UK to Use Gas Station Cameras to Automatically Stop Fueling of Uninsured cars?
The British sure love their surveillance cameras, don't they? As if living in the police state that is modern Great Britain isn't bad enough for motorists, what with all the speed cameras and the like, there's a new plan afoot: Keep the uninsured from pumping gas.
According to The Mirror, a new government proposal would have surveillance cameras at gas stations determine whether a vehicle carries valid insurance and registration before turning on the pumps. Automatic license plate recognition is already in place at thousands of British fueling stations, acting as a deterrent to driving off without paying. The new measure would be as simple as allowing the systems to cross-reference databases of the national Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, according to the report.
One in 25 drivers in the UK are uninsured, according to The Mirror – some 1.4 million motorists. While the report calls this rate "one of the worst records in western Europe,".
