Safe Speed Forums

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications ... n_id=40148

Complaint:

Objection, to a regional press advertisement, for license plate paint. The headline stated "FIGHT BACK! MAKE YOUR LICENSE PLATE INVISIBLE AVOID COSTLY TRAFFIC TICKETS". The advertisement showed a photograph of a man with his right leg extended in a kick and holding a spray can of the paint towards a speed camera. Text stated "PROVEN DEFENSE PHOTOBLOCKERâ„¢". The complainant objected that the advertisement was irresponsible and likely to encourage drivers to break the law.

Codes Section: 2.2, 4.1, 10.1, 48.1, 48.3 (Ed 11)


Adjudication:


Complaint upheld
Photoblocker UK said that, although they had not placed the advertisement, they had supplied the advertisement for general distribution by retailers of the product. They maintained that the advertisement was not irresponsible or likely to encourage drivers to break the law. Photoblocker believed the message of the advertisement was defensive, telling motorists to fight back against speed cameras. They said they were sensitive to the number of people injured and killed on the roads and they were careful not to condone speeding. They pointed out that many more people were sensitive to the harm speed cameras were doing to law abiding motorists. Photoblocker offered to replace the text "Make your Licence Plate Invisible - Avoid Costly Traffic Tickets" with something less likely to cause offence.

The Authority noted that Photoblocker had offered to amend the text. It nevertheless considered that the advertisement was irresponsible and likely to encourage drivers to break the law, even with amended text. The Authority told Photoblocker to amend the advertisement with help from the CAP Copy Advice team.
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I'm no fan of photoblocker, but it's a great shame the ASA takes a PC view rather than a 'pro rights' view. Perhaps they should have tested the stuff to see if it worked instead?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Precisely, because it doesn't, which kind of makes a mockery of the ruling.

Even if one personally believes a law is wrong, or is being applied oppressively, you can't really expect the ASA to condone advertisements that in effect encourage lawbreakers to escape detection.

This is different to ads for speed camera detectors which are selling devices which assist with adherence to the law.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

The 'law breaking' aspect is irrelevant as they are making a claim for the product which is untrue ie. 'make your licence plate invisible'. It does nothing of the kind and anyone buying it will not 'avoid costly speeding tickets' through its use.

Someone has got their knickers in a twist over the speeding implications and tried to make a point, while missing the real point.

They should instead be taking the company to task over the untrue product claim. It is really sad that there are people who believe this stuff works (the complainant included).

I've complained to the ASA in the past over Scameraship adverts claiming that speed cameras save lives. They weren't interested in a discussion, and just towed the party line. They couldn't explain the difference between a paramedic saving lives and a camera being a static object, enabling a ticket to be sent out within 2 weeks.

I understand they are funded by the government, so don't expect any impartiality

I agree with this however...



Now wouldn't this make an interesting court case Someone trying to sue Photoblocker Inc because they got a ticket having used their product, something they almost ceetainly should never have done in the first place.

Someone has just promised to send me a can of the stuff.

I'll spray half a numberplate, take some photos and publish them. Should be 'interesting'.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Don't forget to use flash

I'll do quite a range of photos. I'll even try and get a genuine Gatso photo by recruiting Police to the project.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

And if they refuse to participate, that speaks volumes too

very important this as the spray supposedly relies on the flash being reflected and obscuring the plate. Can't see it working too well during the day, or on cameras that don't use a flash.

I can honestly say that, in the traffic I see on my way to work, some plates are non-specular-reflective, whereas with some I wish I had my polaroids on. I am guessing a significantly large proportion of the motoring public are applying some film to their plates, beit hair spray, varnish or just good old vaselline (what a waste... ).

Please do, I would love to see a high quality scan of a Gatso pic with half a plate treated.

I had a "friendly" argument with a retailer at a large motoring show recently. All the signs said it was "100% legal" and flatly denied that any against it existed, even when I asked him to write down the Display of Registration Marks SI and look it up. Then he said that the "company barristers" said there was no problem selling it, and I tried to explain that there is a big difference between the legality of selling a product and using it.

Then at the Goodwood FoS there was a different company making the same claims, 100% legal, fully effective etc.

My guess is that they are pretty ineffective, I've never heard of the police taking action against anybody using or selling them or passing any comment, so they must be either totally ineffective or so effective that any admisSion that they are would be counter-productive!

Gareth

This is the stuff which bounces all the light from a flash back to it's source AND stops laser devices from working... it sounds so good!



Ok so that's a public road so it's either from a real gatso or the gatso info has been added later. If the info was added later why chose a lorry to photograph? If it's from a real gatso on a public road and the numberplate was really hidden then how did they get the photograph back from the police?

Looking forward to seeing the test results

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Andrew.

That same image appears on the Devon & Cornwall Police website http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/dcs ... /gatso.htm - bottom of the page. Wonder about that copyright claim - if it's a geniuine photo, and it certainly appears to be, PhotoBlocker can't make any copyright claim can they? Anyhow, the other images on the Devon & Cornwall page also have unreadable number plates, but I doubt it's got anything to do with the plates themselves. More likely to do with the police not wanting to put photos of people's vehicles on the web with legible registrations. My money would be on PhotoShop rather than PhotoBlocker.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

Whoops!! I had a search last night because I thought the same thing - I doubted they have ever used a real Gatso to test it.

It might be possible to simulate a test - some camera specs are posted on the Sussex site:

Camera: Robot Motorrecorder 36DCE
Shutter speed: 1/1000 fixed (flash synchronised)
Film material: colour or black/white 35mm 100-900 ISO film sensitivity
Lens: Schneider Tele-Xenar f3.8/90mm
Angle of view: 23.4 degrees horizontal, 15.6 degrees vertical
Distance setting: 20m fixed

I read elsewhere that the flash is something like 200W, I am pretty sure that a good photographer would have something with a similar sort of throw. This part is critical, a lower powered flash could leave the registration visible when in reality it might not be.

One site selling it said that the vehicle needs to me moving - I am not convinced this is relevant, the shutter speed is 1/1000 flash syncronised, this is very fast and as you can see on scanned images the pictures are crystal clear.

Gareth

Me neither. Wouldn't set the Gatso off if it wasn't moving, would it?

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

I just posted an article on the news forum about how Trading Standards tested the product with Cheshire SCP, and surprise suprise it didn't work. I'm not sure if it was Photoblocker or something else, but I imagine they are all very similar or identical in composition.

Gareth[/url]

Nice one! Time for a spoof advert methinks...

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CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!

…too good to be true, considering Lidar speed meters actually rely on the reflections – the more the merrier!

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign