DRIVERS were reeling last night at Government plans to put a computerised spy in EVERY car.
The hi-tech gadgets will record each time a motorist DRIFTS over a speed limit, WANDERS into a bus lane or even STOPS on a yellow line.
And it means the Government will hit Britain's hard-pressed motorists with even more fines — and bring extra millions flooding into the Treasury.
The proposed scheme is guaranteed to cause outrage among Britain's 38million drivers.
Last night Tory Shadow Trade Secretary Tim Yeo said the implications of the plan were nightmarish — adding: “It risks turning every motorist, however safe a driver, into a criminal. It is far too draconian.”
The Big Brother-style system, called Electronic Vehicle Identification, is outlined in an 85-page dossier. It was drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers on the orders of Transport Secretary Alistair Darling.
The scheme would force car makers to fit the microchip in all new vehicles. Older cars would have them added during an MOT.
Sensors installed at the side of every road will then pick up signals from the chip, pinpointing the car's exact position.
Each sensor would be programmed with the road's speed, parking and general driving restrictions — and will record each car that breaks them.
[ … ]
If the plan is approved by the Government it could become law by 2007.
And even if they decide to drop the idea, talks are already under way in Brussels that could see a similar system imposed on us by the EU.
The Department of Transport said the technical, financial and civil liberty issues surrounding the scheme were being examined. [Privacy Digest]