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The AA Motoring Trust has been reading the runes about what's likely to happen with the proposed new driving licence system, and reckons that, following consultations earlier this year, the idea of needing to carry a paper counterpart of the photo card (the paper document being as big as the one used on its own at the moment) seems likely to be scrapped.
It's happy about that, but doesn't altogether like the Department for Transport's proposal to have a "smart chip" on the licence. The Trust's position is that, "If a smart chip is introduced, then the Government should only allow driver information that is already on the paper licence to be on the chip.
"We need to be clear from the start how much information goes on it, what the information is, and who it can be read by. Drivers must also have ready access to the information on the chip, just like they can with the current paper counterpart."
There are, of course, deep suspicions in certain quarters about the possibility of the chip having far more personal information on it than the authorities in a non-police state have any business knowing.
Meanwhile, the Association of British Drivers has drawn attention to a proposal by the DVLA to introduce a new annual fee, £4.50 being the sum mentioned, to be paid along with the Vehicle Excise Duty charged for every vehicle registered on its system - but also including cars which are currently exempt from VED, like those run by disabled drivers, pre-1973 classic cars, and cars kept off the road under the SORN regulations.
Reason for the proposed new impost? To help pay for the introduction of the photo licences.
You can just imagine the future scenario. You have to put your driving licence into a reader before you use the car. Pay per mile tax (the card could store mileage information). GPS tracking, Speed cameras reading transponder information transmitted by the car...need I go on?
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