DRIVERS' LICENSES GETTING A FACE-LIFT

Following the recent announcement that Missouri's license plates were getting a face-lift, the state's driver's licenses are following suit.

Beginning here in February, Missouri's new driver's licenses will be more aesthetically pleasing and practically efficient, according to Kay Dinolfo, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Revenue.

A whole new system that will make the licenses at license bureaus across the state has already been implemented in St. Louis and Jefferson City, Dinolfo said.

She expects the program to begin statewide by the end of spring and should be in Cape Girardeau in February.

New technology will allow the licenses to be made while customers wait in the license bureaus instead of having to wait for them to arrive by mail.

"It should be much more convenient for people to be able to get them while they wait instead of waiting weeks for them to come in the mail," Dinolfo said.

Lori Bollinger, an employee at the Cape Girardeau License Bureau, said they have been fielding lots of questions from people about the program, which has been delayed four times over the year.

While the wait for the license will be weeks shorter, Bollinger said, the wait at the license bureau will be considerably longer.

"People on their lunch break may not have time to come in and get their licenses made," she said. "But overall, it should be good for people."

One of the most noticeable differences between the old and the new licenses is the way they're made, Dinolfo said. The new versions are designed with a thicker, sturdier plastic, similar to a credit card. The photos are larger and each license type has a different color header.

Class F licenses are blue; the nondriver's license is red; the driver's permit is tan; and the commercial driver's license is green. Dinolfo said that permits have never been issued with photos before in Missouri.

A graphic of the state capital is also used as background, she said.

"Graphically, they look much nicer," Dinolfo said. "We do think it is a much better license."

Other than aesthetics, the cards will also be more secure, Dinolfo said. People under the age of 21 will get licenses that are different from the ones adults will receive.

Their photos will be on the left side of the card, while the photos on the other licenses will be on the right. The words "Under 21 Until (the person's 21st birthday)" are printed across the front of the license in bold red letters.

The cards will be highly resistant to tampering, Dinolfo said. A pattern of silver-colored state seals, easily visible in normal light, appears across the identifying information along the bottom of the card. The seals shift in color as the card is tilted so the viewer can easily verify authenticity.

Another security pattern on the front of the card is only visible under ultraviolet light. The higher security will protect both customers and merchants, Dinolfo said.

Organ donation information remains on the back, as is required by state law. Space to document the Attorney in Fact for health care decisions is also provided.

The back of the card also carries a magnetic stripe. For now, the stripe has no practical use, Dinolfo said, but in the future it will hold all the information for use by law enforcement officers.