People skeptical of the new design of the Hawai‘i driver’s license should “get used to it,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi on Tuesday.
In June, the state unveiled the first new design for driver’s licenses and state ID cards in 17 years. While reactions to the new design were mixed, Blangiardi said Tuesday that the change brings Hawai‘i's IDs “well into” the 21st Century with new security features.
In a presentation at the mayor’s office on Tuesday, Kim Hashiro, director of the Honolulu Department of Customer Services, explained that the new design features several fraud-prevention measures that cannot be seen with the unaided eye, and even more that can.
The first thing new cardholders will likely notice will be new materials. Previous cards were “paper and glue,” Hashiro said, explaining that they could be easily reproduced by fraudsters using a copy machine and a laminator. The new cards, however, are “100% polycarbonate,” Hashiro said, which, on a practical level, means they won’t be prone to peeling like previous cards.
Hashiro and other DCS staff noted that the polycarbonate cards also make a distinctive sound when dropped compared to the laminated cards.
The designs on the cards also conceal complicated patterns that are difficult for counterfeiters to replicate: for example, instead of easily replicable lines, some patterns contain “microtext,” minuscule text phrases that include the state motto and the names of all the Hawaiian islands. The outlines of the islands themselves can also be seen within the rainbow pattern of the license, on close inspection.
The cards are printed using “split-fountain inking,” Hashiro said, a technique allowing for color gradients that she said will be difficult for counterfeiters to replicate without specialized equipment.
Even if a fraudster could replicate all these measures, they would have a harder time duplicating the holograms only visible under ultraviolet light on either side of the cards, or the concealed “Reveal Plus” data embedded in the card’s secondary portrait — including the holder’s birthdate, county name and the card’s expiration year — or the raised text and patterns on the cards’ surface, or the partly translucent edges of the card.
Hashiro added that the black-and-white portraits on the cards allow for sharper images of the subject.
Despite the increased detail of the cards, Hashiro said the cost of getting a new license will not change, and the time to get a new card will actually be reduced to about four to five weeks instead of the previous six to eight.
Blangiardi said the cards were designed on the principle: “What if we could produce the most secure, most fraud-resistant card in the world?” He added that Hashiro visited with security printing groups in Poland to develop the techniques used on the cards.
Identity theft is more common than ever, Blangiardi said, adding that he wants to protect Hawai‘i residents from falling prey to scammers.
And as for the design, Blangiardi recommended that residents embrace change.
“I like the design!” Blangiardi said, before laughing: “If you don’t like it … get used to it!”
The new licenses are available now, although holders of older cards will not need to replace theirs until their printed expiration dates.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
