AAMVA gets out the vote

Seventy-seven percent of Americans favor strengthening the issuance and security of driver's licenses across the country, according to a nationwide poll recently released by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

AAMVA, a nonprofit group representing chief motor vehicle administrators, said the public wants state motor vehicle departments to develop similar procedures when issuing licenses, to cross-check driver information among states, to allow law enforcement to confirm a driver's validity and to impose stiffer fines for unauthorized or fraudulent use of licenses.

The group wants Congress to earmark $100 million for a computerized Driver Record Information Verification System enabling federal and state agencies to share information collected on drivers.

Public Opinion Strategies conducted the nationwide poll April 2-4. It included 800 people with driver's licenses and identification cards.