Skip to main content

UK looking at using ANPR to stop uninsured drivers from refuelling

The Times has reported that the UK government is drawing up plans to prevent drivers of untaxed or uninsured vehicles from filling up with fuel at petrol stations. The plans would use the existing network of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. The cameras are used to record vehicles details of motorists who do not pay for fuel. Pumps at most large forecourts will not start working until an image of the vehicle's numberplate has been captured and logged by an ANPR camera.
March 22, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The Times has reported that the UK government is drawing up plans to prevent drivers of untaxed or uninsured vehicles from filling up with fuel at petrol stations. The plans would use the existing network of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. The cameras are used to record vehicles details of motorists who do not pay for fuel. Pumps at most large forecourts will not start working until an image of the vehicle's numberplate has been captured and logged by an ANPR camera.

The proposal would allow the information to be cross-referenced with the DVLA's national vehicle database.

In the UK, around one in 25 drivers do not have insurance.

Related Content

  • Spot speed deterrent proved to be transient
    October 18, 2013
    As research and trials show the benefits of average speed enforcement - David Crawford reviews developments on two continents. August 2013 saw the switch on of the Australian State of Victoria’s latest combined point-to-point (P2P) average speed enforcement (ASE) and spot camera control system. Installed on the 27km Peninsula Link to the south-east of Melbourne, the system uses high-resolution automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and optical character recognition (OCR) technology developed b
  • SafeZone schemes increase road safety in Brighton and Hastings
    February 28, 2018
    Two of Siemens’ SafeZone average speed schemes in Brighton and Hastings have received acclaim from Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) following the first six months of operation which recorded 98.8% speed compliance. The cameras are intended to help improve road safety and reduce the risk of collisions. SafeZone’s average speed enforcement system was installed along Brighton Seafront on Marine Parade and on the A259 Grosvenor Crescent in Hastings. Both schemes also used infra-red lighting to avoid
  • Adaptive Recognition updates its Carmen ANPR software
    April 18, 2024
    Adaptive Recognition continues to update its longstanding Carmen ANPR software product with new features. The company stresses Carmen’s versatility, with the product available as a software library, plug-and-play application, or cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS).
  • C/AVs could mean cheaper roads
    October 28, 2019
    The safety benefits of C/AVs have long been promoted – but research suggests they should also contribute to cheaper roads. David Crawford investigates the potential benefits in infrastructure costs Building narrower freeway lanes to accommodate the enhanced route-tracking capabilities of connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs), running in platoon conditions, could result in cost savings of £0.5 million (€0.56 million or US$6.5 million) for every km of road length built. Such benefits could be secur