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Colorado will soon allow digital driver’s licenses

Posted at 3:06 PM, Nov 16, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-16 15:06:34-05

Forgetting your wallet at home may soon become an excuse of the past. That is, if you live in Colorado.

Colorado just became one of the first states that’ll soon offer digital driver’s licenses. Iowa, Idaho, Maryland, and Washington DC will be the others.

It’s part of a two-year pilot program funded by the U.S. Commerce Dept.

The state says it will soon work out who gets to participate. But imagine the possibilities:

— No more rummaging through your purse to pull out your ID at a crowded bar. We all clutch our phones like a lifeline anyway, so open an app and get a drink.

— No more panicking when a cop pulls you over and you realize you left your wallet at home.

— And best of all, no more standing in line at the DMV. Drivers can renew through their phone.

For those wary of storing sensitive information on their phone, digital credentials will make licenses more secure than ever, requiring a PIN or fingerprint verification. This will make it difficult to have a fake ID.

If you’re worried about losing your phone, the digital license can be remotely deactivated or wiped almost instantly.

And if you’re the type who feels better holding on to physical things, Colorado says you can hold on to your actual driver’s license as well.