You’ve probably heard about, or already use, license plate covers to try and avoid getting a ticket from a red light or manually operated traffic camera. Well, I recently across this video about an experiment conducted in conjunction with the Denver police department. A reporter tested several different license plate cover methods including several different types of plastic covers and a clear, high gloss spray.
As you can see, there are a few different options that can potentially help you avoid getting a traffic ticket. The spray seems to be the most popular and is also the most unobtrusive of the options. There is no risk of it falling off, and aesthetically it’s also the nicest looking of the bunch. Personally, I would go for the spray, but if you’re going to utilize one of the methods, make sure you don’t get scammed. In other words, don’t just go and buy the first product you run across. The market is enormous, in the millions of dollars, and scammer’s are abundant. Here are some tips to help you get a legitimate product.
- Look for reviews on sites like Yelp.com, Google, etc.
- Make sure the site uses SSL for checkout. In other words the url should start with https://www.
- A return policy and a customer service number are a plus as well.
- See if the website, or company, has a BBB profile. Not all will have one but if so, it usually means there have been at least a couple of very p!$$ed off customers.
- You could even search the Ripoff Report to see if there are any negative reviews.
However, as with anything that helps people avoid legal hot water, modifying your license plate may be illegal in your state or county. As such, keep in mind that if you were to get caught, the background check your future employer pulls might include a more serious charge than a simple speeding violation. All I’m saying is that it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you know what you’re getting into before trying out a cover or spray, etc.
Believe it or not, automatic traffic cameras do have a silver lining. I’m not 
sure about all the states, but according to one attorney, in Colorado you have to be personally served in order for the ticket to carry any legal weight. Often, you will only receive notice in the mail, but before you jump up and down for joy, bear in mind there is more than one way for the state to skin that cat. You see, if you don’t acknowledge receipt, default judgment may be passed whereby your fine will be sent straight to collection. So, now your credit score might also take a hit.
Each state is different, so take a couple of minutes to educate yourself before jumping whole hog into this. Personally, I think automatic traffic cameras should be banned as they cause a lot more trouble and stress than they’re worth. All they do is help create a police state that monitors everyone 24/7. The website http://www.motorists.org/ has a great deal of information that can help you remain educated on traffic cameras and the relevant issues.
Categories: Consumer Protection
