- Lexus caught using remote-controlled stealth plate curtain device.
- Police seized the illegal setup and issued nine demerit points.
- Viral toll-dodging stunt ends with fine and confiscated gadget.
Some drivers will go to surprising lengths to dodge tolls, but one particularly elaborate attempt has now landed its architect in hot water. Back in August, a motorist in Australia captured something sneaky on his dashcam.
As he passed under a toll gantry alongside a bright blue Lexus GS, he noticed something wasn’t quite right. The Lexus’s license plate appeared blank.
Read: BMW Driver Busted For Evading $20K Tolls With 007-Style Trick License Plate
As he was commenting on how ‘dodgy’ it was, the real number plate revealed itself as if it had never been covered. Now, police have caught up with the driver and laid down the law.
Cloaking Devices on the Road
Police in New South Wales say the driver was a 22-year-old who used a “stealth plate curtain” to dodge tolls. That viral video shared by Dash Cam Owners Australia was reportedly just one of several occasions where the James Bond-style gadget came into play.
The distinctively bright-blue, heavily modified GS wasn’t exactly hard to spot or identify either.
Police say they stopped the car in Stanmore after spotting the same setup installed on both the front and rear plates. The setup featured a motorized blackout curtain wired through the car’s electronics and controlled from a module in the center console.
At the press of a button, the driver could cover his plates entirely, bypassing the usual surveillance. Authorities seized the equipment immediately during the stop.
What’s the Excuse This Time?
From there, the excuses began. According to the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, the driver claimed the system was installed because he had “no other way” to mount the plates and needed to cover “imperfections” in his bright blue vinyl wrap. Unsurprisingly, officers weren’t buying any of it.
They issued an infringement notice to the driver along with a hefty fine. On top of that, the violation incurred nine demerit points on his license. As reported by Carexpert, the most points anyone in Australia can accumulate before losing a license is 15.
Depending on what type of license this driver has, it’s possible he’s reached the limit with just this one infraction. Fancy spy-like gadgets are cool, but knowing when and where to use them can be the difference between some fun and some fines.