Big Brother isn’t just watching you, he’s also scanning your number plate.
High tech cameras capable of scanning licence plates are being deployed across the country in a bid to dramatically reduce the number of people who drive off without paying for their petrol – which costs nearly $60 million a year.
“We’re looking for a far greater rate of prosecutions, far greater penalties, loss of demerit points and potentially loss of licence,” said Jeff Rogut, CEO of Australasian Association of Convenience Stores.
As the price of fuel has risen, so too has the number of people driving off without paying.
Drive offs
Bureau of Crime statistics show in New South Wales there were 12,500 drive-offs in the last year, while in Victoria there were around 4,000.
Nationwide it costs the industry more than $58 million.
“It seems like there is a proportion of the population, unfortunately, that are doing this quite frequently,” said Jackie Fitzgerald from the Bureau of Crime Statistics.
The new cameras, made by Drive Off Alert, are 95 per cent accurate at reading number plates and could ultimately be used to automatically charge the car’s owner.
However, the technology is not foolproof.
A recent review found only two thirds of licence plates were identified through the official database.
“The information is being shared and there is a good chance that they will be caught,” said Rogut.
Extracted from 7news