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Ohio BMV Changes Look and Process of Drivers Licenses to Add More Security
By: Micaela Marshall
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Right now if you need to renew your drivers license in Ohio all you have to do is walk into the Bureau of Motor Vehicles with your old ID and leave with a new one. However, the BMV just announced on Wednesday, February 28 that they will be joining 41 other states issuing ID’s by mail.
Don Petit, the Registrar at the Ohio BMV, said this change is meant to keep Ohio in line with the national trend of how states provide drivers licenses.
“Over the last several years this has kind of been a trend nationwide for how states are providing driver’s licenses. 41 states have adopted this method so that’s the direction we are going,” said Petit.
Starting on July 2, all Ohio ID’s will be issued from a single central point of production in Ohio. Essentially if you need to purchase an ID or renew an old one, you will leave the BMV with a temporary paper confirmation and in about 10 days your new ID will be sent in the mail.
The new ID’s are going to look different to reduce the ability for someone to make a counterfeit ID.
“With the new process the card is going to be created in a secure print factory environment where there are multiple machines that put the card together in multiple layers with some of the security features embedded.”
Ohio will now offer both Standard and Compliant ID’s. This change is so Ohio can get ahead of a national travel security requirement going into effect in October 2020. This new requirement means a Standard ID will not be enough to get through TSA. Having a Compliant ID will allow travelers to get through security with just an ID. However, with a Standard ID travelers will also need to show a passport or social security card before getting on a plane.
Many Ohio residents expressed concern for this change on the BMV’s Facebook page by calling it a “stupid idea.” Some residents said they felt sending the ID through the mail wouldn’t provide better security, but actually makes it easier for identity fraud. There was also concern that they would now have to pay more for postage costs.
Athens resident Ronda Holbrook agrees this is a bad idea.
“When they do send you one, if they did give you a temporary driver’s license, if that one gets lost then you’ve lost a piece of your identity. When it’s just handed it to you, it skips all those other steps. It just seems safer,” said Holbrook.
Petit argues this is the safest way to issue drivers licences and there will be no additional cost to the customer.
“The companies that do this you know they’ve adopted practices of putting it in plain envelopes and having it mingled in to other mail so that it doesn’t stand out that it’s you know specifically like hey this is a driver’s license,” said Petit.
Athens resident Tad Cuckler said that if this provides better security, then he can get on board with the change.
“I’m game if it’s gonna make us more secure and solve some of the issues we have today,” said Cuckler.