|
Friday
July
4
2003
The
number
plate
spray
that
claims
it
defeats
cameras
From
George
Gordon
in
New
York
A
number
plate
spray,
which
supposedly
defeats
speed
cameras,
is
proving
a
hit
with
drivers.
The
aerosol
is
said
to
reflect
the
flash
from
radar
traffic
cameras,
turning
registration
plates
into
an
unreadable
white
blur.
Its
makers,
Phantom
Plate,
say
the
PhotoBlocker
is
invisible
to
the
naked
eye
and
that
a
single
application
lasts
for
weeks.
The
spray
is
on
sale
through
a
U.S.
website
and
is
likely
to
attract
interest
from
British
drivers.
Joe
Scott,
Phantom
Plate’s
marketing
director,
said:
“I
know
of
no
jurisdiction
that
bans
the
spray.
Most
states
have
laws
against
obscuring
or
distorting
license
plates,
but
PhotoBlocker
only
obscures
the
license
plate
in
a
photo,
making
it
legal
and
difficult
to
detect
with
the
naked
eye.
He
said
high
demand
for
the
£20
product
was
evidence
of
growing
public
anger
at
the
use
of
the
speed
cameras
to
generate
revenue
rather
than
reduce
accidents.
“Decent
folks
–
law-abiding
citizens
–
are
getting
penalized
left
and
right
for
clearing
intersections
a
little
too
late,
or
entering
and
then
backing
up,”
he
said.
But
RAC
spokesman
Kevin
Delaney
warned
the
PhotoBlocker
could
be
illegal
in
the
UK
and
might
not
even
work.
“If
the
intention
was
to
beat
the
speed
camera
–
and
the
police
could
prove
it
–
then
it
might
be
illegal
to
use
this
product
in
Britain,”
he
said.
“More
fundamental
is
the
question
of
its
effectiveness.
“A
number
of
similar
products
have
been
introduced
here
and
over
the
last
four
or
five
years,
and
none
of
them
has
worked.”
Captain
John
Lamb,
head
of
traffic
police
in
Denver,
Colorado,
said
the
spray
had
worked
in
tests
he
had
supervised.
“It
proved
effective
producing
a
glare
over
the
license
plate,”
he
said.
FOX
TV
network,
which
filmed
the
tests,
also
reported
that
it
was
“surprisingly
effective.”
Steve
Kholer,
of
the
Californian
Highway
Patrol,
which
levies
fines
of
up
to
£150
on
speeding
motorists,
said
“the
law
would
catch
up
with”
any
product
that
proved
to
be
successful.
Phantom
Plate’s
website
boasts:
“Make
your
license
plate
invisible
to
cameras.
If
they
can’t
read
it,
they
can’t
catch
you.”
The
company
also
markets
the
Photoshield,
a
plastic
cover
that
hides
registration
numbers.
The
website
refers
to
“protection
from
cameras”
but
also
claimsthe
plate
covers
are
“a
great
way
to
protect
your
license
plate
from
dust,
dirt
and
bugs.”
The
Photoshield
makes
the
number
plate
unreadable
from
the
side
or
above,
but
not
directly
from
behind.
It
is
legal
to
manufacture
and
sell
it
in
the
U.S.
but
use
by
drivers
is
prohibited
after
new
legislation
was
brought
in.
Some
21
U.S.
states
use
traffic
cameras
and
the
highly-expensive
support
work
to
keep
them
in
action
is
achieved
with
help
from
manufacturers
and
operators.
They
take
a
percentage
of
the
revenues
from
fines.
g.gordon@dailymail.co.uk |
