Photoblocker is it legal?

[micmac]

Hi have just come across a product called photoblocker which apparently you spray over your number plate to make it invisable to speed cameras.
Just curious has anyone tried it.
It is meant for the driver who is caught just over the limit not for speed maniacs.
Check it out and see what you think?

http://www.photoblockeruk.com/


micmac :o :o :o

[thebinman]

Legal? I doubt it as it would be construed as obstruction of the police in doing their duty or similar buzzwords.

see here for others; http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/

[mikealder]

This was asked once before, but I cannot find the post - it was some time ago
The basic consensus was that it was seen as perverting the course of justice, and with modern photo style packages on a PC the number could be very quickly worked out, lets face it they know the colour, type and model of car, so a bit of Photoshop style work with access to a number plate database (DVLA) and you would soon get found out, the downside is you have now been caught for two offences - speeding and pervertion of justice - Mike

[micmac]

Cheers just curious!

[sgould]

I've heard that the cameras have had their flash "temperature" changed to combat this stuff. Don't know if it's true but it seems a reasonable idea.
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[Skippy]

Technically you are breaking the law by obscuring your number plate.

Not displaying a number plate AT ALL is a serious matter, but displaying one incorrectly (ie, dirty, wrong size, wrong position etc) will probably only get you will probably a £30 fixed penalty (no points) and a rectification notice. You have to fix the fault and take the vehicle to be checked at an MOT station.

Perverting the course of justice? That's unlikely, you could just claim that all you did was spray it with WD-40 to polish it up a bit and didn't realise that that would blind the Gatsos. (If this spray actually works - it sounds like snake oil to me)

If the cops really want to give you a hard time then they can confiscate the numberplates as evidence so you can't drive the vehicle. In this case you have to find a marker pen and make yourself a new number plate from a bit of card.

I know this because a lot of motorcyclists have blatently illegal tiny number plates or loud exhaust systems and that is what happens to them...
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[Green_ninja]

NOT LEGAL and more importantly doesn't actually work as stated.

[BlueBox]

my m8 tried it out and it does not work

[Naomi]

It uses a phenomenon called retro-reflectivity: which basically turns the light around and sends it back whence it came. So the entire plate top surface becomes much much brighter, effectivly reflecting the light rather than allowing it to pass through. Most of the light flash is not allowed to get through as deep as the numbers. The film is thus washed out and overexposed by the reflections. It certainly works to an extent, whether sufficiently to guarantee an unreadable plate is debateable, but the claims are quite strongly made. I believe selling the spray is to be made illegal soon, and as such may not be illegal just yet. Whether interfering with a number plate in this way is illegal is another matter.

The yellow \ white backgrounds in your number plate already use retro-reflectivity, as do many road signs. This explains why they show up so brightly in your lights. I think the paint incorporates millions of very tiny spherical glassy beads and the signs use "micro-cubes" which deflect the light back directly within a very narrow cone. So someone stood a short distance to the side of your headlights will not see the road sign anywhere near as brightly lit as you, the driver, sees it.

Astronauts have left a very accurate large "micro-cube" on the moon to reflect laser light back here. Used in measuring the moon's distance from earth.

Interesting article here:

http://www.atssa.com/page.ww?section=What+is+Retroreflectivity&name=Basics
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[Naomi]

A Gatso near where I live had grey primer sprayed onto its flash and camera lenses by an incensed vandalistic motorist. I did allow myself a grin.
Although I wouldn't suggest this for a moment, it would be interesting to see what effect photoblocker would have if sprayed directly onto both a Gatso flash and lens unit.
Number plate details would be reflected directly back at your car! Every frame should be nearly blank, especially in the middle of the picture where the entrance angle is low, and where your number plate would usually be pictured.
The flash should be greatly weakened I would guess.


Nao
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Too many people "search for the zero inside themselves". Sadly, many fail to find even that.

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[martike]

[Montana216]

I'm almost positive that this stuff is now legal, because they are are selling it at the NEC bike show all this week.It's not as though they can hide behind a computer screen there, can they.

I am still very dubious if it works though, and don't intend to a) buy some to try , and b) test the theory, by sppeding through a couple of cameras to see if I get a letter through the post.


Andy

[classy56]

The product might be legal, applying it to your number plate is not though.

In my area even if you have moved a digit a mm the police will do you, they do not like number plate tampering here, which means quite a few holiday makers are caught by suprise.
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