The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) abandons proposals to chip motorcycle number plates. The DVLA have announced that they will not be seeking government approval to fit micro chip Electronic Vehicle Identification, (EVI) to motorcycle number plates. The DVLA had embarked on a feasibility study, including field trials, to determine the effectiveness of EVI as a means of combating motorcycle vehicle excise evasion.
The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG UK) was consulted on the project and voiced concerns that the cost to introduce such a system would far outweigh the monies recouped in excise duty. MAG also expressed concern that the proposal to single out motorcycles was discriminatory.
In a report released by the DVLA today the conclusion to the study is that the cost of introducing EVI for all motorcycles would cost in the region of £100 million and would only provide a return of approximately £27 million for HM treasury. The report concludes that advances in ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology render the use of EVI unnecessary.
The report comes days after the DVLA issued an apology for wrongly estimating the level of motorcycle VED evasion at 40%, a gross overestimation of the actual rate which is 6%.
MAG Campaigns Manager said, “I am pleased that common sense has prevailed and that the DVLA has listened to and acted on motorcyclists concerns. EVI was a sledgehammer to crack a nut and the proposals to only include motorcyclists is discriminatory. MAG does not in any way condone motorcyclists who choose to ride their bikes without tax and will continue to work with motorcyclists, government, the police and the DVLA to eradicate VED evasion.
