Post: #1

As anyone who's been paying attention Canada, US, UK knows, there are piles of tickets and infractions you can get with our police filling quotas for tickets to generate revenue for the city rather than actually chasing criminals.

I came across these sites, where they sell a spray or a cover that you can put over your license plate. Allegedly, they create a big enough flare when a camera takes a pic of the plate that makes it unreadable enough that you won't get a fine from a traffic camera.

http://www.photoblockercanada.com/

http://www.phantomplate.com/

Has anyone actually tried these products out? Any legal concerns?

Post: #2

Mythbusters did an episode on this.

Post: #3

(10-10-2016 04:56 PM)chicane Wrote:  Mythbusters did an episode on this.

And then what? Which episode of which season btw?

Post: #4

(10-10-2016 04:56 PM)chicane Wrote:  Mythbusters did an episode on this.

Why the hell do people do these "I have information relevant to the discussion but I'm not going to reveal it" posts?

Post: #5

Snake oil. They started selling this to take advantage of people way back when they were losing their shit when the cameras were first put up. It didn't work then, and it sure as hell isn't working today now that cameras and software is way better.

Post: #6

(10-10-2016 05:36 PM)Delta Wrote:  

(10-10-2016 04:56 PM)chicane Wrote:  Mythbusters did an episode on this.

Why the hell do people do these "I have information relevant to the discussion but I'm not going to reveal it" posts?

I'm at work and too busy to spend the time looking it up. But, if you insist LMGTFY
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbu...d-cameras/

Post: #7

Bummer. I figured there had to be a catch otherwise everyone would be talking about this.

Post: #8

In many places in the U.S. and Canada the license plate covers themselves will get you a violation, so it really doesn't matter even if they work, you'll likely end up with a ticket either way.

Post: #9

More practical idea: throw some mud on the back of your car and make sure some of it partially obscures at least one letter of your plate.

Post: #10

(10-10-2016 08:34 PM)Easy_C Wrote:  More practical idea: throw some mud on the back of your car and make sure some of it partially obscures at least one letter of your plate.

The machine learning algorithm that the system uses to analyze the plate can probably deal with partially obscured digits. Fully obscured digits might save you from a camera, but will get you pulled over by a human cop.

The one product I've seen that might have a chance of working is a license plate frame that contains a photodetector and a ring of high-power infrared LEDs. Most CCD videocameras are sensitive to infrared light in addition to the visible spectrum, so when the photodetector senses the camera flash it flashes right black, ideally blinding the camera. They might IR filter intersection cameras though, I'm not sure. A blinder that used the visible spectrum would draw a lot of attention, and they're probably also liable to be mis-triggered.

The best technological solution that I've found to these pain-in-the-ass money grabbing hustles (Providence is full of them) is to install Waze on your phone and leave it active when you drive, it'll give you an audible alert when there's one coming up.

"Caution. Red light camera reported at next intersection"

Post: #11

(10-10-2016 08:48 PM)XPQ22 Wrote:  

(10-10-2016 08:34 PM)Easy_C Wrote:  More practical idea: throw some mud on the back of your car and make sure some of it partially obscures at least one letter of your plate.

The machine learning algorithm that the system uses to analyze the plate can probably deal with partially obscured digits. Fully obscured digits might save you from a camera, but will get you pulled over by a human cop.

The one product I've seen that might have a chance of working is a license plate frame that contains a photodetector and a ring of high-power infrared LEDs. Most CCD videocameras are sensitive to infrared light in addition to the visible spectrum, so when the photodetector senses the camera flash it flashes right black, ideally blinding the camera. They might IR filter intersection cameras though, I'm not sure. A blinder that used the visible spectrum would draw a lot of attention, and they're probably also liable to be mis-triggered.

The best technological solution that I've found to these pain-in-the-ass money grabbing hustles (Providence is full of them) is to install Waze on your phone and leave it active when you drive, it'll give you an audible alert when there's one coming up.

"Caution. Red light camera reported at next intersection"

Good call. Got the app - thanks!