“Enhanced driver’s licenses have built-in radio chips providing an identifying number or information that can be accessed by a remote reading unit while the license is inside a wallet or purse.”
I’m not sure about the ability to read these things while in your wallet. My experience with these devices is that they have to be very near the scanner. There is nothing wrong with a chip that contains the same data written on the license as long as you have to present it to be read, and you are aware it is being looked at.
Most scanners aren’t designed to read them from more than a few inches away. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
There may be tradeoffs involved: a long-range “pirate” scanner might fry some chips or fail to interoperate with marginal tags, violate FCC rules, or require more expensive/sensitive components. None of these are a problem for somebody with malicious intent.