# How fast would I have to go not to pay a toll? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 23, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-would-i-have-to-go-not-to-pay-a-toll/693812 "2014-07-23T03:04:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-would-i-have-to-go-not-to-pay-a-toll/693812/21 "2014-07-23T19:33:19Z")
If you want to avoid the toll, why would you have one of those EZ Tags anyway? First step to beating the toll is to tear that thing off your windshield. Then all you have to do is have your car emit a TON of radiation, possibly IR would be good enough but if not, regular ol’ visible light will do nicely. Blind the camera with light. Or drive 1500mph. Your choice! ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-would-i-have-to-go-not-to-pay-a-toll/693812/22 "2014-07-23T19:41:11Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > 1500mph seems a bit unreasonable. I suspect that important pieces of my car might fall off. :eek: At those kinds of speeds, things like a simple tire blowout becomes a really big deal too. The wimp in this video isn’t going anywhere near that fast and look what happens to him. https://www.youtube.com/embed/0PmCU_Y9YDU?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-would-i-have-to-go-not-to-pay-a-toll/693812/23 "2014-07-23T19:47:19Z")
If had 10 legit RFID chips (1 mine and 9 borrowed from friends) and go fast through the toll booth - will it result in 10 tolls being collected ? will camera take 10 pictures of the same car ? is the software/logic designed to address this scenario ? What if I had one legit RFID and 20 fake ones ? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-would-i-have-to-go-not-to-pay-a-toll/693812/24 "2014-07-23T20:22:10Z")
Reminds me of this old story: [Arizona not monkeying with masked speeder](http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32806142/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/arizona-not-monkeying-masked-speeder/) > [@Onyerbike](#): > > …Delorean physics… Band name! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-would-i-have-to-go-not-to-pay-a-toll/693812/25 "2014-07-24T01:55:08Z")
The real solution, of course, is to drive through the toll backwards so they have to pay _you_. ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-would-i-have-to-go-not-to-pay-a-toll/693812/26 "2014-07-24T04:45:51Z")
> [@Pasta](#): > > As a starting estimate: 1500 mph. This comes from [page 6 of this industry presentation (PDF)](http://ibtta.org/sites/default/files/documents/2011/Plano/Arce_Richard.pdf). I believe you’re mis-interpreting that page. First, it is talking about one specific tolling technology - 5.9 DSRC. Next, it is saying that an installation (controller + multiple antennas) can do 15 handshakes with a vehicle traveling 100 MPH. The number of handshakes required to successfully toll is not specified. If you look at the data rates on the previous page of the PDF, you’ll see that E-ZPass operates at a much slower data rate than the 5.9 DSRC system. An old presentation I have from Mark IV Industries (at the time the vendor of E-ZPass hardware) said that the tags could be read “at any lawful speed”. I assume there’s a substantial margin built in - 100-150 MPH should work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-would-i-have-to-go-not-to-pay-a-toll/693812.md?page=1)