deckman

My neighbor just got one of these for his BMW. Does anyone know if they work? Speed cameras are popping up everywhere around where I live.

Phil G.

I believe they're illegal in a number of states. Designed to also foil EZ Pass cameras when you skip out on tolls.

nosub

yes, they do work. Basically the plastic has a prism type effect on the surface which reflects in a way that the plate is not viewable from the typical angle at which traffic cameras are set up.

deckman

I may get it then. I'm not going to skip tolls nor do I usually drive at unsafe speeds, but I don't like tickets at all.

Dharn55

i saw a test of these types of materials in some magazine a while ago, I can't remember which maybe Car & Driver. In any case they showed that it doesn't really work. Just another perspective.

apterr

I visit Toronto several times a year and they are very prevalent there. Perhaps some of our Canadian friends can give their opinion.

gregorycarl

Illegal in Minnesota, they do notice, and pull ya over. Spoken from experience. Get a good radar to help minimize the risk.

Porsche911Carrera2

Myth Busters did a whole episode on these and they DO NOT WORK!!! Top gear crew only managed not to get photographed by the camera when doing over 180 MPH in FORD GT I believe. Don't waste your money IMO.

MadCow

There hasn't been photoradar in Ontario since 1995 and within Canada I believe it only found in Alberta and Manitoba.

I've also seen the reports that say it doesn't work.

programmatore

Neither the film nor the spray work. The local (D.C.) NBC affiliate had a segment on it a while back. They tested both the film and the spray using D.C. speed cameras. At first you couldn't read the plate but by running a simple image filter the plate was clear as day.

gota911

Deckman - A can of black spray paint would be cheaper!

Riad

Mythbusters debunked those, they don't work at all.

But this will always work:

carpundit

Great gimmick, but even if you somehow installed one of those, how would you be able to activate it in time? You'd have to know the location of every camera. Or you could drive around with the decoy plate showing all the time, I suppose, but then you might as well just stick a bad set of plates on the car and hope for the best (because it's a crime).

aben8057

http://www.ghostplates.com/

TheSpeedDemon

I too believe they do not work.

Some of the stuff out there (i.e. ghost plates) is similar to the monitor devices that stop people being able to see from an angle what you are working on, but straight on it is visible.

With today's digital cameras and technology, I agree with Tim, paint the plate black to know for sure, or remove it, then you have no doubt it will work and you haven't wasted your money on a gimmick.