Surveillance Cameras Could Catch Uninsured Drivers

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell says cameras posted along state highways could help close the $470 million dollar transportation budget gap. The cameras would scan licenses plates looking for drivers that do not have insurance. A fine would be sent to those drivers by a company contracted to do the work. The PA transportation budget was blown apart when the federal government rejected a request to toll I-80. Rendell has called a special session to look for ways to fill the budget gap. It is unclear when that session will begin but Rendell and legislative leaders say everything will be considered. The governor believes the use of cameras to catch uninsured drivers would net $115 million a year. Some in the insurance industry say the system would require real-time coverage data that does not exist today. Privacy advocates have voiced concern over the expanded use of surveillance cameras.