By Associated Press
TACOMA, Wash. — Every time a driver pays the new toll on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge with an automatic transponder the Transportation Department says it will create a computer record that will last 8 ½ years.
Police investigators will be able to subpoena the information, and lawyers could seek a court order for the data for civil lawsuits — such as a divorce.
The San Francisco area has a similar toll system called FasTrak for eight bridges in the Bay area. In the past two years, toll information has been requested 17 times. The system tells drivers when the information has been requested to give them an opportunity to go to court to fight for their privacy.
The new $849 million Tacoma Narrows Bridge is scheduled to open July 16th next to the old bridge.
The Transportation Department has set up an option for drivers who don’t want any personal information linked to their toll-paying transponder. They have to set up an account with cash instead of a credit card or bank number.