Fly or Why? PhotoBlocker Spray
By Sean O'Hara
Flip to the back page of any car mag and you’ll find an ad for this stuff, which claims it’ll help you beat photo-enforcement traffic lights. One question, though: why the hell would you want to do that? Stop at the damn light. The life you save may well be your own!
They say the spray produces a high-powered gloss that reflects the flash back towards the camera. This supposedly overexposes the image of your license plate, rendering the picture unreadable. With the PhotoBlocker system, your license plate is invisible to flashing traffic cameras yet completely legible to the naked eye. Sounds great right?
In my opinion, this is bullshit for several reasons.
First, newer cameras are starting to use different systems and don’t use a “hard flash,” so you’re boned. Say they do use a “hard flash” and your custom painted plate does its thing; cops own copies of PhotoShop just like you do. A simple levels adjustment will pull your plate number right out of the image in about five seconds — in which case you’re again boned.
But say the stars align, you hold your nose just right, and it does work. That still leaves you blowing through red lights on a regular basis. Sooner or later the karma train’s going to loop back around (right through a green light) and T-bone your ass. And when it does, no amount of super-glossy lacquer is going to protect you. You’ll be yet again — wait for it! — boned.
Of course, your opinion may vary. Let us know what you think in comments.
PhotoBlocker Spray [Official Website]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
Via Amazon
September 13th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
I’m sure we all this spray busted on Mythbusters within the last few weeks.
I know at lest in St. Louis most people think if they are the in a line of cars its ok to run the red light when your the 1st or 2nd car to see the red light. And the red light cameras are getting more common for this reason.
September 14th, 2007 at 9:39 am
I’m with Nordmann. Mythbusters has done this not once, but twice. And they tried a ton of crap that lists in the backs of magazines and whatnot and they were all busted.
None of that crap works.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:41 am
I’m with you Sean…
a.) it’s not going to work and
b.) even if it did - you shouldn’t be blowing red lights..
Now if it made you invisible to radar… that’s a different story
September 18th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Maybe wrapping your car entirely in aluminum foil, tacking strobe lights to both ends, and gluing tinsel to the license plate will deflect one red light cam in a million, but I’m with you - it’s not gonna save you from cross traffic.