OT: traffic cameras

an article in todays Washington Times

By Steve Sexton THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Motorists have litigated against them, fired bullets at them and thrown garbage on them all to get back at the traffic cameras that have caught them in the act of running a red light or speeding.

Now they have a new weapon in their arsenal, and it comes in a can for $29.99. A clear spray called Photoblocker can be applied to license plates to make them hyper-reflective and unreadable when the camera flashes.

The product, marketed by online merchant Phantom Plate

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defies laws that preclude motorists from placing covers over their license plates but have no provisions for a clear spray.

Joe Scott, the marketing director for Photoblocker, said he knows of no jurisdictions that ban the spray. Most states have laws against obscuring or distorting license plates, but Photoblocker obscures the license plate only in a photo, Mr. Scott said, making it legal or at least difficult for police to detect with the naked eye.

Capt. John Lamb of the Denver Police Department said a test of the spray proved effective at producing a glare over the license plate.

The District, Maryland and Virginia all have laws permitting the use of red-light cameras, and the Federal Highway Administration says 21 states have red-light or speed-detection cameras in place or are considering installing the devices.

Lt. Patrick Burke of the Metropolitan Police Department said the spray isn't banned by any laws in the District, but he has yet to see a spray that is effective.

The spray might slip through a loophole in state law, said Steve Kholer, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, who said he had not heard of the product. Citations in California can cost up to $275.

If the spray becomes a problem, Mr. Kholer said, the law will catch up with it.

Critics of traffic cameras say the devices violate privacy and enforce unfairly.

Mr. Scott says use of the cameras constitutes entrapment.

"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, adding that one client reported being ticketed for a red-light violation when he was part of a police-escorted funeral procession.

He said thousands of cans of Photoblocker have been sold.

"The cameras were put in place just to raise revenue and not to make things safer," Mr. Scott said.

The District has collected $21.6 million in fines since August 1999 from its 39 red-light cameras. An additional $29 million has been collected from speed cameras since their installation in August 2001.

Roy Reyer, a former police officer, operates PhotoBuster.com, a Web site that distributes a product similar to Photoblocker called Photo Fog. He said anger with the "Big Brother attitude" of governments has fueled the innovation.

Clear license plate covers preceded the spray. They deflect light to make plates unreadable from the side and from above, but not from directly behind a car. Some jurisdictions that employ the camera-enforcement technology have banned these products.

That hasn't stopped Phantom Plate and other distributors from selling the covers. Clear Covers advertises them online as a "great way to protect your front license plate from dust, dirt and bugs."

In a game of innovation to stay ahead of traffic enforcement, the market has produced radar detectors and radar jammers now banned in some states as well as a license plate cover that deflects police radar.

Motorists aren't the only ones with clever tricks. Paradise Valley, Ariz., considered hiding its radar cameras in cactus plants along roadways, the Weekly Standard reported. Outrage from residents forced officials to reconsider.

Reply to
Fred
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Most of the new speed cameras don't flash... so the plate is readable at all times...

-- Howard

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe -
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Austin Mini DeLuxe -
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Austin Mini Super DeLuxe~~ To email me, go to my website ~~
Reply to
Howard Rose

SPAM! This guy's posted the same snakeoil junk elsewhere.

Reply to
John Stafford

EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jan

Reply to
Jan Andersson

Reply to
alan.f

In Texas there is a law that prohibits any alteration of the plate................I think That would apply to the silly spray stuff anyway.

What's the point?.......................other than to make abuck off of folks looking ot get away with yet another law.

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply MUADIB®

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Reply to
MUADIB®

Foolish.

there are times where I have "accidentally" ran a light. OR cut a yellow close while hauling a trailer where it would have been decidely unsafe to TRY to stop at the yellow light.

it happens all the time. without a sentient being their to ASSES it otherwise INNOCENT people get ticketed with NO recourse.

It is a money maker period. NOT a law keeper.

As for accidentally. It was 4pm I was going home from school. the light turned green I am the guy next to me went.

What I missed was that the light did not turn green. the turning light turned green and the guy next to me was turning.

I got half way to the next light and went oops I better get over as I am probably holding up traffic flow (I was in the left lane and my VW thing maxes out at 40-45 mph right now :-)

I look in the mirror and their is NO ONE behind me. they are all still at the light just now going. that is when it dawned on me that I had oops run the light without even realizing it from a complete stop.

It their was an automated system I would have been ticketed for an otherwise honest mistake. if a COP was their and pulled me over I am pretty damned confident he would have forgiven it with a warning to pay more attention next time.

No harm no foul honest innocent mistake.

Their is no reasoning in automated systems.

I object to and do not recognize any automated system that can AFFECT my life literally or financially.

As far as I am concerned such systems are themselves illegal. I refuse to be ticketed by a computer and I hope I never am since it would proabably not go nicely for me as I would refuse to acknowledge or pay for the ticket.

Since I would probably lose such a battle and probably end up in jail (as I said I would not pay it) I hope I am never placed in such a situation.

Law enforcement is for that purpose exactly. LAW enforcement. NOT fine enforcement or revenue enforcement.

The purpose of a penalty fine is not supposed to be to make money. it supposed to disaude people from INTENTIONALLY breaking the law.

