This site sells several products with claims that they will render the license plate on your car unreadable by the cameras/film used at street intersections to catch red light runners. There is the “clear filter lenses” (two types) that you mount overtop the plate, and which probably have some sort of lined/ruled defraction or polarization grating that disburses the (flash) light reflected off of the plate back to the camera. These are judged to be of marginal effectiveness, perhaps because during daylight hours with normal daytime illumination, the camera system’s flash unit is probably superfluous, and enough light will still be reflected to the camera, allowing the tag number to be read.
Another product, an aerosol spray, is judged to be effective (links to independent testing are included) but at $30 for a can, seems a bit pricey. Clues seem to indicate that it is the shiny or glossy character of this spray that allows it to “work”. Should I be able to get the same effect by simply picking up a can of high-gloss clear spray from the hardware store, and applying it to the plate? Does the product contain some “magic ingredient” that I will not be able to get? While I don’t know if any states have passed laws prohibiting this kind of countermeasure, neither would I want to drive around with one of the obvious lenses, or even an ultra shiny (albeit nominally readable plate) to draw attention to my deviousness. Who has the word on this technology?
I’ve seen video images of these covered plates, and it’s fairly easy to take a negative of the image, or apply basic filters to make the plate readable.
Perhaps an easier (and cheaper) answer would be to stop for red lights like the law requires.
YYMV of course, but I would be very happy if they replaced the cameras with heat seaking missles.
Compared to a $271 red light ticket, that spray is cheap, but the basic problem is RedDawg is asking us for advice on how to break the law and not get caught.
Please notice the obviously and poorly retouched photo which is alleged to demonstrate the spray’s effectiveness. This is a clue as to how well it works.
In Maryland (the only place around here that uses the red light cameras) the use of license plate covers is illegal, and I believe it carries a significantly worse fine than the red light ticket would. Many other areas have similar laws.
There is a simple and cheap piece of technology, small enough to wear on the wrist, that helps prevent you from being caught by red-light cameras. They even help you from being caught by troopers in speed traps!
It’s called an alarm clock.
Leave a leisurely fifteen minutes early for wherever you’re going and you’ll be astonished how much easier it is to follow the traffic laws than when you’re 5 minutes late and driving like a maniac.
i saw a tv news report that investigated these license filters by visiting the police bureau that processes red-light pictures. they had no trouble adjusting the fuzzy image on their computer screens to make the numbers clear. (the plate covers might attract some police attention on the street, however.) the spray business is silly on its face. license plates themselves are reflective. even if a clear spray makes them more reflective (questionable in itself), so what?
but as to the heat-seeking missiles, there is another side. some jurisdictions have deliberately created camera traps that seem designed only to raise money. in one jurisdiction, the length of the yellow light at camera-equipped intersections was determined to be considerably shorter than at others ON THE SAME STREETS. drivers were given less time to stop than they reasonably expected, and they consequently got ticketed. in another jurisdiction, authorities set up a traffic light that went directly from flashing yellow to red. drivers thought they were approaching a flashing caution light, then it turned red as they passed by, getting them tickets. in some jurisdictions, the photo systems themselves are administered by civilian contractors who get a percentage of every fine imposed. gee, what does that give them an incentive to do?
if the authorities were only worried about traffic safety then the penalty for a violation would just be points against the license, leading utimately to suspension for repeat offenders. big fines turn law enforcement agencies into tax collectors. that really can’t be good for anybody.
A few months back I overheard on a talkshow(770 for the locals) of some fellow who documented the intersections with these cameras. He observed 1 second less time with the yellow light comapred to lights at intersections that aren’t photographed.
Cite, Reader99? Your speculation of “some jurisdiction somewhere” that “they” put up cameras “just to make money” is fascinating but lacks details.
I’m sure the red-light-camera technique makes money for the jurisdictions that use them, but doesn’t routine accident investigation cost money?
