Automatic number plate recognition can be used to store the images captured by the cameras as well as the text from the license plate, with some configurable to store a photograph of the driver.

This move - one of several changes impacting motorists in the coming months - is expected to save the state Department of Transportation million annually between the cost of producing the stickers and mailing them out to drivers.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR; see also other names below) is a technology that uses optical character recognition on images to read vehicle registration plates.

It can use existing closed-circuit television, road-rule enforcement cameras, or cameras specifically designed for the task.

ANPR technology must take into account plate variations from place to place.

Concerns about these systems have centered on privacy fears of government tracking citizens' movements, misidentification, high error rates, and increased government spending.