Texas state representative wants transponders in all cars

This just goes to prove that one bit of sanity cannot go unanswered. Representative Larry Phillips has introduced a bill in the Texas House of Representatives which would require that all state automobile inspection stickers include a built-in electronic transponder. The device would transmit information like the vehicle's VIN, insurance policy number, and license plate number, and — here's the best part — the car's owner would be mailed a $250 ticket if their insurance was found to be expired. Ah, but it doesn't stop there. To make checks like this possible, the legislation would also create a database of every Texas automobile insurance policy.

[Thanks, Bob]

[petro @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

okay here's an even better idea. how about we all just get numbers tattooed on our arms and those numbers could be be looked up in a corrosponding database? that seems like a more efficient and fool-proof way to go about things. or, has someone already tried that... oh yeah -- the nazis.

[Right @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

It's a nice way to scare up money just like those stop light cameras. They don't exactly do much to stop a crime, but they will help the state earn money when one is commited.

That's like installing a camera in every home and if someone breaks into your house and murders you, the murderer will have a warrant automatically placed. It really doesn't help me if I'm already dead now does it, but it's nice to know that while I'm getting eaten by worms, some cop or whatever is sitting in his office watching me die on film.

[Awesom-o @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Seriously...

[Chuck Norris @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

$50 bucks says that this wacko has stock in a company that would benefit from this law.

Could we pass legislation that keeps anyone from Texas from holding a government position?

[brian connolly @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

i'm glad that this didn't subject took a whopping one post to come to a nazi comparison. bravo for that bit of genius reasoning.

[Butch Howard @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

The state of Georgia does all of that except put it on an rfid chip. VIN, insurance, and inspection information are all nice and computerized for your convenience. When you go to pay your license and registration fees they can look up whether you have both up to date. Now you do not have to worry about finding those little bits of paper every year. The inspection stations are tied into the network to prevent you from going to more than one station searching for one that will pass your car. Police cars are tied to the network to make it easy to look you up. I fully expect the cameras on the toll road and stop lights to be hooked in to write tickets for missing insurance and inspections soon.

[Jonathan Kok @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

$250 for expired insurance? Wow, you guys get off easy. It's $5,000 in Canada (well, Ontario anyway). Though I suppose, after the exchange rate, it works out to be the same ;).

[KD @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

That plan is to complicated. Where I live in Ontario, Canada no one drives without insurance and there's a real good reason why they don't. You get caught without an insurance, you get a $6000 fine.

[Jonathan Kok @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Heh...$5,000, $6,000...whatever it is, I know *I* can't afford it!

[Malfoy R @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

If I voiced how I truly felt about this guy and this idea of his, the feds would be at my door. So I'll just =x but we all know the appropriate form of action that should be taken....

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

This doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling, but I'm almost willing to give it a shot. I live in Texas and my insurance premiums have DOUBLED in the last 3 years after having been hit by two uninsured drivers; one that ran a red light and a drunk that lost control and hit my parked car!?!

[tbase @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

When I was a poor teen in Maine, you could buy a $5 inspection sticker for your unsafe vehicle for $50. You could get liability insurance for a small downpayment, register your car, and then cancel the insurance. You still had a card saying you had insurance if you got pulled over, and they couldn't check it. I enjoy what little privacy we have left, but come on people, you're driving a vehicle that A) has a number on the back (and in many states front) that is linked to all your personal info, at least if you own it, and B) can do serious property and personal damage. Here in Florida, and it's probably worse in Texas, we have a huge problem with illegal aliens with no license or insurance driving unsafe vehicles, and when they crash, they usually just take off. Remember kids, driving is a priviledge, not a right. If you don't like the rules, take the bus.

[Clinton Wilmott @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

No one drives without insurance in Ontario?

Its reported that 70,000 people drive without insurance in the GTA alone and pink slips are BIG business.

[TAZ427 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

The $250 is just a surcharge that must be paid annually for 3 yrs to keep you license. If your in an accident in Texas w/o insurance you not only have to pay those surcharges, any cost due to damage you cost (medical and property), but you also get to pay a nice $2000 fine. At least that's what the lady w/o insurance was suppose to do that totaled my car by failing to yeild the right of way (i.e. she pulled out in front of me from the exit of a Burger King while I was traveling 45MPH, I didn't even have time to hit the brakes as it was less than 40ft {about 1/3 of a second at 45mph} infront of me that she just decided not to look either way and drive right out - bushes had blocked my view until she was right at the edge of the street.)

Instead she disappeared, presummed to have gone back to mexico instead of paying back the $17K the insurance company paid for my 5yr old car and the $2K fine.

