Discussions around high tech driving licences containing chips have started in Bern, according to the newspaper Tribune de Genève.
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Recently, national councillor Franz Grüter (UDC/SVP) put forward a motion to have current Swiss driving licences replaced by high tech ones, a motion supported by around 40 other councillors, mainly from his own party.
The new chip-based licence would make it easier to update changes of name and address. It would also allow the police to see any past driving infringements upon presentation of the licence.
The future licence would be the same size as the current one with the addition of a chip. Data would be encrypted and accessible with a PIN. Another possibility would be to link this information to vehicle registration numbers and make it accessible via a smartphone app.
The UK recently launched a smartphone app that allows enforcement staff to make faster checks. By scanning a vehicle’s registration number staff can quickly access the vehicle’s testing history and any previous mechanical or driver problems. In the future this app may be able to access driving licence data, driver identity and insurance information.
Grüter, who is also the vice president of ICT Switzerland, an umbrella organization for Switzerland’s digital economy, suggested vehicle and driver data be kept separate to enhance security and future proof the system – associating vehicle and driver information will make little sense when most of us getting around in driverless cars.
More on this:
Tribune de Genève article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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