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These guys have the best job in the world. They get to do all the wild stuff we weren't allowed to do as teenagers. You know, blowing stuff up and shooting holes in things and what is worse, they get paid to do it!!!
In a recent episode the Myth Busters decided to try out some of the many speed camera myths with the aid of the California Highway Patrol.
These guys have the best job in the world. They get to do all the wild stuff we weren't allowed to do as teenagers. You know, blowing stuff up and shooting holes in things and what is worse, they get paid to do it!!!
In a recent episode the Myth Busters decided to try out some of the many speed camera myths with the aid of the California Highway Patrol.
Their first attempt included trying scale model cars fitted with an array of different types of surfaces and colours to see if they could fool the radar and laser speed guns into giving late or confused readings.
The results are tables below + a few extra
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MYTH |
RESULT |
| Light blue paint work reflects radar causing a late speed reading |
False - "Myth Busted" |
| Matt black paint work reflects less light causing a late LIDAR speed gun reading |
False - "Myth Busted" |
| Prism tape (Yellow show above) deflects and scatters radar and laser emissions. |
False - "Myth Busted"
(Improved the reading) |
| Aluminium foil deflects and scatters radar and laser emissions causing false reading. |
False - "Myth Busted"
(Improved the reading) |
| Radar absorbing paint work absorbs radar emissions stopping a return signature to the speed gun. |
False - "Myth Busted"
(Too expensive for a whole car - Too heavy - Didn't seem to work on a scale model.)
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"Scottie" - the Myth Busters female mechanic taking the RC car for its speed gun test run down the distance marked car park. This was the prism tape test. (Markings in the tape make pretty rainbow colour light effects.) |
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Hanging a mirror ball or a CD from your rear view mirror or dangling a bunch of keys will deflect radar and laser gun emissions, saving you from a speeding ticket.
False - "Myth Busted"
(No effect at all)
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Full Scale test of the Cadillacs 50 m.p.h. run, covered in aluminium foil. California Highway Patrol watching on. The foil actually improved the radar guns range, picking up the Caddy much sooner.
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Fast Fours Magazine photographers tested the "Hair Spray" myth - Spray a coat of hair spray on your number plate will over expose the camera photoraph. .
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If you can't beat them - Nukem!!!
The next myth they tried was to a fix a few Infrared LEDs (light emitting diodes) to the roof of the RC model race car and see if that confused the LIDAR laser speed gun. That didn't seem to have much effect either. Not convinced the lads made a full scale mock up using a whole bunch of IR LEDs placed around the Cadillacs number plate for a full size test. The result - Myth Busted - No effect.
This was my favourite experiment. Ever heard the myth about the microwave oven magnetron attached to the front of a car, destroying radar guns and radar speed cameras? I have!!!
They dismantled two microwave ovens and placed two magnetrons on the hood of the big black Caddy for another test run down the CHiP's (California Highway Patrol) driving course. The result - Myth Busted - No effect on the radar gun or the LIDAR laser gun. ( You wouldn't get me standing in front of it for long - Good way to make microwaved CHiPs)
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Magnetron:
You can see the two magnetrons sitting in black and white boxes on top of the front fenders. You can also see the cool number plate with a few hundred IR LEDs around the outside frame. Scottie again driving. (Love the hat...) |
The last item to try was a set of rotating metal reflectors fixed to the roof of the Cadillac that turned backwards with the wind as the car was driven along. It did create some radar reflections that changed the doplar sound output from the hand held radar gun, but not significantly to cause any problem with the speed reading. Even if it did work, the police would see you coming from 10 miles away.
The spinning reflectors under construction.
Summary:
None of the myths tried by The Mythbusters proved to have any worth at all. I wonder if they would have had anymore success with the commercially available radar and laser jammers?
My personal favourite is a baseball bat. Works every time!!
"Make your licence plate invisible to photo speed cameras."
Click here
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