OPINION/COMMENTARY

Cruise Control

What increases overall socio-economic welfare, improves economic competitiveness reduces environmental damage? Obviously, state control and taxes. Or at least that is the answer the OECD, EU transport ministers and even the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) promote. With growing concern about the environment and the so called "greenhouse effect", efforts are under way to reduce transportation by taxing it more. Thus, many countries are seriously considering introducing surveillance tools and road pricing systems based on Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology that will trace cars and tax their drivers and one day maybe - if the technology allows - even decide where and at what speed the vehicle goes if it allows it to move at all. In the US, the NTSB is requiring electronic data recorders in all new cars manufactured in the country, and the Department of Transportation sponsors works on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The EU has since 2000 tested the ITS in several cities in Europe under the PRoGRESS (Pricing Road Use for Greater Responsibility, Efficiency and Sustainability in Cities) program and hopes Galileo satellites will advance the project....

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