RFID-enabled cards using Intermec Intellitags are being used to speed crossings at the U.S. & Canadian border.

The program is intended for frequent travelers who cross via automobile.

Intermec has a quick explanatory video (less than 2 mins.) that describes the program, called Nexus. According to the video, you can pass through the border crossing in under 10 seconds if you have been preapproved as part of this program.

The Canadian government offers details here and the U.S. government has program information here.

This looks like a good program for people who are crossing back and forth regularly between the U.S. and Canada. Examples might be casino employees and casino visitors in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario.

Too bad something like this cannot be implemented at our airports. Instead we spend inordinate resources patting down senior citizens and infants who clearly pose no threat, making air travel uniformly miserable for everyone.