Thoughts on a tracker...

THE fitting of tracking devices is a double edged sword. The first is that I would find it an intrusion into my privacy, writes Mick Fitzgibbons.

The words 'is this a proportionate response in relation to the scale of the issue', instantly come to mind. Track and trace everybody because a small minority might overstay—I don't think so.

The thin end

But this could be the thin end of a very big wedge. Where next, an annual mileage charge? Charge per lock use? Double charge on broad locks? Imagine, you are the last boat through a lock and it suffers a paddle failure, whose insurance will be asked to pay?

The British public don't like being tracked or even carrying identification. You only have to look at the furore over the issue that the national identity card created.

Recording device

My motor insurance company asked if I would like to fit a recording device. Said it would save on my premium. So I asked what the device was used for and how it might impinge on my cover. It seems that the device records your travel and location and the speeds used. The insurer would use the information when investigating any claim. Things like how long had you been driving before the incident might be a contributing factor to an accident. The proffered saving on my premium—£8. I declined.

[Mick is at present our foreign correspondent!]