Car insurance could be affected by monitoring
Wed, 04 Jan 2006
Car insurance premiums could change if the government decides to go ahead with controversial plans to install nationwide surveillance on all of the UK's roads.
A new national database, due to be introduced in March, will be capable of storing the number plate details of around 35 million vehicles daily as well as the time, date and location. Such information could be kept on record for up to five years.
The database will use pre-existing CCTV cameras installed on roads, car parks and petrol station forecourts to capture details and access will be granted to MI5 and a number of other intelligence agencies. The system could cost around £25 million to set-up and maintain.
The government claims that the initiative will encourage better driving standards and will lead to less road accidents, therefore reducing car insurance premiums for many drivers.
However, civil liberty groups have raised concerns that it could lead to a "Big Brother" state, especially if the technology is combined with face recognition software.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, speaking to the Mail on Sunday, said: "What we have here is wholesale, mass surveillance of a population.
"The public should have their say before it's too late, before we make these irrevocable choices about being constantly monitored at huge public expense." 
© Adfero Ltd
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