Daily Mail Headline says: Motorists face Europe-wide scrutiny by Big Brother 'spy in the car' black box. (Problem (speeding motorists need to be fined) - Reaction (The public outcry about too many speed cameras) - Solution (Big Brother Spy In The Car)Motorists face having their every move tracked by a 'spy in the car' black box that can follow a driver anywhere in Europe. The Big Brother system will be able to constantly check a car's speed - doing away with the need for cameras - as well as forming the centre-piece for any Government pay-as-you-drive road-tolling system. It is part of an EU project, backed and funded by the UK Government, to develop hi-tech cars of the future. Car-makers have indicated that the device could be installed in all new cars from as early as 2013.
Vehicles fitted with the Big Brother device will emit a constant 'heartbeat' pulse revealing their location, speed, and direction of travel. EU officials believe it will significantly reduce road accidents, congestion and carbon emissions. The Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems (CVIS) project is a £36m EU initiative backed by car makers and the telecoms industry and will be unveiled to the public later this year. Engineers say the system will be so accurate that it will be able to track cars to within a yard which is significantly more than existing satellite navigation technologies. Experts also point out that it is a short step to combining the technology with the tracking system needed for a pay-as-you-drive road tolling system, which the Government is also backing.
The system allows cars to 'talk' to one another and even to the wired up road. A special black-box communication device located behind the dashboard allows the cars to send out so-called 'heartbeat' messages every 500 milliseconds. The messages are transmitted through mobile and wireless networks, as well as via short-range microwave or infrared.
