New Jersey Bans Smiling In Driver’s License Photos

Better not even think about “putting a smile on your face”…The Garden State doesn’t want any more grins from citizens on their Driver’s License mugs…even if they are happy to be living in Jersey.

According to the Daily News:

“Your picture means a lot; it’s who you are,” said McNeil, 38, of Sicklerville, N.J.

So, when the manager of the Motor Vehicle Commission office in Cherry Hill told her Tuesday that she wasn’t allowed to smile for her driver’s-license picture, she balked – and left, saying that the office’s staff couldn’t adequately explain the smile ban.

“Why should we all look like androids, looking mopey? I know there are some people who don’t have good driver’s licenses, but I actually keep all mine,” said McNeil, whose pleasantly smiling image adorns old licenses from the six states in which she’s lived, as well as her debit and credit cards. Turns out, the state really does prefer that its six million drivers scowl rather than smile for the camera.

Cue the New Jersey jokes.

In January, New Jersey launched new face-recognition software that forbids license applicants from smiling widely or making other exaggerated facial expressions that might confuse the computer. The goal is to catch fraudsters. If a new photo, for example, matches an old one that carries a different name, a red flag goes up, and investigators step in.

“That could be someone trying to steal someone else’s identity to get insurance benefits, or someone trying to get out of a DUI by getting a license under another name,” said Mike Horan, spokesman for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. “This helps us weed out fraud.”

If facial expressions vary greatly in photos of the same person, the software could incorrectly signal a problem, Horan said. Slight smiles are OK. “Hey-I-won-the-lottery-type smiles” are not, Horan said. “To get an accurate photo, you don’t want an excessively expressive face in the photo.”

Pennsylvania and Delaware use the software, too. But “smile/no-smile is not a problem,” said Jan McKnight, a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokeswoman. “You can smile in Pennsylvania.”

Most states use the face-recognition technology – and some even require fingerprints, according to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

We all know how difficult it is to get a decent pic on your license and this seems like it may be even harder now.

Image via twitter