Obscuring Licence Plates

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Caution: some devices/techniques may get you a $150 ticket under MVA Regulation 3.03 - Plates to be unobstructed.

Here is a list of the common anti-photo radar devices/techniques available which work by obscuring or attempting to obscure your licence plate:

Licence plate covers will get you a ticket -- they are easy to spot -- and many, if not all, provide little protection from the strong flash and high quality optics used.

 

Licence plate louvers/flaps will get you a ticket -- they are also easy to spot.

 

Passive radar jammers have been shown to be about as useful as a box of Kleenex on your dash!

 

Active radar jammers would probably be pointing in the wrong direction to work, are very expensive, and are usually illegal to operate.

 

Hair spray on the plate is rumoured to increase the reflectivity of the plate and may over-expose the film but is highly unreliable and we are not aware of any substantiated reports of its effectiveness.

 

Linseed oil on the plate is rumoured to attract dust which would reduce image clarity. Note: a dirty plate might get you a ticket!

 

There are many expensive slave-strobe type anti-photo radar devices currently for sale. These devices work on the same principle as slave-strobes used by professional photographers: when they detect the flash of another flash bulb, they also flash within thousandths of a second -- thus possibly over-exposing the photograph. If you know what you are doing, a crude version of these devices can be built for about $25. They also will only work if the photo radar deployment is using a flash, and not all do!

 

Licence plate spray solutions can be expensive and require occasional re-treatments to maintain peak effectiveness. SENSE has not been able to evaluate their effectiveness -- caveat emptor!

A note to those testing potential devices/techniques: a consumer-level camera will not produce the same results as the professional equipment used by photo radar. If you are going to test something, use professional quality gear.

There is a list of companies offering these devices on our Links page under "Anti-Speed Enforcement Devices"

The Motor Vehicle Act Regulations prescribe that number plates shall not be obstructed. Contrary to government statements that it has always been illegal to obstruct your plate (in reference to recent tickets issued to those unknowingly obstructing their plates with bike racks), both the Motor Vehicle Act Regulation3.03 and MVA Section 74 have in fact been changed, as has the intensity of enforcement:

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Motor Vehicle Act Regulation 3.03

Prior to July 19, 1996, it read:
 
3.03   A number plate shall be kept entirely unobstructed and free from dirt or foreign material and so that the numbers thereon may be plainly seen and read at all times.

As a result of Regulation 185/96 on July 19, 1996, the regulation was changed to:
 
3.03   A number plate must be kept entirely unobstructed and free from dirt or foreign material, so that the numbers and letters on it may be plainly seen and read at all times and so that the numbers and letters may be accurately photographed using a speed monitoring device prescribed under section 83.1 of the Act.

Currently, if you challenge a ticket issued under Regulation 3.03, the court will likely find you guilty if the device had the intent to obscure the plate (such as a piece of lenticular plastic). If you had a cover of only clear plastic, you might have your ticket either withdrawn or dismissed.

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Motor Vehicle Act Regulation 3.02

Also of interest is Reg. 3.02:
 
3.02   A number plate shall at all times be securely fastened in a horizontal position to the vehicle for which it is issued.

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Motor Vehicle Act Section 74 [was 68] - Alteration and use of fictitious number plates or documents

Prior to October 1, 1995, it read:
 
74 [was 68]. Every person commits an offence who alters, obliterates or repaints a figure or letter on a number plate issued under this Act, or alters a driver's licence issued under this Act, or possesses a driver's licence that has been altered, or drives, operates or has in his charge a motor vehicle or trailer having displayed on it a number plate on which a figure or letter has been altered, obliterated or repainted, or a number plate which has not been issued by the superintendent, but which is of a colour and design resembling or purporting to be a British Columbia licence plate.

As a result of Regulation 404/95 on October 1, 1995, the section was changed (and later renumbered):
 
74. (1) Every person commits an offence who
 
(a) alters, obliterates or repaints a figure or letter
 
(i) on a number plate issued under this Act,

(ii) on a numbered decal issued under section 12 (3), or

(iii) on any other document issued under this Act for the temporary operation of a motor vehicle or trailer,
 

(b) drives, operates or has charge of a motor vehicle or trailer having displayed on it
 
(i) a number plate, numbered decal or document referred to in paragraph (a) on which a figure or letter has been altered, obliterated or repainted, or

(ii) a number plate, numbered decal or other document for the temporary operation of a motor vehicle or trailer, that has not been issued under this Act but that is of a colour or design resembling or purporting to be a number plate, numbered decal or document for the temporary operation of a motor vehicle or trailer issued under this Act,
 

(c) alters a driver's licence issued under this Act, or

(d) drives, operates or has charge of a motor vehicle or trailer while in possession of a driver's licence that has been altered.
 

(2) Subsection (1) (b) applies to a number plate, numbered decal or other document for the temporary operation of a motor vehicle or trailer issued in another jurisdiction.

(3) Subsection (1) (d) applies to a driver's licence issued in another jurisdiction.

Motor Vehicle Act Section 135.1

Prohibition against obstruction of speed monitoring devices and traffic light safety devices

135.1 A person commits an offence who, without lawful excuse, intentionally obstructs or otherwise interferes with the operation of a speed monitoring device or traffic light safety device, as those terms are defined in section 83.1 (1).

SENSE has valid concerns that drivers are receiving tickets for clear plate covers (designed to prevent sticker theft -- which have no ability to prevent photo radar photos from being taken) or unintentionally obscuring their plates, based upon the following:

1. The definition and level of enforcement of Reg. 3.03 has fundamentally changed as a result of the introduction of photo radar.

 
2. Drivers who would have previously been given a warning or received no action at all, are now given tickets immediately.

 
3. The November 20, 1995, edition of TSI Update (an internal government publication on the Traffic Safety Initiatives) said: "following a B.C.-wide media campaign this fall, police will especially target drivers who obstruct their licence plates inadvertently, such as with bike racks, trailer hitches or mud. [emphasis added]" This campaign has never occurred.

 
4. The provincial government has made no reasonable attempt to inform motorists about obscuring licence plates. The only communication by the government has been a press release on April 22, 1996. The government relied solely upon the media to disseminate the message. Interestingly, the press release contains no warning about bicycle racks, probably one of the most common problems.

 
5. Motor vehicle offences do not require intent, as do criminal offences. You are guilty of the offence even if you had no intent to violate the law.

In summary: a fundamental change in the level of enforcement, and little fair warning by the government.

The Motor Vehicle Act Regulations proscribe that number plates shall attached if provided. If you get two plates, you need to display two plates...

Motor Vehicle Act Regulation 3.01

3.01 No person shall drive or operate a vehicle on a highway unless it bears number plates in compliance with this division.

Motor Vehicle Act Regulation 3.011

3.011 Number plates for a vehicle shall be attached
(a) where, under the Act, 2 number plates are issued and authorized for display on a vehicle, one plate to the front and one plate to the rear of the vehicle, and
(b) where, under the Act, a single number plate is issued and authorized for display on a vehicle, to the rear of the vehicle.

Rev: 1999.07.17