Mobile Driver’s Licenses Coming to New York

If you've ever needed your driver's license but forgotten it at home, a new change coming to New York will be a huge help for you.

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Now personally, I've never had this issue. I have my own little mental system for remembering everything I need to leave the house and it ends with me patting my pockets to make sure everything is there and saying "phone, wallet, keys, everything else is gravy." In fact, everybody in New York should adopt this routine before they leave their house for the day.

But I've certainly known people whose wallets seem to sprout legs of their own so they can hide from their owners on a near daily basis. And for those people, a mobile drivers license could be a lifesaver.

According to a report by Robert Harding for Auburnpub.com, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder included developing mobile driver's licenses in their budget, and expect to implement them later in 2023.

It's truly insane that it's taken so long for New York to do this. We aren't the first state to do it, but when you think about the benefits of having a mobile driver's license available in case you lose or forget yours against the downside of having it, well that's not exactly a close argument. In fact, it leaves you wondering why we didn't introduce these ten years ago when it was already abundantly clear that smartphones were the future.

Mobile driver's licenses are nothing but a bare minimum safety blanket so you always have your ID. Sometimes people leave the house and forget their wallet. Maybe they're a newly 21-year-old looking to have a beverage, maybe they get pulled over and can't give a law enforcement officer their ID on request.

Whatever the issue is, nobody leaves home without their phone. So the days of being hassled by the inconvenience of forgetting your license will soon be over. That makes it a great time to be a constantly forgetful person in New York.