| July 01, 2003 |
| NEWSLETTER - MRA to Help Promote Vertical Driver's License |
The Michigan Restaurant Association this summer looks forward to teaming up with the Secretary of State to help educate and train employees in liquor service about Michigan's new law requiring a vertical driver's license for people under 21.
While the new law isn't scheduled to take effect until Oct. 1, the state is slated to begin issuing the new licenses in July. The current requirement for an underage driver's license -- a bold stamp with the date of the holder's 21st birthday - is scheduled to be phased out in January. They will also show the date the person turns 18 - the state's legal age to buy tobacco.
"The MRA looks forward to helping promote the new license and educate servers on the vertical license and its importance in reducing underage drinking," said MRA Executive Director Rob Gifford. "The MRA last year supported and worked with state lawmakers to approve this legislation, which will make the task of identifying underage drinkers a quicker and easier process for restaurant and bar employees."
Currently, Michigan issues licenses to minors that have an "Under 21" stamp in red ink above the photo and indicate when the holder turns 21. A study by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission found that about 30 percent of the time, a store clerk or waiter will sell alcohol to a person under 21 - Michigan's legal drinking age. About three-fourths of those who sell alcohol to underage people do it after checking the driver?s licenses, according to the commission.
The commission has attributed the mistakes to carelessness, confusion and an inability to quickly figure out a person's age using the date on a driver's license. Officials estimate the new licenses will cost a one-time expense of $1 million.
State officials expect the new licenses to dramatically cut illegal sales of alcohol and tobacco to minors. They point to success found in 15 other states that use vertical licenses. Virginia, the first state to use vertical licenses for minors, has seen illegal sales to minors drop as much as 20 percent since making the change five years ago. |
