by Lexus driver used remotely controlled ‘curtain’ for license plates
Some drivers resort to incredible tricks to avoid paying for toll road sections, and one particularly sophisticated attempt has now landed the culprit in serious trouble. Back in August, a driver in Australia captured a suspicious situation on a dashcam.
While driving under a toll collection gantry next to a bright blue Lexus GS, he noticed something was wrong. The Lexus’s license plate appeared completely blank.
The driver in the video comments on how “suspicious” this is, and at that moment the real license plate suddenly appears, as if it had never been hidden.
Now the police have found the driver of this car and held him accountable.
Road camouflage technologies
New South Wales Police reported that the driver was a 22-year-old man who used a “stealth curtain” for license plates to avoid paying tolls. The viral video, published by a dashcam owners’ community, was just one of several instances where this James Bond-style gadget was put into practice.
Notably, the bright blue, heavily modified Lexus GS was a conspicuous enough car to be easily identified.
According to police, they stopped the car in Stanmore, discovering the same illegal system installed on both the front and rear license plates. The design included a motorized curtain that was connected to the car’s electronics and controlled from a module in the center console.
With the press of a single button, the driver could completely conceal his license plates, thus avoiding conventional surveillance systems.
Law enforcement officers confiscated the equipment directly during the vehicle stop.
What was the driver’s explanation?
After this, attempts to explain the situation began. According to the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command report, the driver claimed the system was installed because he had “no other way” to attach the license plates and needed to hide “imperfections” in the bright blue vinyl body wrap. Unsurprisingly, the officers did not believe this explanation.
The driver was issued a court attendance notice for the offense along with a significant fine. Furthermore, the violation cost him nine demerit points on his driver’s license. As local media reports, the maximum number of points a driver in Australia can accumulate before license suspension is 15.
Depending on the type of driver’s license, this single offense could have been enough to reach the limit.
Stylish spy gadgets can be interesting, but understanding where and when to use them can make the difference between a fun trick and serious sanctions.
This case clearly demonstrates how technologies created for fun or car “enhancement” can be directed towards breaking the law. New South Wales Police consistently emphasize that such modifications aimed at evading identification are a serious offense, as they undermine road safety and the operation of toll collection systems, ultimately affecting the condition of roads and infrastructure for all road users. The confiscation of the device and substantial fines are meant to serve as a warning to others who might consider repeating a similar scheme.