I'm writting my state rep after this to let them know my opinion of it. Which it's just another way to get the honest people to pay more fines to cover the dishonest peoples costs.

TAZ

[Pete @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

As a Texas resident whose insurance premiums continue to rise because of lovely extras like "uninsured motorist coverage," I'm not sure whether or not to support this. Theoretically, this would keep deter uninsured drivers, thereby allowing me to drop that coverage and lower my rates...theoretically. But how much will this deter it? What if someone just doesn't bother to get the new sticker applied? Let's face it: tickets for expired inspection and registration stickers are usually add-ons, applied in addition to some other violation. That's far less likely to prevent a situation like that described by TAZ427.

Don't even get me started on the Big Brother implications.

[MaxSMoke @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I got a better idea. Instead of these fines, how about if this Larry Phillips guy just takes a baseball bat, drives around, and breaks the tail lights of every parked car he sees. Then an office or two can just follow behind him and slap all of those people with tickets for having damaged tail lights.

This does just seem like a scam to get more money.

And as for driving, we DO have the constitutional right to freely and openly travel our country. Taking the bus isn't very free nor is it very open, and you can't legally travel the roads without a car. In case you missed what I am saying, we've already lost the constitutional right to freely travel. (well, unless your an Illegal Alien, in which case, have a Party!)

[virtualalex @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I live in Texas and I think this is a GREAT idea. I'm sick to death of law breaking uninsured drivers driving up the cost of my insurance premium.

[virtualalex @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

#14, if you read the bill at the above link it says you can appeal the ticket for various reasons, including if your car was actually covered at the time of the detection, and if you don't like the outcome of your appeal then you can appeal the decision too.

#13, this is not a ploy to get honest people to cover the costs of the uninsured. WE ARE ALREADY COVERING THEIR COSTS WITH HIGHER INSURANCE PREMIUMS! If you don't pay the fine then both your licence and registration will be suspended. Hopefully these penalties will deter more people from driving illegally.

#16, lose the Constitutional right to freely travel? WTF are you talking about? This doesn't impede your right to freedom of movement in any way.

[Anthony Duerr @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

You can just forget this chip transponder crap. I don't need the government spying on me wherever I go. No no no, notta chance.

I don't have any problems with states linking in your license plates and registration with insurance, though. I can handle that, and it seems logical. But I'll be damned if my car's going to be sending out a beacon to every government agency that wants to know where I am at the time.

The next thing you know, our forheads or hands have little chips embedded in them that send out beacons, too. Oh, and let's not forget that you can't purchase anything without this little chip either, so the government gets to know every last little purchase you make, too. =)

Finally, for all you out there who think that your insurance premiums will go down even if all the uninsured cars are off the road... think again. You're already paying the fees. The money comes from somewhere. Either it's your insurance company, or the other guy's. The whole "my premiums are high because he doesn't have insurance" argument is a very weak one, at best.

[Richard @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I gotta get out of Texas.

[Sam @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

This Philips guy needs to get a clue. What's the percentage of people driving around with expired insurance? Why not put the money it's going to cost ths state to implement this system into something more useful, like education? So mucking forons like him can get a job in a public office. Oh and for those who think your insurance is going to go down, "You're kidding right?".

[themiltman @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

yeah so is this guy crazy. First of all he thinks that a bill like this will be passed he is crazy. And definitly not in a state like texas. Secondly this not only opens up one more breach of our privacy but it allows the government to clock were we are and when we were there. If they are able to read this transponder of when our insurance is out of date
they can tell when and where we are. This information will work kind of like gps. Accept Smaller and whose to stop them from doing this after it is done. It is a complete disregard for citizens rights. This is wrong and who ever elected this guy into office should look back at what they may cause for the rest of us.

[DM @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

How many people out there have EZ-Pass or some other toll-paying transponder device? It has all the same privacy concerns, and I'm sure there were lots of people afraid of "the man" who complained about that system too. I use it, and I know I'm giving up some privacy in the process. But you know what? It rocks. I save frustration and get a discount on tolls in the process. I cruise with the rest of traffic at 15mph over the limit and haven't gotten any speeding tickets mailed to me (yet). They could easily start handing them out that way with timing data from the toll booths. If the govt starts abusing the information they collect a lot of pissed-off drivers will start voting the responsible politicians out of office - and politicians sell their soul to keep their jobs.
There's probably an argument to be made against this Texas system based on a govt procurement process that will probably result in paying a lot of money for a crappy system that will only solve a minor societal problem if it works properly (which it won't until it's 5 yrs late and 400% over budget.)
On the other hand, there was one of those photo-ticket systems at an intersection I drove past in WA state, and it definitely stopped me from trying to beat the yellow light a few times...