[IntrepidXJ]

Have you guys seen this stuff?

http://www.radarguys.com/anti-photo_spray.htm

They just did a piece on the news about it, where they tested it......and it blocked out the plate from the cameras 100% of the time by causing the plate to over-expose. It is also invisible to the naked eye from all angles.

[YB Normyl]

Nice, we used to have photo radar up here in Ontario till the Conservative party made an election promise to get rid of it and they did. :D

[ChicagoTRS]

Randy...I saw the teasers for that story on the news but didn't actually watch it...did they say it actually works? Anything else interesting about it?

Do they use photo radar anywhere around here? When I lived in CA they used it on some of the highways there.

[IntrepidXJ]

yes....the spray actually works, and would be very hard to catch by police (though if it is found, it is illegal in IL).

i don't think they uses photos to catch speeders around here, but i've seen them at railroad crossings and some intersections.

[Snorton Norton]

Ya know, my new technology , full color, "Critical Habitat" license plates act like that! I'll be damned if I can get a decent photo of them!!! It's the craziest thing. I've attached an example of what I'm talking about. I have not touched up this photo in any way, and I did not use a flash, and was standing about 6 feet away.

Yeah, the photo fog sprays and license plate cover manufacturers are all over the place these days. This particular site has similar items and has been quite popular:

http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/lasphotradsh.html

And just look at all the others too:

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=lic...ver+anti-photo

Here in Minnesota the Highway Patrol has been testing photo radar for about two years. Can't issue a ticket using it yet, but the National Highway Transportation Administration has been giving our state a lot of grief lately about hammering down on "red light runners" with the incentive that they'll cut funding for highway and road projects unless we do something about it, thus enter photo radar. I hope it never happens...

[ChicagoTRS]

Funny thing...I saw a story on TV that showed how the installation of photo radar at red lights might lessen red light runners and accidents because of running red lights but also significantly increases rear end accidents from people slamming on the brakes at yellows/reds to avoid getting tickets. In the end the photo radar at intersections increased the amount of accidents significantly.

An article...
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Conten...1/082izwax.asp

[IntrepidXJ]

Yeah, so now they are trying to say that the cameras prevent more deadly accidents, and all the rear end collisions are just minor. Therefor, it is still making the intersections safer.

[viprman]

I think that people will still drive like jags whether there is a camera at an intersection or not. I know in Wisconsin we can't even have a license plate cover unless it is a clear one. I have one on each of my cars that are clear.

Here is an interesting thing. I run no front plate. So, are the cameras pointed at the front or rear of the intersection? I just may be able to run lights if they are shooting the front of the car.

[alderran]

One benefit of cameras in intersection is that it might stop the assholes who jam the intersections. Nothing gets me more pissed off than to see a green light in front of me but I can't go because all these assholes crossing my path have decided to jam the intersection. They should all get tickets for running a red light.

You guys should try driving someplace where everyone follows the rules. I have driven quite a bit in Singapore and they have cameras in the intersections on the highway and the police are very strict. The pedestrians don't walk until they are supposed to walk. People aren't trying to bluff you to stop when they are turning in front of you. No jamming of the intersections. No cutting off at the last second. The difference is unbelievable.

It is heaven compared the hell I have to go through driving in Boston. Even NY is better than Boston... I expected it to be worse but it's not... close but not quite as bad.

[ChicagoTRS]

Most of these camera intersections and camera speed traps take two pics a second or two apart...one in the front and one in the rear.

Camera story...California used to use(or maybe still does?) these camera speed traps. I was on a rural highway driving through the desert one night (doing about 80 in a 55)...*flash* *flash*...thought for sure I was getting a ticket in the mail...never did. Only thing I could figure is I had no front plate and I had a trailer hitch on the rear that effectively blocked a letter or two of my back plate.

[ChicagoTRS]

This was a big problem when I lived in Southern California...they now have a very effective law on the books called the Anti-Gridlock Law...if you block an intersection like this it is a minimum $500 ticket in some parts of LA.

Did a little search on it an it looks like Maryland is starting to enforce the same thing:
http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/govern...ss/010222.html

[Alamo_Intrepid]

My family still lives in central CA and virtually all of the street intersections had these a couple of years ago. It used 3/4 cameras to take a series of pictures of the car, thus guaranteeing a shot of the front or back and the drivers window. I saw one of the tickets in question and my family member got a picture of herself through the drivers window and of her license plates. Rather effective incrimination in my book.

Another fun aspect of the law in CA was a lawyer challenged the constitutionality of photographing someone without their consent. I heard that he won, and I know that some of areas stopped using the cameras. Not sure what the final outcome was... state probably took the case to a higher court.

Cheers,

-alamo

[alderran]

Last year we went to NY city. I saw signs that said something to the effect of No Unecessay Honking and then it quoted some fine. NY'ers could probably tell us the extact verbage.

But in any case I said to my wife "Oh this is great they should do that in Boston too." My God I never heard so much f*cking honking in my whole f*cken life. Honk honk honk honk honk all day long. That's all they do in NY city honk honk honk :)

It's one thing to enact laws ... something completely different enforcing them.

[IntrepidXJ]

A friend of mine got a ticket for honking at someone in chicago. it's against the law to make noise after like 10pm in chicago.

also, it is a $200-$300 ticket now for swearing in chicago......that one fucking pisses me off.

[Snorton Norton]