The UK has had reflective plates for new cars since 1973 for reasons of
visibility at night. Cars older than that can still carry 'white on black',
but they don't make any difference as far as laser speed guns (which don't
use the number plate anyway), photographic speed traps, or automatic number
plate recognition systems go. Here plates only have to be replaced if
damage affects 'normal' readability of the registration, reflection isn't
measured. There are reputed to be sprays you can apply to the front of the
thick plastic sheet, which itself is very reflective to the flash used in
some photographic speed traps, which renders the characters unreadable.
Whilst it is illegal to render your number plate unreadable my any manual or
automatic means the government may decide to introduce now or in the future,
it isn't illegal to sell them :o). There is also a transponder available
which when it gets a 'hit' from a laser speed detector sends a signal back
at a much higher velocity and preventing it from recording the vehicle
speed.
PaulH.
----- Original Message -----
> ... But we still have to get new plates every
> few years, probably so the retro-reflective surface will be
> nice and targetable by laser speed traps.
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