And I missed the bit where this is the “other side” of anti-camera technology. Are you saying that because the cameras are used “just to make money” that it’s okay to run red lights? If so, that argument belongs in Great Debates.
i’m not defending lawbreaking or tools that enable it. the point is that drivers need reasonable time to be able to slow down and stop, and money-raising camera systems create an incentive to increase income by shortening yellow lights. you could give tickets to everybody if you just had the lights change directly from red to green. a properly administered system probably would be A Good Thing, but the financial incentive pulls in the wrong direction.
Try lengthening the time between the red and green lights . There are some lights here in DC area that when the light turns red in one direction the light instantly turns green in the other. This does not give the cars in the intersection enough time to clear the box.
The red light cameras are a system that is too easy to abuse. Not taking in enough money then shorten the yellow light.
when I went to court on a traffic ticket I sat through the red light adjudication cases. Several of the offenders were part of a funeral procession - which is allowed to go through the red lights in MD. To fight the ticket they had to take time off from work to fight a $75 ticket. Whoever the trained individual is reviewing the tickets apparently is only trained in reading letters of the alphabet to verify the license tag.
And I am sure that these legal red light runners are added to the statistics. As are ambulances, fire engines, and police officers who are also photographed.
Anecdotally there have been several accidents around here where criminals pursued by police, DUI, or driving stolen vehicles have ran red lights that resulted in fatalities. i am sure if they knew they were going to be photographed they would have stopped. Instead they go into the column of fatalities caused by running red lights - and also several other columns.
If they are truly concerned about safety the local governments would make the intersections safer. Unfortunately there is no money in that.
I keep seeing this when a discussion of red light camaras come up. Let me describe two real life occurences to you.
I am driving slightly over the posted speed limit (50ish in a 40 zone) a light ahead of me turns yellow. I step on the brake as I have time to stop before the intersection. Now being kind of close to the intersection, and being above the posted speed limit I had to brake slightly harder than normal. Nowhere near a panic stop or even into ABS. I was using maybe 60% of my available braking. From reflex I glance into my rearview mirror and see a car that has been following me about 6 car lengths back pull into the next lane and accelerate. I was at a complete stop before the limit line after the light turned red. I then watched the car pass me and get into an accident with a car entering on the green from a side street.
I am at the corner right by my house. I am on the small cross street waiting for the green. Light turns green I look left, then right. All clear. I step on the gas and have to slam on my brake as a car runs the red light less then 3’ in front of me. Since I did not even starting looking left and right until my light had turned green, no arguement can be made that the yellow was too short and caught the driver unaware. This light was not yellow, or even pink when the driver went through it. It was flat red.
In both cases the weather was clear, the road dry, it was daytime, and the intersections in question was not obscured in anyway.
So adirondack_mike please tell me, other than perhaps some type of self deploying tiger trap just how are you going to re-design these intersections?
Need more straw for your man?
I do have a re-design suggestion of my own. I think deploying these would cut way back on the redlight running.
And a red light camera is going to stop them how? Send them a ticket and a nasty letter? Please explain to me how a red light camera is going to stop someone who is not paying attention or not caring.
As i said some of the intersections have no delay between the red in one direction and green in the other. If there are more then the usual number of accidents at that intersection then there is the possibility that the traffic signals are not properly set. A simple change of the timing may prevent some or most of the accidents. It certainly won’t stop someone from flying through the intersection after the lights been red for several seconds but then what will.
More importantly if changing the timing on the lights will prevent accidents how liable is the municipality in not changing them? Put up a camera that will rake in a few bucks or do something that might actually do some good.
There are also some intersections that only allow very few cars to proceed and then have a long wait for the next green. There is one intersection on my work (this was several years ago) that allowed maybe five or six cars through and then there was a two minute wait for the next green. If it took me twenty minutes to get to work ten of them would be spent at the light. Do you think that people are going to try to get accross that intersection on an orange light? Just a poorly timed signal that increases a driver’s frustation.
These cameras are nothing more than a money making machine for the local municipalities. Sure, take a day off from work and fight it - if you lose you also owe court costs (@ least in Montgomery Co).
