In England. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/cameras-u-k-gas-stations-block-uninsured-dr...

Not that I'm condoning driving without insurance, but they start with things like this, and eventually, they will monitor how much fuel the honest people use, and next will be rationing. If this is whats happing on the other side of the pond, it's just a matter of time before it happens here in the USofA. Whats next confiscating your vechicle? This whole world seems to be on the verge of becoming one big dictataership. God help us all, I feel for you folks in England.

It would seem it is much simpler here in Canada.

A motor vehicle has to have it's Licence Plate renewed yearly or every two years at the end of the month the drivers birthday is in.

No:
-proof of insurance
-proof of ownership
-outstanding parking tickets or any driving violations and
no Licence Renewal

The new Tag with the colour coded month is affixed to the rear licence plate.

It is a simple and good system...

Flying Trucker wrote on Mar 19^th, 2012 at 7:32pm:

It sounds vaguely like our vehicle tax system, but solves a different problem... We tax our vehicles by sending off some money (based on the emissions that your car produces) and they give you a paper disc with a colour code for that year, as well as your vehicle details and a validity range. It sits inside the car on the dashboard and any plod or parking enforcer can quickly check it. Your vehicle must be taxed and insured to be used on the roads.

Having a colour coded license plate sounds like a good deal though.

I just don't understand the paranoia about 'them' being able to see and process your registration plate - It is effectively a government issued bit of propety, and it is directly tied to your vehicle. It is always on public display (and we have two of them on cars, so it is twice as visible) and anyone can see it. I don't see any invasion of privacy, which seems to be the issue. It is on public show, it is there to identify the vehicle. Why else do you have them?

machineman9 wrote on Mar 19^th, 2012 at 6:21pm:

Speak for yourself. Our government scares me stiff & I don't trust any politicians.

Hagar wrote on Mar 20^th, 2012 at 7:28pm:

Same =/= none 

There is a news article going around which says the FBI are installing hidden cameras inside things such as washing machines to track down and spy on key targets. A bit shifty!

Firstly it is very old news. I came across this system several years ago at a filling station on the M11 near Stansted Airport. Secondly, if it stops uninsured drivers (I hope it is extended to no MOT as your insurance is then invalid) then I am all for it. I am getting rather fed up with hearing about invasion of privacy when that sentence is ONLY being used to enable people to carry on trying to break the law.
However we are our own enemies when it comes to driving without insurance as it is such an easy thing to do. Effectively, turn the key raise a middle finger and off you go.
The road tax disk should be linked to your insurance. No tax disk, no insurance. They should run concurrently down to the last day that your insurance runs out. The disk should be a bright colour and easy to see. And lastly, if you have no insurance or road tax and your car is found on a public road, then it should be crushed. I don't care if it is a Bentley Continental GT fresh of the production line (How often do we read about 50 grand a week footballers, sorry I have been soooooo busy kicked a dead inflated pig around a field that I forgot) to a 30 year old Robin Relient, it goes directly to the crusher, no if's, buts whys or what if's. To add insult to injury too, you will be responsible of the disposal your your newly acquired "cube"
Driving without insurance would drop like the value of the a for mentioned car. There is only one problem with this though. There is not a politician with the balls to do it. So we will have to carry on paying sky high premiums and lives will carry on being ruined when "YOU" are hit and severely injured by an uninsured driver..........................But hey, we can't have Big Brother watching us, it is an invasion of privacy

Matt

machineman9 wrote on Mar 21^st, 2012 at 12:28pm:



As I said, you can't get much more immobilised than crushing it 

Matt

I can't understand why anyone thinks auto insurance would go down in price for any reason. If you could eliminate all idiots and all accidents and all car theft and all vandalism.. YOUR premiums will not go down. Trust me.

I like to see optimism, but insurance companies are all in bed with each other. Any smaller company trying to make a difference would be chewed up and spat out by the tigers. The big boys are publicly traded in the markets and lobby politicians relentlessly. Look at the huge, and I mean huge, buildings that major insurance companies own. They are chalk full of lawyers, expert adjusters, investigators, PR staff and right down to the humble brokers. So reducing monthly premiums for customers would not sit well for the shareholders.
  Of course your monthly payment, (or annual) may go down as you mature, because when you're young you are being dramaticly overcharged because you 'might be careless and need to spend 10 years on the the road proving your innocence.'   

Steve M wrote on Mar 22^nd, 2012 at 8:04pm:

Yep, when I hit 21 (which will be during university, so I will come back home with cheap car insurance) it will start shooting back down again.

It's a bit silly though... I have been driving for 2 years with no problems, no crashes, etc. I am now 19 years old. A friend of mine passed his driving test at age 21 (that magic number for cheaper insurance) and despite having far less experience than I do, was charged something like a third as much as I get charged. Apparently being older makes you a more sensible and better driver.

I wish they looked at the person, and not the statistic. But that would mean they earn less money because of me