It’s literally a tool meant to identify you. It listing obvious physical characteristics to describe you makes common sense. Simply having a picture isn’t that descriptive considering it’s just a headshot.
A passport has waaaay more personal info than a driver’s liscense. That’s been part of the move to chipped passports, they can now have basically any biometric data.
Personally I don’t see an issue with height, weight, eye color, etc. None of that is exactly a secret, a fairly unobtrusive way to narrow down identification. The only thing I think is iffy is address but that’s often out of date anyway. I’ve also only ever heard of that used to mail lost wallets.
I had to go back to my car for my wallet at Costco recently because I’d lost so much weight since the membership photo was taken in April, they didn’t believe it was me. (60 pounds down!)
So what do they do for any of the millions of people without licenses?
And what do they do in countries that don’t have this practice?
You can insist its an important medical intervention if you want, but there must be options and process in place that do not require it. That alone means it is not essential.
I don’t remember which states, but some countries do / did. El Salvador and Japan I believe are some. Finland doesn’t, but that’s because our ID can be scanned to get our medical info if needed, and we have Kela cards anyway as well even if you don’t have ID that do the same
![[x]](https://quokk.au/static/media/posts/cz/Im/czImkUVpEREhWuT.jpeg){kind=link}
Us licenses are crazy in general.
Why it needs to list your height, weight, eye colour and sex at all make no sense.
It’s literally a tool meant to identify you. It listing obvious physical characteristics to describe you makes common sense. Simply having a picture isn’t that descriptive considering it’s just a headshot.
Why should a drivers license include more personal information than a passport does?
A passport has waaaay more personal info than a driver’s liscense. That’s been part of the move to chipped passports, they can now have basically any biometric data.
Personally I don’t see an issue with height, weight, eye color, etc. None of that is exactly a secret, a fairly unobtrusive way to narrow down identification. The only thing I think is iffy is address but that’s often out of date anyway. I’ve also only ever heard of that used to mail lost wallets.
Weight’s kinda stupid seeing as it can vary so easily
I had to go back to my car for my wallet at Costco recently because I’d lost so much weight since the membership photo was taken in April, they didn’t believe it was me. (60 pounds down!)
My point is, it’s more information than is required.
In the interests of privacy we should be required to provide only the minimum necessary detail.
deleted by creator
Optical identification.
Height and Weight is actually useful for medical purposes in emergencies. You don’t want to be given too much or too little of a blood transfusion.
If its critical to be precise, no doctor is relying on the numbers on th license.
And if its not, then can do what the rest of the world does, or what they do for anyone who doesn’t have a license.
If it’s critical, you don’t have time to take them to a weighing machine and measuring them.
It’s also why most licenses have blood type listed.
in the US they will always run a test to confirm blood type before starting an infusion
If it’s an emergency they’ll run O- because there isn’t time for that test, and if there’s no O- they’ll go based off info
ah, I didn’t know about this - it does look like O- is used (and sometimes O+ if risk assessment allows when O- blood is not available).
I’m also reading there are rapid tests used in emergencies, too.
So what do they do for any of the millions of people without licenses?
And what do they do in countries that don’t have this practice?
You can insist its an important medical intervention if you want, but there must be options and process in place that do not require it. That alone means it is not essential.
O- / O+
But not enough people donate blood so they’re always pretty low on it, especially since not everyone who donates has those blood types.
What does blood type have to do with weight… “take them to a weighing machine” or “give them O+/O-” makes no sense as a dichotomy.
Which states have blood types on ID? I haven’t seen that
I don’t remember which states, but some countries do / did. El Salvador and Japan I believe are some. Finland doesn’t, but that’s because our ID can be scanned to get our medical info if needed, and we have Kela cards anyway as well even if you don’t have ID that do the same