The Iowa Department of Transportation will pilot a program whereby drivers can store license information on a smartphone, a move that could one day mean the end of plastic licenses.
The app will be provided to drivers at no additional cost and will begin rolling out sometime in 2015. Both police and airport officials will accept the digital license.
"We are really moving forward on this," said Department of Transportation Director Paul Trombino. "The way things are going, we may be the first in the nation."
While it may be more convenient than the traditional license, there are a number of hurdles before a digital license will get any official state approval. The app will need to be highly secure in order to avoid identity theft, and law enforcement and vendors of tobacco and alcohol will need to be educated on the new system.
Iowa is currently one of over 30 states that lets residents show proof of insurance via a smartphone, however Iowa will be the first to lets users display driver licenses on their device.
The Iowa DOT has been pushing for expanded use of technology for quite some time. The agency has already installed dashboard cameras on snowploughs, and the upcoming app will serve as more than just a host for a license. It will also provide users with alerts on traffic and notify drivers if their license is about to expire.
The program will be piloted for six months by a group of state employees that travel frequently. The DOT will then determine what the next steps should be taken for a larger rollout, including giving Iowa residents the ability to use the app while they wait for plastic cards in the mail.
It is likely such programs will increasingly appear in more states in the near future. Yet security is a big concern as states will have to ensure that there are steps for users to verify identity, as well as implement protective measures against things like hacking. According to Trombino, the app will be protected by a PIN number, with a second layer of protection, such as a fingerprint scanner or facial recognition software, also being implemented.
