Last October, the Governor of California signed a bill into law (AB 801), that makes it illegal for people to spray PhotoBlocker, PhotoSpray, or any kind of spray that makes it difficult to photograph a license plate.

The bill amends, Vehicle Code (CVC 5201), by adding the following text...

(g) A casing, shield, frame, border, product, or other device that obstructs or impairs the reading or recognition of a license plate by an electronic device operated by state or local law enforcement, an electronic device operated in connection with a toll road, high-occupancy toll lane, toll bridge, or other toll facility, or a remote emission sensing device, as specified in Sections 44081 and 44081.6 of the Health and Safety Code, shall not be installed on, or affixed to, a vehicle.

The text does not specifically use the word "spray", because legislators wanted to make the text broad enough to include any kind of covering. But if you read the bill's background, the issue is specifically PhotoBlocker.

AB 801 was the idea of the Transporation Corridor Authority (TCA), the body that manages a series of toll roads throughout Southern California. Drivers have been able to pass through the "Fastrack" lanes without the required transponder, and avoid collecting fines by spraying PhotoBlocker on their license plates.

The TCA explained that they lose $400,000 in fines and tolls from Highway 73 and Highway 241, each month due to motorists using PhotoBlocker. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which operates the San Francisco Bay Area toll bridges, cites losses of at least $100,000 per month from toll evasion.

The bill also makes it illegal to sell PhotoBlocker spray, with a fine of $250.00 per item.

I'm not sure how law enforcement officers are supposed to enforce this law. My guess is that they cannot, and for the most part it's moot.

On the other hand, if you sprayed PhotoBlocker on your license plate, and a camera snapped a photo that had some glare, but was still readable, they might be able to fine you at that point. Technically, they'd still have to prove that the glare was caused by PhotoBlocker, and not their photo equipment. But I'm thinking they'll just fine you for it anyways, and see if you pay the bail.

Read the full text of AB 801 here...
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_801&sess=CUR&house=B&author=walters

Labels: Motorcycle License Plates