LOL, that was my "special interests" in my previous reply!
Posted on 07/02/2003 8:54:22 PM PDT by HAL9000
Hate the idea of impersonal cameras ticketing you for running a red light or driving 36 mph in a 25 mph zone? The antidote might be in a red aerosol can.A Harrisburg, Pa., company sells a spray to stop camera-generated tickets by making your license plates so reflective it blinds the spying cameras when their flash goes off.
Tests show that "Photo Blocker," a product sold over the Internet by Phantom Plate, can help drivers beat traffic-enforcement camera tickets by coating their license plates with a spray.
Phantom Plate started selling the product three years ago. The company was born primarily out of anger over the growing number of places on the East Coast that were using cameras to enforce traffic laws.
"We had a lot of family members and friends who were getting tickets right and left," said Joe Scott, marketing director for Phantom Plate.
Knowing that a mirror reflecting a camera flash ruins a photograph, Phantom Plate founders experimented with ways to make license plates hyper-reflective, Scott said. After much testing, they struck upon the spray.
Since then, the company has sold thousands of the $29.99 cans that can cover up to six license plates, Scott said.
Other companies make similar products, and, like Phantom Plate, also sell clear-plastic license-plate covers that obscure the numbers when viewed at an angle.
Capt. John Lamb, a Denver traffic officer, participated in a Denver television station's test of the Phantom Plate product. The test replicated a car driving 30 mph through a 20 mph school zone.
The spray successfully obscured the license plate numbers, and the pictures showed the license plate on the test car to be a glowing white blob, Lamb said.
"From a police perspective, I think it's irresponsible for anyone to use a device that would defeat our system so they could essentially speed in residential areas and school zones," Lamb said.
To the people behind Photo Blocker, the spray represents a small way of fighting back. Scott envisions a day when cameras are everywhere on America's roads and all drivers are treated as criminals to be ticketed when their speedometers creep over the limit.
"I agree with making roads safer, but when it starts costing you money as a regular person, that's different. ... Then it's personal," Scott said.
During the day, follow the speed limits.
Damn, you mean the public might not want to participate in your gotcha game? Sniff sniff...
Sorry, I don't like cameras on me and if folks can find a way to defeat them, then I'm all for it. Best of luck making these multi-thousand dollar systems absolutely worthless.
If not, then any camcorder will do just fine, unless you have special interests.
BTW, I heard a story, but was never able to confirm it, of a lawyer who was ticketed by a speeding camera or a red light camera. He went ahead and took it to trial and proceeded to summon his accuser to the stand. The camera was dismounted from its post and put on the stand, but for some reason wasn't able to answer the lawyer/defendant's questioning! The case ended up being dismissed.
And what could it do to the eyes of another driver?
Amen. These jurisdictions are gaming the system for revenue, rather than safety. Such acts by authority only cause the public to become cynical of the law, rather than respect it.
LOL, that was my "special interests" in my previous reply!
I looked at a couple of websites (B&H Photo in New York) and they have a lot of Mini DV Camcorders. I am clueless. How would I be able to show what I've shot on a VCR? Does it require a special player? Arrrgh. Help.
Darn right. This product is the first of many counter-measures we'll see come to market the more intrusive government becomes.
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