movie theaters. For example, last week on a trip I showed my driver’s license for identification purposes eight times in two days. That’s more than I’ve used it for driving purposes since I turned 16.
Because of the importance that is placed on this one card, AAMVA has a responsibility to do whatever it can to improve public safety and national security in North America.
Therefore, we recommend a more uniform process for issuing driver’s licenses and IDs. Why? Because, there is no uniformity now. Each state does it differently. Each state has its own definition of residency. Each state varies the security features on its licenses.
The U.S. has more than 200 different, valid forms of identification issued by states in circulation now. So how can a bank teller in Maine be expected to know what a California state driver’s license really looks like?
Unscrupulous individuals shop for the easiest and fastest way to get a license. They find the loopholes. And those unscrupulous people put you and me at risk.
AAMVA also recommends uniform practices for serving visitors to North America. For years some non-U.S. citizens have obtained driver’s licenses and have remained mobile within our borders long after they are legally allowed to be here. Who needs immigration documents when you already have the most widely accepted form of identification?
As we focus on improving these procedures, we need to ensure the identity of the individuals who come to the DMV counter. Are they who they say they are? How do we know? AAMVA wants to be sure. And, if they are not who they say they are, we want strict enforcement. And we want them punished!
After the tragic events of September 11th, President Bush asked Americans to "do our part to ensure a safer America." That’s what AAMVA is doing. Because when you can verify an individual’s identity, you’re one step closer to preventing fraud, protecting privacy, and saving lives.
***AAMVA***
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact AAMVA’s Jason King, manager of Public Affairs, at (703) 908-8287.