Iowa is at the forefront of technology and may become the first U.S. state that will allow drivers to use a smartphone app as their driver’s license. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) will allow Iowa residents to keep an electronic version in addition to the standard plastic version, or alternatively as a replacement. The app would be free and function the same way as the plastic version of a driver’s license and would be acceptable to use at airport screeners, bars, traffic stops, etc.

The Des Moines Register first reported the news, after it was announced during a state budget hearing earlier this week.

The digital license would be housed in what DOT Director Paul Trombino described as “an identity vault app” and could become a reality in 2015.

Similar to an e-boarding pass for a flight, the digital driver’s license would populate within the app. It would include unique features, like optical bar codes and 3D-like photos that would be difficult to replicate and thus cut down on fraudulent ID’s.

There are obvious concerns over security if your phone is stolen, however the DOT have said that the digital licenses could be even more secure. The app will require driver’s to enter a verification pin in order to access the license. In the future, they are also looking at including facial recognition and iris or fingerprint scanning.

This is not the first time that Iowa’s transportation agency has embraced technology. They are one of 30 states that allow drivers to show digital versions of registration and insurance. They have also placed dashboard cameras on snowplows so residents can easily see what the road conditions are like, and where the snowplow is in relation to their house. DOT is currently also working on a free app for teenage drivers, which will disable their smartphones while they are driving so that they focus on the road and don’t get distracted by their phones.

The goal is to start testing a pilot version of the digital driver’s license app, with select state employees, in the next six months.

With more and more people relying on their smartphones to conduct the majority of their business, a digital version of a driver’s license is a logical next step. Other states will be watching Iowa closely to see if the app is a success, so that they can follow suit.

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