Those spies called tachographs

In EU, electronic spies hidden behind the board panel - devices called tachographs - are used to survey commercial vehicle driving.

Introdu-ced since the '30s in Germany, tachographs record not only the vehicle's speed but also the length of time that it is moving or stationary and they have already been used on several trucks, coaches and buses driven in Romania. Starting 2007, digital tachographs will be mandatory on all commercial vehicles in Romania. "Shortly after the tachographs were made mandatory, there has been a boom on the market. There is a stabilization phase now, and we estimate that the sales volume will be flat year on year in 2007. Normally, a tachograph has a lifespan of 6 years, and after this period it is replaced. Repairs aren't usual and they may even be restricted, in order to replace old models with digital tachographs in all commercial vehicles until 2009, as the EU authorities want", explains Mr. Mihai Tataru, chief of service at Auto Glass SRL, distributor of tachographs and software applications.