Cameras that keep uninsured motorists from getting gas?

 Britain is famous for many things: double decker buses, Big Ben, the British Royal Family… and an extraordinary network of surveillance cameras. Everywhere. On public street corners, in front of shops, even in some residential neighborhoods, the British government has cameras installed to make sure every infraction is caught on tape, including those expired registration tags you forgot about awhile ago. Unfortunately for you, that little memory relapse may now prevent you from putting gas in your car, if a new proposal gets approved in the U.K. Forget about filling up that F350 dually you're trucking around England in - your diesel injectors and diesel turbo parts will be running on fumes.

 Installation of cameras at gas stations have special scanners that record license plates, originally installed to prevent people from filling up at the pump and speeding away (just making a pay-before-you-pump system as we do here seems to work well, but hey, who are we to judge). They are now thinking of using these scanners and linking them to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (their version of the DMV) database to cross reference plates to valid registration and insurance. No insurance, no gas.

I see what you're doing there.

This is a big problem for the 1.4 million, or 1 in 25, uninsured drivers in the U.K. This would be an even bigger problem for the 1 in 7 uninsured motorists we have in the United States – that’s a whopping 27 million drivers. You might want to double check your own car insurance policy to make sure uninsured motorists are covered.  If it weren’t for American’s vehement opposition to being watched, I’m sure the DMV would love to implement this system here as well – think of the cash rolling in!

There are, of course, two sides to this argument. The first is that the government already has too much control, and they have no business telling people whether they can or can not put gas int their vehicle. On the other hand, car insurance is a legal requirement and by driving without insurance you are breaking the law, and putting everyone around you at risk.

Do you think preventing uninsured motorists from pumping gas is justified or wrong?