An apparatus is disclosed which is operable to detect and identify vehicles, where individual vehicles each have at least one RFID communication device mounted thereon close to the surface on which the vehicle travels, and a vehicle's RFID communication device(s) is/are operable to transmit to the apparatus a signal indicating that vehicle's identity, the apparatus including an RFID reader, the RFID reader having an antenna which is operable to be positioned on or in the surface on which the vehicles travel, and the antenna (which may be an “adapted dipole” antenna) is operable to transmit a signal to a vehicle's RFID communication device(s) and to receive a backscattered modulated signal from a RFID communication device on that vehicle indicating that vehicle's identity, such that that vehicle is thereby detected and identified by the apparatus.