[DeTomaso] A brilliant idea from the National Motorist's Ass'n

[Boyd Casey]

They question you have to ask yourself is 1. Are you willing to break the
law to fight something that you think is blatantly unfair ( red light
tickets ticket the owner who is not neccesarily the driver ) when the car
he owns triggers a red light camera violation. Ther have been several
Legislators who have challenged these laws and have provided some proof
that they are not accurate .
2. What is worse ( ie. a more serious violation a.having a cover on your
license plate or b. getting a red light camera ticket ?) Currently as far
as I know a red light camera ticket is not a moving violation because they
can't prove who is driving the car. If a device that makes a license plate
unreadable is a moving violation or a criminal offence then it may not be
worth the risk. For those of you who answered ( hopefully to themselves)
that they are not willing to break the law , remember that next time you
have the Pantera out and the speedo  needle is nudging past the 75 mph mark!
Another point woth investigating , the author implied that it was neccesary
to view the license plate from an extreme obtuse angle ( on top of a camera
pole). So under normal circumstances the obscuring effect should not be
noticeable at all from the normal position a law officer might be viewing
ones license plate from.
>From mu expierience and understanding of the law it is illegal to have any
kind of cover on a license plate. I would be interested in experimenting
with the glass used in some upscale restaurant's bathroom doors that are
translucent and with the flip of a switch the glass becomes opaque!That's
real James Bond stuff!
Boyd

P.S.
Will , does that mean it's illegal to put a license plate on your car in
Missisippi? " If a human can't read it it's illegal" ( Missisippi has one
of the highest illiteracy rates in the country) LOL

On Tuesday, August 20, 2013, Will Kooiman wrote:

> If a human can read it, a camera can too.
>
> If a human can't read it, it's illegal.
>
> If it is obstructed such that it can only be read from certain angles, it
> is still obstructed and illegal.
> --
> Will
>
>
>
>
>
> On 8/20/13 2:04 PM, "MikeLDrew at aol.com" <MikeLDrew at aol.com> wrote:
>
> >Hi guys,
> >
> >Copied and pasted from the NMA's newsletter....
> >
> >Mike
> >
> >====
> >
> >The Internet is full of websites that sell covers and sprays claiming to
> >obscure your license plates from those pesky ticket cameras. We¹ve been
> >reluctant to endorse such products since they reportedly don¹t work very
> >well, and
> >they may result in drivers running afoul of the law. (More on that below.)
> >
> >But, when we got the following letter from a lifetime NMA member in South
> >Carolina (we¹ll call him Al) describing his DIY license plate privacy
> >filter,
> >we were impressed with his ingenuity and thought other NMA members would
> >be
> >interested. Al¹s solution, described below, relies on readily available
> >privacy filter material used to obscure computer monitors when viewed
> >from an
> >angle:
> >
> >Reading about 3M computer privacy filter material, I found a merchant
> >online offering the size for my iMac desktop. I chose that option because
> >it
> >could be cut into multiple license plate covers. For reference, I ordered
> >the
> >21.6 inch width. Click here for more information. It comes in gold or
> >smoke. I
> >chose smoke and installed the non-reflective side out.
> >
> >Other parts required are a frame and clear, plastic cover available at
> >Advance Auto. As intended for computer screen privacy, the filter goes
> >opaque as
> >the eye is moved side-to-side from center viewing. For license plate
> >application (and getting maximum coverage from a single sheet of
> >material), I
> >marked and cut two plate covers vertically from the sheet. I probably had
> >enough
> >left over to make another two from this sheet.
> >
> >Rotating the screening operation from horizontal to vertical obscures the
> >plate when viewed from above‹perfect for any pole or high-mounted camera.
> >The
> >material is quite sturdy, so I used my hole-punch set and chose the 1/2"
> >tool to cut four holes for the Advance cover...perfect fit! Remembering
> >to
> >install the matt side out, I was very pleased with the final product. No
> >violation of license plate visibility under normal situations, like
> >straight
> >behind and off-center viewing.
> >
> >You must choose the frame and clear plastic cover (sold together as a
> >unit)
> >carefully, making sure the extra film thickness will not prevent normal
> >mounting. Then, holes must be cut in the film, allowing it to seat firmly
> >in
> >place underneath the stock clear cover. For greater security, I recommend
> >using four bolts/screws even if the vehicle requires only two to attach
> >it to
> >the mounting area.
> >
> >With patience, good tools and workmanship, I was able to produce a
> >"factory" job that should pass any normal inspection. After all, the
> >plate
> >visibility is still much better than most windows on today's cars,
> >including those of
> >law enforcement. But, when the eye is moved upward to the designated
> >angle,
> >as with a pole-mounted red-light camera vying to take your picture, the
> >plate goes black‹totally unreadable!
> >
> >Now, for the road test! I was followed by a SPA black & white for almost
> >five miles. It was my normal route home from I-85, and the two young
> >officers
> >just happened to be going the same way. For at least half the journey,
> >they
> >were directly behind me and had ample opportunity to observe my plate
> >from
> >as close as 10 feet. I watched them closely, and not once did they appear
> >interested in my license plate or anything about my vehicle.
> >
> >My idea works and at an affordable price. Happy motoring!
> >
> >Editor¹s Note: We have not tried Al¹s solution so we cannot assess its
> >efficacy. Also, be aware that most states have laws about what you can
> >and
> >cannot do with a license plate cover. Some ban covers completely. It may
> >not be
> >enough for your plate to be readable by the naked eye. Some states, like
> >Maryland, have passed laws that say your plate information must be
> >recordable
> >as an image. This makes it illegal to hide your plate (by whatever means)
> >from a ticket camera. The NMA does not encourage any driver to break the
>