DVLA FLOGS DATABASE TO CASTROL

Castrol is using roadside cameras to read vehicle registrations and then flash individual motorists with a message stating that a Castrol product is 'the right oil' for their car.

'This particular initiative will be the first time in the UK that personalised messages have been communicated on advertising billboards,' says Castrol, as though it is a development we should all be joyous about.

'The process of registering the number plate to the message appearing on the billboard will take less than two seconds, and due to data protection, no registration plate data will be stored. Drivers can get their personalised oil recommendations by driving past the five trial sites in London for two weeks from 21 September,' it says.

We think this (so far) unusual campaign shows how far the DVLA is prepared to go in its increasingly naked attempts to extract revenue from its (sorry, 'our') driver and vehicle database.

And quite apart from the potential distraction to motorists of having their number plate flashed up on advertising hoardings, we wonder whether Castrol's authoritarian message should be modified to suggest other brands may be 'right' for your car too.