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

[LS]

I like this thread and the idea contained.

I'm just wondering though...why not buy a good radar detector? It will protect from speed cameras as well as any other type of speed related monitoring.

Despite the quote about the Maryland law, the state is quite lenient with regards to cars in general but especially vintage cars. Almost like the wild west where you can title and register just about anything and the police are generally very relaxed with regards to enforcement. It is a good state to be a car enthusiast.

LS


 



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________________________________
 From: Boyd Casey <boyd411 at gmail.com>
To: Will Kooiman <will.kooiman at gmail.com> 
Cc: "MikeLDrew at aol.com" <MikeLDrew at aol.com>; "detomaso at poca.com" <detomaso at poca.com>; "norcal-saac at norcal-saac.org" <norcal-saac at norcal-saac.org> 
Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2013 5:32 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] A brilliant idea from the National Motorist's Ass'n
 

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
>
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