It’s no superhero, and it doesn’t have superpowers. But it’s being touted by many as the super-answer to unfairly issued speeding and red-light tickets. If you’re a driver, and you’re disgruntled by photo enforcement, odds are you have already heard of a number plate spray named PhotoBlocker.
What Is PhotoBlocker?
PhotoBlocker is simply aerosol inside a can. It coats license plates with a sheen invisible to humans, but visible to machines. Marketed at $29.99 a can, the number plate spray promises years of road miracles – from helping you elude a red-light ticket to ensuring you are not cited for speeding violations.
The Claim
Naturally, proponents claim that the number plate spray delivers everything it promises. PhotoBlocker is said to have been tested independently by different groups, among them the Denver Police Department, the Dutch Police, Swedish TV, Australian TV, and Fox News. What can PhotoBlocker do? It deflects the light flashed by speed-detection and red-light cameras. This light, in turn, exposes the photos the cameras take, making the license plates captured in the picture unreadable.
What Users Say
Not surprisingly, drivers love number plate sprays. It’s easy to see why. PhotoBlocker is cheap, retailing at less than $30 a bottle. Additionally, this number plate spray is easy to apply. While not fool-proof, the directions are so simple it would take a special kind of simpleton to botch things up. The number plate spray may be used on as many as four plates.
Will It Get You Into Trouble?
States have yet to come up with legislation expressly banning PhotoBlocker or products of similar nature and purpose. Understandably, this leaves many drivers and consumers confused. Are number plate sprays like PhotoBlocker illegal? Is it unlawful to coat license plates with PhotoBlocker?
The confusion stems from the fact that while it is illegal in many states to cover license plates, or prevent people from clearly seeing license plates, PhotoBlocker does not exactly prevent people from viewing license plates. Number plate sprays have a thin, white gloss. This finish ensures the license plate remains visible to the human eye. At the same time, it throws back light from photo enforcement cameras.
At present, there is no explicit prohibition against number plate sprays. If you intend to use one, however, it is always a good idea to check in with your local police force for new legislations affecting drivers. Laws evolve along with political climate and changing realities. What may be lawful today may be unlawful tomorrow. It is not impossible for lawmakers to come up with statutes that specifically ban the use of number plate sprays.
If you’re considering coating your license plate with number plate spray, remember to see the product as it really is. It’s a means to avoid undeserved tickets. It shouldn’t be turned into a license to drive recklessly.
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