The mid-Atlantic state of Delaware in the USA has launched a mobile driver license app. The new mDL will be put to test in a 6-month trial run that will involve about 200 employees of the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles.
The pilot run of the new mobile driver license will allow the state to find out the issues that using a smartphone app as driver’s license will bring up, so those issues can be ironed out before the app is made available for use by the general public. Here is a screenshot of what the driver’s license looks like:
Features Of The Mobile Driver License App
Features of the mDL app will include:
- Enhanced privacy for age verification – no need to show a person’s address, license number and birthdate, the mDL will verify if the person is over 18 or 21 and display a photo.
- Law enforcement use during a traffic stop – the mDL will allow law enforcement officers to ping a driver’s smartphone to request their driver’s license information prior to walking to the vehicle.
- Business acceptance – understanding how businesses that require identification or age verification interact with the mDL will be advantageous throughout pilot.
- Ease of Use – ensuring the mDL is able to be presented to any organization without difficulty.
- Secure access – the mDL is only unlocked and accessible by the mDL holder. The mDL is accessed through an app on the owner’s smartphone and is opened/unlocked by entering a user-created pin number or using facial recognition.
Delaware is one of the first US states to test mobile driver’s license. The benefits of an electronic driver license of this sort include: lower costs, easier updates and logistics, as well as better security.