US trials biometric driving licences

The state of Connecticut is introducing over-the-counter biometric driving licences.

Implemented by integrator Viisage, the system uses a PC-based 'image-capture workstation' which records the driver's facial image.

The systems will be installed at Department of Motor Vehicle offices across the state, and will cope with 800,000 applications a year.

"We wanted a tough card for the Connecticut drivers' licences and ID cards that would last six to eight years," explained Viisage director Walter Krepcio in a statement.

Printers will laminate the licences in a one-step process that produces dual-sided multi-colour cards in as little as 30 seconds.

The cards will include security features such as holograms to combat identity fraud and ensure that the correct people are renewing the licences.

Mat Hanrahan, of analyst DCR, said: "Given the growth of identity fraud, now at £1.3bn per annum in the UK, this is an interesting new area that could have UK applications.

"It has the advantage of multiple different processes and seems a very cost-effective approach."

But he warned that the amount of data stored on a person is still a major issue, while facial biometrics is an inexact science that is often over-sold.