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Thu, 04 September 11:00 2008 |
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Electronic licence plates for all motor vehicles |
PRESIDENT Cavaco Silva approved last week the authorisation issued by the Parliament for the Government to legislate on the obligatory installation of an electronic licencing device in all motor vehicles. With the ever increasing volume of traffic on roads, the Government argued that this measure would increase the safety and also efficiency of traffic management. The new electronic licence plates provide both visual information like the traditional licence plates, as well as electronic information and communication. The electronic information can be used for automatic vehicle identification, for toll collection purposes or for identification of special vehicles, such as buses to improve scheduling as well as police cars and ambulances to improve the efficiency of dispatching such vehicles. With the new device, highway vehicles can be electronically monitored by the police through radio frequency interrogation systems to electronically request and receive the same information provided visually by the licence plate, as well as other information, such as the validity of the required on-board documents, like insurance, registration or the certificates for the mandatory MOT inspection for safety and roadworthiness. Other uses of electronic licence plates will include automatic restriction of areas to certain vehicles, traffic control and vehicle theft protection. The opposition voted against this new measure, claiming that it could have a negative impact on the individual's right to privacy and personal data protection, not to mention the fundamental freedoms and guarantees enshrined in the Constitution and the law. The Government responded by assuring that the necessary protections would be included in the law which will regulate the installation and operation of the electronic licence plates. President Cavaco Silva said he considers that the reservations placed upon the limitation in confidentiality of citizen’s private affairs due to the new electronic identification and detection device for vehicles, which were not made clear during the parliamentary debate, can be resolved by the Government in the decree-law. This will be approved following the enactment of the legislation now authorised.
“The issues placed by the legislation under review greatly overcome the experience with the 'Via Verde' (Green Throughway) or the community regulations covering the European Electronic Toll Service. The issue is, on the one hand, the need to stress that the technology to be used does not pervert, in practice, the objectives of road traffic control and, on the other, very clearly ensures that any personal data obtained is treated with the greatest confidentiality together with a system that effectively guarantees such confidentiality,” the President said. He added: “This is undoubtedly a particularly sensitive issue with respect to safeguarding the citizen’s private affairs. It therefore demands adequate legislative attention and also a number of substantial guarantees, which must be covered by the decree-law to be issued following the enactment of the legislative authorisation, transmitted in writing by the President of the Republic to the Government.”
The estimated cost of the electronic chip to be placed in the licence plate is 10 euros with the cost supported by the car owner. The government stated that in about six months time, all vehicles must be equipped with the device which will then be used to charge tolls on some of the motorways which until now have been free for the users, the SCUTS.
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