Thursday 21 January 2010

There Are CiF Loonies, And Then There's This Guy


There is so very much wrong with this that it surely must be an elaborate hoax.

I would like the DVLA database of vehicle keepers posted on the web, so that all of us – whether busybodies, neighbourhood campaigners or even intrepid boy reporters – can link every registered vehicle on our roads to a name and address.

Yes, I think he does mean it.

An infringement to privacy? I don't think so.

Because your personal details being published on the web is as private as can be, presumably?

Operating a motor vehicle involves responsibilities as well as rights, and one of the longest established responsibilities is that a vehicle should be traceable back to its operator**. I'm merely arguing that citizens, as well as the state, should have access to this information.

I think we can all think of quite a few drawbacks to such an idea. Funnily enough, so can Michael Crock Cross.

Arguments against? Yes, there's the possibility of revenge attacks for bad driving, but the answer to that would be to come down hard on any such attacks.

Then, if the driver is still alive, he can claim from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, if he can get past the red tape and massive backlog, before being stiffed for the cash if approved.

John Thornhill, chairman of the Magistrates' Association, criticised the levy system, saying the money was going to victim support agencies, rather than the victims themselves.

"There's £40m of unpaid compensation so if you were a victim and awarded compensation, the chances of receiving that compensation are very, very low," he said.

There's another problem with your lunacy too, isn't there, Michael.

There's also the near certainty that one set of users of the open vehicle register will be burglars. An expensive car registered in Cheshire but spotted in a Cornwall hotel is a good indicator of rich pickings.

Bingo! Got it in one.

But burglars already have ways of spotting empty houses – and, if privacy is such an over-riding concern, why do so many affluent people decorate their cars with easily identifiable personal number plates?

He's right, you know. A friend of mine carries the number plate "Y 15 Acacia Drive, Surbiton, KT8 4PL", the irresponsible bastard.

As ever, it's a matter of balance between liberty, civic duty and privacy. My belief is that, at the moment, we're tilted too far towards personal privacy. No doubt some readers will disagree.

So some people may believe that the possibility of being brained with a baseball bat for forgetting to indicate, or the certainty that someone will have their house looted, is not worth the risk just so the local curtain-twitcher can look up who owns that nice Lexus parked up the street?

You think?

** As far back in history as the Road Traffic Act 1988




11 comments:

Curmudgeon said...

Of course what would happen if this came into operation is that everyone would simply register their vehicles through nominee companies, in the same way as company car users do now.

Even given what he proposes, it's a fat lot of use if all the register shows is "Vauxhall Opel Fleet Management".

Unintended consequences - you got it!

Mark Wadsworth said...

Personalised number plates are for wankers. I've half a mind to buy a spray-can and spray "My initials are MW" along the boot.

Curmudgeon nails it.

Captain Ranty said...

(I posted this over at Al Jahom's place earlier).

This man is a world-class cunt.

He should be necklaced for even considering the idea. Far too many people know far too much about us aready. And this fanny wants to advertise where we live, FFS! I can see it now, “Miss XXXX was attacked in her home after the perverted fuckwit found out that she was unmarried and unattached from the DVLA register, newly opened to the public. Naturally, Dibble was unable to locate the rapist”.

This has disaster scrawled all over it. In big, fuck off letters.

Shoot this unthinking maggot. Shoot him now.

CR.

JJ said...

Presumably this would also include the data concerning politicians with private vehicles as well - eh?

paulo said...

The dozy twat has obviously had a full Labour education.

george said...

@Mark Wadsworth

PEN 1S on a pinkish-mauve E-type would be worth having.

As for all the others - you're right.

John Pickworth said...

They do (or used to do) this in Switzerland. The licence plate is registered to the owner (which can be swapped between your vehicles) and its registration is a public record.

Seems what often happens is you spot a rather lovely thing driving down the Auto-whatsit and you can call him/her up on his/her mobile.

Aside from the auto-dating convenience; its clearly a crazy idea.

Perhaps though, Michael Cross would care to start the ball rolling by publishing his own car registration and home address? Arhhh, thought not!

Anonymous said...

I did see many years ago a Mercedes with the number plate FAT G1T.

He was as well.

Uncle Marvo said...

There's a number you can text with a reg, and it gives you loads of info (except the owner).

Costs 50 pee I think. Useless, but fun.

There's also a site called ginfo.pl that holds just about every bit of info about just about anything the government ever did. It's in Poland, hence the pl, and I suspect is some sort of scam, but I don't see how the money gets to it.

I think the only SECRET stuff the government has is your personal info. Calling GCHQ, calling GCHQ ...

bayard said...

ISTR that in the good old days, this information was freely available, but you had to write to the predecessor of the DVLA and they would write back, hence limiting the usefulness of said info to burglars. However, the "no-one is allowed to know anything except the state" policy eventually saw to that, I suppose. You also got the names and addresses of all the previous owners when you bought a second-hand car.

BTS said...

Ta for that Dick.

A am now uncertain as to whether it would be more financially sound to sell my car or my house..