Actually, the identification part is secondary. What we do in this case to increase public safety is require drivers to be licensed in order to drive in public places. People confuse driver licensing with identification because it is so common for people to be licensed to drive, and the document we provide them to use for proof of their licensing happens to be useful for convincing someone of their identity.

I think you're confusing things. We require airplane pilots and motor vehicle drivers to be licensed to fly or drive. We don't require passengers in either case to have any license.

Let's clarify something: identification is a process, not an object. "ID", short for "identification," is used colloquially to refer to credentials -- documentation of identity -- but that's not what it really means. TSA requires people to identify themselves before passing its security checkpoints, but it does not require them to present any credentials that can be used in the process of identification.

Although TSA repeatedly attempts to misinform people about its policy, we are not required to present any documentation of our identities prior to flying as passengers on commercial flights. As of June, 2008, we are required to identify ourselves at airport checkpoints, either by presenting acceptable documentation or by cooperating in an interrogation.