US licence plates to get chipped

Connecticut's Senate Transportation Committee has passed a bill to implement radio frequency identification (RFID) for motor vehicle registration, RFID News reports.

The RFID system would enable real-time monitoring of all vehicles by installing tracking stations at key points throughout the state.

The main interest behind the bill is to generate automated tickets for drivers whose vehicle registration, emissions or insurance certification has lapsed, The Newspaper.com states.

The RFID chips are more accurate than current systems that use optical character recognition to identify licence plates. The chips broadcast a vehicle's identity to nearby police stations under all weather conditions.

However, just like the proposal to install licence plate readers in police squad cars, the proposal has raised the eyebrows of some lawmakers who are concerned about the impact on privacy, Norwalk Patch says.

Former astronaut Paul Scully-Power, who first brought the idea to the attention of lawmakers, says that, providing the technology is adopted and utilised, the state could collect up to $29 619 500 per year in fines and fees compared to the current annual average of about $594 000.