Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/03/11/from-license-plate-flippers-to-duct-tape-how-sneaky-drivers-are-bypassing-toll-booths-and-costing-millions.html
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Amateurs. Any real New Yorker knows you just give it a few months and the lettering will peel off by itself.
And you have to pay $20 to have them replace the damn things.
(Yes, I realize that the fee is only if you want the same plate number, but still seems like something that the state should cover)
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An electrician at a site I worked at was famous for his front license plate hack. He secured it dangling below the front bumper by two stainless steel cable ties. When the car was moving faster than about 40 km/h (25 mph), the wind would push the plate up and under the car, hidden from camera view.
He was pulled over one day for it, and he went to court with a highlighted photocopy of the law: “… shall be permanently attached to the front of the vehicle.” He won, after he pointed out that the front license plate was indeed permanently attached. “You cannot remove it without tools.”
The wording of the legislation was updated the following year.
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You would think that any sane state looking to automate their tolls with cameras would have done some sort of analysis to be sure the savings outweighed the tolls lost to evaders.
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There are other costs associated with a human-operated toll booth too, though. If everyone without an electronic fast-pass has to stop to pay the toll in cash then it creates more congestion, costing commuters more time and fuel and creating more air pollution.
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You heard the story about how that “null” plate worked out, right?
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From the article:
My emphasis. That’s a rather unlucky set of circumstances around a name.
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Some Kansas plates had that issue. My GF’s plates have grey areas where the paint is flaked off.
Is that Tommy Table’s car?
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My beef with this kind of tracking has to do with automated license plate readers. Some areas affix them to cop cars or utility poles or wherever, so you’re surveilled all over the place. Those data they collect will stay in their db’s for 18 months, say the authorities in my locale. This generally sucks.
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but surely the police can be trusted! /s
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“Revolving number plates, naturally”
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I see so many cars with their plates obscured. They’re generally the same cars with all the windows blacked out, thin blue line stickers, and those PBA badges on the windshield. I know of two cops living near me whose cars have at least a couple of those features.
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Here’s one I remember hearing about on the 407 (Toronto’s bypass toll road):
Clever toll evasion technique caught on Toronto toll booth video cam
Pretty sure it’s not the only time that method method was used; I seem to recall a much scarier windowsless panel van version with an obvious child’s arm doing the plate masking. But I can’t find that one.
<insert rant on how the 407 is too expensive for my tastes. Besides, I’ve done enough Toronto transits via the 401 that I can do it in my sleep>
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