Chris Taylor

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Reply to
Chris Taylor Jr

although I am thankfull I have not the guts to do such a thing and my sometimes extreme sense of morality would prevent it (the chance for an accident is too high)

I applaud this person in spirit but not in method.

Just torch the thing.

Hmmm I wonder how strong of an EM generator it would take to kill the film in such a camera and from what distance it could be done.

Chris Taylor

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Reply to
Chris Taylor Jr

time............snip

injury/death?.......snip

......................Damn it Travis. I hate it when I'm in TOTAL agreement with what you say. Please stop, you're killing me.......

timmy

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Reply to
Tim Rogers

there is also a thing called confronting your accuser and to cross examine the witness. as far as I'm conserned it violates due process. but thats another opinion

Reply to
Gregg H

..................What's your opinion when a hidden 'nanny cam' catches a babysitter mistreating a child? It's not easy to 'confront your accuser' when you've been caught red handed in the act. To cross examine your accuser usually means that the truthfulness of your accuser might be brought into question. However, pictures don't lie. You might question the overall context of the picture but that's not likely to get you very far without a lot of factual evidence to corroborate it.

Reply to
Tim Rogers

Ah hell, I just smile and give them an appropriate salute whenever I see the cameras.

Randy

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Reply to
RSMEINER

consideration

...................Your recourse is to get an attorney and go to court, ask for a jury trial and present your case. If they rule against you, file an appeal. Or, you could drive more carefully in the first place. Human intervention? Humans are sometimes stupid and/or malicious. I'd go with the camera.

Reply to
Tim Rogers

On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 00:27:13 -0400, "Chris Taylor Jr" ran around screaming and yelling:

"honest mistake"? you gotta be kidding...you weren't paying attention, ran a light, and could have endangered anyone that had the right of way....honest mistake, BS... Joey

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 16:38:42 -0400, "Chris Taylor Jr" ran around screaming and yelling:

well CT when you do, make sure you have removed your womens underwear...those fellows in jail would have a feild day with you otherwise... Joey

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 16:29:16 -0400, "Chris Taylor Jr" ran around screaming and yelling:

the "non sentient" is perfectly capable of determining whether or not you broke the law....what you are wanting is a way of getting out of it...the law is black and white...you are banking on some shade of grey....get over yourself, you are *not* that important...you want a chance to "get out" of a ticket...well buddy that is what the court date is for....that is america...you are entitled to a fair trial...you get to plead your case, and then be judged...the cameras and such are only a tool for catching you breaking the law, not unlike a radar gun in a patrol car...what you are *not* entitled to in america is to pick and choose which laws you want to apply to you... Joey

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

Chris,.............,..............I haven't a clue what an EZ pass is, as I live in Dallas Ft. Worth Area and they only have Toll Tags for Toll roads............is that the same thing?

The Premise would likely be the same according to your rant about them.

I am ok with certain roads being Toll roads, but That doesn't mean I have to take them. As for *all roads*..............Ludicrous at this point, but I can almost see it in the future. Those politicians come up with all kinds of ways to get your money,...............and spend it on junk too.

I do agree that Toll booths screw up on occaision also...............There are some I have been through that took my money and never gave me the green light also.yeah,..............I go on through anyway...............I won't pay twice.

It's part of the system and definitely needs to be addressed................Room for improvement I suppose............but a convenience for many, so the good likely outweighs the bad on this issue so far.

I disagree with a lot of "law enforcement" on the basis of , "there are many more important things to do than bust a guy for doing 75 in a 60 at three in the morning " .............I am betting there are many other things much more likely to harm someone going on at that time...........almost always.

( that doesn;t make speeding right. It just seems a lesser of many evils)

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply MUADIB®

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Reply to
MUADIB®

On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 08:06:46 -0700, Fred scribbled this interesting note:

This is a funny thread.

CT likes to get his blood pressure up...not a healthy thing for someone like him to do!:~)

Here in Texas it is my understanding, based on reading about the red light systems going in near our house, that it is not a criminal fine, but a civil fine. I am unclear what happens if someone refuses to pay the fine, given that it is a civil fine, if indeed it is.

The camera at the intersection does not lie. If you enter the intersection while the light is red (note I said enter while red, not be in it while red) then you are guilty of running the red light, plain and simple. There can be no doubt of this. After you get your citation, it is up to you to convince a judge that it was with reasonable cause and was safer for you to do so than to attempt to stop (that is, rain, etc., but even then, if you ran the light because of safety concerns, then you were going too fast to start with!:~)

The issue I take with the intersection cameras has to do with who gets the ticket...an issue not addressed in the ranting going on here.

The owner of the car gets the citation. Can a camera pointed plates determine who was driving the car? Not yet. If I wan't driving the car then why should I get the ticket?

-- John Willis

Reply to
John Willis

This is driving my Jeep Cherokee which can do 0-60 in just a hair under 10 seconds.

I have seen light where the time duration for the yellow phase is laughably short.

Chris Taylor

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statistics.

Reply to
Chris Taylor Jr

thats your problem. and I will not allow other people to will their problems onto me

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Chris Taylor
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Reply to
Chris Taylor Jr

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