If there were a magnetic strip on the back of driver's licenses, and a magnetic strip lock (like those on some hotel room doors) on cars, a few problems would be eliminated. By preventing access to the car without one of the owner specified valid licenses, it would prevent you from driving without a license. This way, if you get pulled over for some reason, you will always have you license on hand. Second, it will make it more difficult for people to use your car without your permission. I don't know much about this technology, but I would imagine that a mag-strip is harder to duplicate than an ordinary key. This means that in order to steal your car, someone would have to either steal your license or the license of an approved car user, or access your car's database and create a license that would be accepted. If the person successfully got into your car, and they got pulled over, they would be in a tight spot. If they only had your license, they would show it to the police, and since it wasn't their picture, there would be a problem. If they had their license with them, they would show the police, but if the police tested it by running it through the lock, it would be rejected, creating a problem. This would also help to prevent unlicenced drivers from driving.
-- mephisto, Jan 12 2002

Eelskin wallets and Credit Cards http://www.snopes.com/science/eelskin.htm
Where [phoenix] should have looked first! :) [mwburden, Jan 12 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

iButton as a key http://db.maxim-ic....cfm?Action=DD&id=25
Various iButton applications in the automotive area. [reap, Oct 04 2004]

Copying a mag card requires some special equipment, but so does cutting a key. Copying the mag card would take less time.

Your eel-skin wallet would erase your drivers license. Going through a metal detector might, too - though we could use this to our advantage if we wanted to keep a friend from driving drunk.
-- phoenix, Jan 12 2002


Phoenix is right - magswipes are quite delicate and are easily forged. The core of the idea is sound, though. All you have to do is change the card to be a smartcard or a low distance transponder and everything's peachy again. Croissant.
-- st3f, Jan 12 2002


Smart cards also not that difficult to copy. Equipment costs 50 quid (plus a computer). There is currently a car ad. on TV in the UK that shows it being started with a card, but here you need a key as well
-- dare99, Jan 12 2002


Bad idea, mag stripes are too easily killed and prone to wearing out. Keys can break and wear, but are tougher than mag strips and not prone to suddenly dying.

And, at least in some places, the licenses do have strips. Florida, USA has them. Apparently, the idea is to make it faster to run a license.
-- StarChaser, Jan 12 2002


Copying a mag card requires some special equipment, but so does cutting a key. Copying the mag card would take less time.

<UrbanLegend> Your eel-skin wallet would erase your drivers license.</UrbanLegend> Going through a metal detector might, too - though we could use this to our advantage if we wanted to keep a friend from driving drunk.
-- phoenix, Jan 12 2002


This is a good idea because you would also have a better chance of controlling who drives the car. Worrying about cards wearing out doesn't stop people from carrying and using credit cards and bank cards every day. If wear and tear is a problem, just make a tougher card, maybe with a chip instead of a magnetic strip.
-- horripilation, Nov 07 2002


Dallas Semiconductors have a product called an iButton. This device is the size of a button battery, is made of stainless steel and has a unique 64bit encrypted key. It can come with keychaing connections, so you can hook it onto your keys, and it is easy to use. I have just developed a door access system (press the button, open the door), which would be easily ported to an ignition system as well. It is also already used as the starter for those funky new segway powered transporters. (see link)

Still a great idea, though.

If you're interested in the door access controller and possibilities towards ignition, full design and source are available on request (see my page)
-- reap, Nov 07 2002


iButtons are okay, though unless you go for the super-fancy ($$) ones they can actually be duplicated fairly easily. The "duplicate" would be a little board with a couple contacts, a cheap micro, and a cap, but copying a base-level iButton is pretty trivial (just read the numbers which are laser-engraved off the front).

The normal memory iButtons can be duplicated as well, though one could set the system so that use of a duplicate iButton would cause the original to be rejected (use of the original before the duplicate would render the duplicate invalid).

The passkey-protected iButtons are a little better, insofar as one would need simultaneous access to the key and lock to duplicate the key. Still not great, though.

Only when you get into the realms of the SHA or Java buttons do you get really good security against duplication. Of course, Dallas doesn't quite tell you that.
-- supercat, Nov 07 2002


yes, the mag strips can easily be duplicated, and in Wisconsin, here they just switched from mag strips to irregular bar codes (which won't wear out, but can also be copied). But what if you lose your wallet? Then you car is open game, especially if you don't realize it in time. Also, it is illegal to lend your license to anybody else (for carding purposes, i believe), so you have to let only the designated people drive your car, and nobody else, which could be a problem if you want a friend to run to the store to get some chips or beer, or some other situation of the like. Not to mention that when a car is stolen, thieves rarely use the key anyways. The window is broken and the car is hotwired, and they won't wait for the police if they are caught and are supposed to pull over anyways. So this idea is wrong in many ways.
-- smooth1_1, Mar 31 2003


There is one very important factor that prevents a magnetic strip from being feasible: environment dirt, salt, water, vandals to name a few.
-- SpiderHawk, Aug 27 2003


Does this mean no more handy keyless entry buttons on your keychain?
-- tchaikovsky, Aug 27 2003



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