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New driver's licenses add security features

Posted October 22, 2007 11:00 pm

Adriana Colindres

There's a lot to see on the newly redesigned Illinois driver's licenses and identification cards - holograms, wavy colored lines and images that materialize only under ultraviolet light or a laser.

But all the razzle-dazzle isn't for show.

"These changes incorporate state-of-the-art security features, making it even more difficult to fraudulently produce or alter a driver's license or a state ID card," Secretary of State Jesse White said at a state Capitol news conference.

White, whose office issues driver's licenses and identification cards, unveiled the new designs Tuesday in Springfield and Chicago.

Despite the high-tech design changes, White said the cost of getting a driver's license or an ID card will stay the same: $10 for a driver's license and $20 for an ID card.

Components of the redesigned cards include:

-- Two photographs of the cardholder. Both photos depict the same image, but one - called a "ghost image" - is smaller and more faded-looking.

-- A colored stripe at the top. Red indicates the card is a driver's license, green means it is an ID card, and purple signals it is a temporary visitor driver's license.

-- Colored, wavy lines - called a "guilloche pattern" - meandering across the card.

-- Tiny lettering, or microprint, that White said could not be reproduced on standard printers.

In addition, the new licenses and ID cards are being manufactured with some deliberate errors, secretary of state's officials said. They would not specify what the mistakes are.

"A lot of the things that are here are secret," White said, adding that law enforcement officials know about them.

"We have focused on creating multiple layers of card security to try to prevent fraud," he said. "For law enforcement, businesses and others, the new features can be detected using magnifying lenses, UV lights and laser pens."

Licenses for drivers younger than 21 will keep their vertical orientation, and licenses for older drivers will remain horizontally oriented.

Driver's licenses and ID cards also will display the usual information, such as name, address, weight and date of birth, on the front in text form and on the back in the form of bar codes.

The new cards already are available at the secretary of state's facility in the Chicago suburb of Melrose Park.

The equipment needed to manufacture the redesigned cards should be in place at every driver's license facility by the end of January, White said. The phase-in process will start Nov. 6 in southern Illinois, gradually expanding northward.

The existing vendor for driver's licenses and ID cards, Viisage Technology, helped with the redesign and owns much of the equipment used to produce the cards in driver's license facilities. White's office also is spending about $1 million for new printers at the facilities.

People won't have to switch to the new cards right away. Existing driver's licenses and ID cards are valid until their expiration date. When motorists or other Illinoisans seek to renew their cards, they will get the redesigned versions.

Officials with White's office said Tuesday they believe most Illinoisans should have redesigned driver's licenses and ID cards within four years.

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.

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