The US state of South Carolina is looking at using electronic licence plates which would indicate automatically if the car they were on was uninsured or stolen, writes Brian Byrne.The so-called 'e-tags' would use an advanced version of the 'electronic paper' developed for the Amazon Kindle, and its developers are suggesting that SC pilot the system with state-owned vehicles.
The e-tags have been developed by SC company Compliance Innovations and would replace the traditional metal numberplate, and though currently some 20 times the cost, they could easily pay for themselves as South Carolina currently loses an estimated $150m a year with drivers using expired tags or without insurance.
Crashes involving uninsured drivers in Ireland cost the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland close to €60m a year, and it's estimated that one in 20 motorists are driving without insurance here.
