Quote Originally Posted by mimitabby View Post
I usually carry my license as ID on longer rides. Having said this, there's a big lawsuit going on in Wyoming, Montana or Colorado (I forget). Some cowboy got into an altercation along the side of the road. He was NOT driving. The police stopped asked for his driver's license and he either didn't have it or wouldn't show it and they took him to jail. He says that since he wasn't driving he didn't need it. I got into a big discussion with a group of men and women. Most of the women said if they were out walking they did NOT carry a license and the guys tended to think you needed to have it. There's no law (yet) that says you have to carry ID in this country but police don't necessarily care.

OK, I agree with the premise that you don't need to carry and DL if you are riding your bike because you are not driving. I used to carry it just for ID purposes before I got my Road ID and I need it to use my credit card (please see ID). But police officers generally ask for some sort of ID...and may accidently say DL just because usually this is what is given. For the guy in WY or MT...the officers needed to identify him and he was brought to jail because they didn't have any positive ID on him. People lie all the time about who they are. If they could not fine some sufficient evidence about who he was, yes, they will arrest him and take photos and fingerprints to establish a base identification or determine if he is using another persons identification.

Not that I have been lied to before in my job...