[DeTomaso] StopLight Camera License Plate Diffusers

Donny Williams donnylee at ccwebster.net
Fri Mar 16 15:27:36 EDT 2007


I agree running reds is dangerous and those that do deserve to get the tax! 
One of my many biggest personal fears is crossing an intersection on a 
motorcycle on a fresh green as I know of a couple that died last year from 
this very type of accident, and another co worker who had to lay his bike 
down because of it, just late last year, and broke his leg up.

I am good with Radar Detectors those are worthy devices against speed tax, 
on these plate devices I plead for you to simply stop when your suppose to, 
before you take someone out, ruin your day, and your car with or without the 
device.  But you do not deserve to get away with it in my opinion, and this 
is coming from a guy who does not love laws generally.  But Red Light laws 
do make sense to me.

All that said those who wish to buy them, or sell them, should have that 
right too!

Donny


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Shortt" <michaelsavga at gmail.com>
To: "panteras" <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] StopLight Camera License Plate Diffusers


> DES MOINES, Iowa -- Can drivers really beat Clive's red-light cameras?
>
> Police wanted to know, so NewsChannel 8 put their system to the test.
>
> This summer, Clive police started sending out tickets to owners of 
> vehicles
> who were caught on tape as they were running red lights.
>
>
> Several companies now sell products that claim to fool the camera's flash.
>
> But do they really work?
>
> The products were tested under daylight and evening conditions. Even 
> police
> weren't sure what would happen. Clive police Sgt. John Brodersen has seen
> hundreds, if not thousands, of images of red-light runners.
>
> As a supervisor who reviews pictures and videos before the city sends out 
> a
> $75 ticket to the registered owner, Brodersen needs to verify the license
> plate. If he can't see the plate, he can't send a ticket.
>
> A company called PhotoBlocker claims its creations will cut down on the
> likelihood of getting a ticket. The company sells two different types of
> license plate covers and a patented spray.
>
> Clive police agreed to help NewsChannel 8 test the products because they,
> too, want to see if anything out there defeats their new system.
>
> "Doing this independent test is something that I felt we still needed to 
> do,
> just for our own assurances," Brodersen said.
>
> Three products were tested. The PhotoBlocker spray is supposed to make a
> license plate so shiny that it'll prevent red-light cameras from taking 
> good
> pictures.
>
> The reflector cover product has embedded particles that are supposed to
> reflect light flashes. The PhotoShield cover product alters the appearance
> of a license plate.
>
> Police noticed that immediately.
>
> "I could see where this could be a challenge to capture a clear image,"
> Brodersen said.
>
> To maximize safety, police drove an unmarked squad car with emergency 
> lights
> and standard Iowa license plates.
>
> The car approached the intersection at 142nd Street and Hickman Road, and
> officers blocked oncoming traffic.
>
> The car ran the red light twice using the PhotoShield cover. Then the
> reflector cover was put on the license plate.
>
> "Looks pretty good. I would not give it a second glance," said Lt. Gary
> Walker of the Clive Police Department.
>
> Walker said he doesn't see how the reflective plate cover will make much 
> of
> a difference. But what really counts is how it performs in front of the
> camera. Then it's tested.
>
> Then the final test is the PhotoBlocker spray.
>
> To the naked eye, the plate appears to have a shiny coating, similar to a
> lacquer.
>
> NewsChannel 8 also tested all three products at night, when the flash is
> crucial to catching license plate characters and red-light runners.
>
> Police seemed skeptical that the stuff would really work.
>
> But the proof is in the pictures. Back in his office, Brodersen saw the
> results, which were mixed.
>
> "This one here I would say does absolutely no good," he said.
>
> The reflected license plate cover product has embedded shiny particles
> designed to reflect flashes of light. In the tests, it didn't work.
>
> Day and night, the license plate is clearly visible. The product fails the
> tests. With the PhotoBlocker spray, the camera clearly read the license
> plate during the daylight test. So it was a clear failure.
>
> But at night, it was a slightly different story. Brodersen saw that the
> plate is more reflective, and he has to verify whether one character is a 
> B
> or an 8. It wouldn't be enough, though, to get this car owner out of a
> ticket.
>
> "It creates a little extra work, but it's about 15 seconds of extra work,"
> Brodersen said.
>
> So the spray failed the daytime test. Police said they think it failed the
> nighttime test, too.
>
> Lastly, the PhotoShield cover test results were reviewed. Police had a 
> hard
> time making out the plate when they saw it with their own eyes from just a
> few feet away.
>
> The red-light camera had just as much trouble.
>
> "In this one, they would not be able to prosecute it," Brodersen said.
>
> In both the day and night tests, the camera cannot clearly see the license
> plate. This product passes.
>
> Drivers could think it's good news that with this product, the camera 
> can't
> see license plates. Here's the bad news.
>
> Police said because they can't see the license plate either, a driver 
> using
> the cover is asking to get pulled over.
>
> If they catch a driver with the plate cover, even if he or she stopped at 
> a
> red light, the driver faces a $63 ticket for obstructing the license 
> plate.
>
> "I just don't understand why people would even go to this extreme. It's
> pretty simple. Just make a complete stop, and it's safe and you don't have
> the risk of a $75 citation or a $96 citation if an officer should spot 
> you,"
> Brodersen said.
>
> If police see drivers run a red light, it is a moving violation that 
> results
> in a $96 ticket. If a camera catches drivers, it's $75 civil fine and not 
> a
> moving violation.
>
> So far, Clive police have sent out more than 1,000 tickets.
>
> Clive officers said they think as long as they can see the license plate,
> it's OK.
>
> A spokesman with the Iowa Attorney General's Office said lawyers in his
> office think that if drivers do anything to their license plates that
> prevents law enforcement or their cameras from making out the plate, it's
> illegal.
>
> PhotoBlocker claims its products are legal.
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