Whether we like it or not, GPS (Global Positioning System) and other forms of tracking technology are changing the way we drive.
SAT/NAV systems are among the fastest selling car accessories these days, and though they do navigate the occasional unfortunate motorist into a ford or ploughed field, they have been the saviour of all those who never learnt to map read.
Norwich Union has pioneered the use of GPS-based ‘black boxes’ in the insurance 
market. By monitoring your every move behind the wheel, the company operates a ‘pay as you drive’ scheme based on how often, when and where you drive.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is used by the police to identify illegal vehicles and by Transport for London to catch those hoping to avoid the Congestion Charge. So far though, having any form of ‘black box’ on board your car has remained optional, but if the Government does press ahead with the proposed national road pricing scheme, then there won’t be a vehicle in the land without some sort of spy in the cab.
Despite a record 1.8million people signing a petition opposing the project, the Government has felt the need to progress draft legislation allowing 10 pilot projects to be instituted around the country – the chosen cities apparently include Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol. The bill apparently requires these test zones to use compatible technology (electric cards sending radio signals to roadside gantries) and allows for the pilots to be extended indefinitely – fuelling talk that road pricing is already here to stay.
So, is getting ‘boxed in’ really now inevitable? Well no, it’s not, but doing nothing about the UK’s road congestion is no longer an option. According to Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander, the number of vehicles on our roads has risen from 27 million to 33 million in just 10 years. Ministers fear that congestion in major conurbations could have risen a further 25% by 2015 if drastic action is not taken to stem the tide.
Governments often have to make unpopular decisions and whichever party finally gets to grip with Britain’s overcrowded roads is destined to upset a lot of people. Certainly those who talk of the erosion of civil liberties have a point. But, whether we eventually succumb to the ‘black box’ or some other method of controlling traffic flow, it is surely preferable to ever-longer queues and ever bigger jams?
