From Reuters.com:
BEIJING (Reuters) - Speeding drivers in south China are getting clear away thanks to machines which switch the numbers on their license plates in seconds, state media said on Tuesday.
“More than 50 percent of cars caught on camera for speeding and other offences either cover up their plates or use a fake license plate,” a traffic policeman in the Guangdong city of Yangjiang was quoted by the Beijing Youth Daily as saying.
“Our chances of capturing them is next to nil.”
The price of the remote-control device starts at around 800 yuan (58 pounds), while a more advanced apparatus with the ability to flip over the numbers in less than three seconds costs more than double.
“The era of covering up the license plate by hand has passed,” a driver surnamed Zheng told the newspaper.
“It’s really convenient and economical too,” a salesman who specializes in such devices in the provincial capital of Guangzhou was quoted as saying.
In April, Xinhua news agency reported that China had confiscated thousands of fake military vehicles and number plates in a move to crack down on citizens masquerading as privileged members of the People’s Liberation Army.
In years past, Chinese counterfeiters have used fake military vehicles to ship bootleg cigarettes and other goods, previous reports have said.
China Car Times has to get one of those plate flippers!
Thanks to Hunxue’er for sending it in!
By the tone of this article, it sounds almost like even if someone is caught with a flipper or fake plate, they just get a slap on the wrist? If something were to happen like this in the States, I would venture to say they’d get tagged as a terrorist and thrown in Guantanamo Bay
why so complicated? just remove your plates
i also live in south china and i drive my car allready more then one year without license plates at all. this is the cheapest and most effective solution.
my car was never stopped for driving without plates and i overtake police cars on the daily basis.
Shame on you.
Something similar is becoming popular in Canada as well; it’s some sort of transparent screen that goes opaque with a press of a button. It’s an apparent reaction to the heavy-handed police who are able to impound your car on any “suspicion” of racing.
I really can’t understand how this is meant to work. Do you just flip your number plate and permanently drive with a fake plate, if so why not just buy fake plates? Otherwise surely it’s no use changing the number after your picture has been taken and also how would you know? Maybe it’s just me being stupid.
It works as a spring-hinged plate. When the car gains speed, the license plate flips due to wind force, then returns to its original position when the car slows down.
By the way, I don’t know if it’s caught on up north but it’s very chic now to just slap a camouflage cloth license plate cover on and zip about the streets and highways of Guangdong. Seems the police don’t dare to actually check what’s underneath…
Army guys do that, usually when they leave their Pajeros in certain areas!
not realy, the most peopl i see with the camouflage covers are private people. last time i even saw some speeding travel couchs (buses) covered their plates with camouflage.
but the most comon way is still to put a CD in the licenseplate holder to cover 1-2 leters.
another way wht is getting popular at the momment is to use blue tape to cover parts of a letter to make an 1 to an i or a G or O to a C.
but i still think my way is still the safest and effective one. just drive without plates
A guy just got caught speeding on the new Hangzhou Bay Bridge. He had a CD covering two digits on the license plate but they managed to figure out who he was when he got to the other side.
Wouldnt they just need to look for the car caught on camera with CD’s stuck to the plates?
I was thinking about stripping my plates down, removing the reflective paint and repainting them with regular paint instead to stop them from reflecting at night.
Another method I have seen, is to stick a plastic transparent plate over the license plate, this means you can see and read the plate under regular lighting conditions, but would be pretty fuzzy for a camera to make out!
This is just one example why CHina is a backward country.
Thank you for that helpful insight, Joe.