attention Kansas drivers

Are you heading to the DMV? If so, I wish you short lines, helpful and friendly employees, and a photo that resembles more of you, less of the haunting-form-of-self that you wouldn't recognize even on a bad day.

Even if all the above wishes were to come true, there is yet another thing that would be new to this visit—the overall design of the license itself.




BEFORE
Courtesy Kansas Department of Revenue





AFTER
Courtesy Kansas Department of Revenue



The new license design boasts numerous security measures which make it even harder for fakes to be produced. According to a news release from Fox 4 News KC, those updates include:        

• Ultra-violet image of the cardholder’s portrait and date of birth on the back of the card (viewable with UV light)
• Multi-colored, highly detailed holograms
• Highly detailed ultra-violet (UV) image of the state flower (viewable with UV light)
• Two ghost images of the cardholder’s portrait in addition to the conventional photograph
• Tactile printing that you can feel

You had me at tactile printing!

As mentioned before, Kansas’ driver’s license and ID card design was last changed in 2004; states typically change their designs every four to six years.

"The new Kansas driver’s license card is among the most secure in the country," said Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Dean Reynoldson, who also oversees the department’s Office of Special Investigations, which investigates driver’s license fraud. "The card, combined with a new more secure driver’s license and ID card application process, makes Kansas one of the most difficult states to commit driver’s license or identification card fraud."

One thing hasn't changed—the format for printing cards for drivers who are under 21 years of age. Those licenses will remain in a vertical format so it's easier to tell if the cardholder is of a legal drinking age or not.



the 'under 21' license
Courtesy Kansas Department of Revenue