# Mythbusters fail to foil the speed camera **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [March 9, 2007, 7:06am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639 "2007-03-09T07:06:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Locutus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/locutus/32/7574_2.png) [@Locutus](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Locutus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 7:06am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/1 "2007-03-09T07:06:39Z")
> **[Mythbusters fail to foil the speed camera](https://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/08/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speedcamera/)** > > var digg\_url = 'http://digg.com/television/Mythbusters\_fail\_to\_foil\_the\_speed\_camera#c5610681'; Last night's episode of Mythbusters was wonderfully auto related. The show's hosts, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, take on the myth that a speed camera... Article: Last night’s episode of [Mythbusters](http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html) was wonderfully auto related. The show’s hosts, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, take on the myth that a speed camera can be foiled. They attack the myth from various angles, including testing various types of license plate covers that claim to obscure one’s plate from the prying eyes of a roadside speed camera. Of course, every mailorder plate cover fails miserably. The real myth behind this segment, however, is that one can drive so fast that a speed camera will be unable to snap a pic before the car moves out of frame. They begin with an average car, the late-model Dodge Neon. On an abandoned airforce runway the Neon manages to hit 100 mph, clearly not fast enough to foil the camera. Their best shot is with a Lamborghini Murcielago, but they make the mistake of using a drag strip this time that doesn’t offer enough room to get up to speed. A professional driver manages to reach about 140 mph, though it’s still snapped with ease. Their conclusion is that the speed camera cannot be foiled just by going faster. Really? The Top Gear crew actually managed to foil a speed camera back in their first on-air episode back in 2002, when a TVR Tuscan S driven by the Stig passed a speed camera at over 170 mph, and the camera never went off (check the video [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph-qv4gYAE8)). Now, speed camera technology has no doubt advanced in the past five years, so perhaps the Mythbusters crew is still right and it is impossible to beat a speed camera in 2007. Adam and Jaime have so much fun testing cars that at the end of the show they implore their viewership to send in more auto-related myths. You can do so [here](http://community.discovery.com/1/OpenTopic?a=frm&cdra=Y&s=6941912904&f=9701967776), and tell them Autoblog sent you. Maybe we can get a walk-on roll or something. We’ve left some surprises if you still plan to watch the show, which will now enter the pantheon of Mythbusters reruns on the Discovery Channel, and can also be downloaded as a torrent [here](http://www.torrentspy.com/torrent/1091040/Mythbusters_S05E04_Speed_Cameras_WS_DSR_XviD_2SD_eztv_uped_death734) (NSFW). ---
**Author:** ![Locutus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/locutus/32/7574_2.png) [@Locutus](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Locutus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 7:07am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/2 "2007-03-09T07:07:16Z")
you tube kinda related video ---
**Author:** ![newman](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/newman/32/7569_2.png) [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 7:09am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/3 "2007-03-09T07:09:53Z")
when are they going to do the plane and treadmill? cot damnit! ---
**Author:** ![Viper966](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/viper966/32/7268_2.png) [@Viper966](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Viper966)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 7:18am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/4 "2007-03-09T07:18:53Z")
they answered that they cant find a good way to do the plane on a treadmill, BUT somebody did a really nice computer animation about WHY the plane takes off… i was always a it will not fly person until i started looking at everything, but we are NOT going to get into that also, i really dont like the way they tested the debunking stuff and here is why 1. the placement of their “Speed camera” was not like the real world most speed cameras are up high and pointed DOwn at the cars, either mounted on a bridge or on a pole, so that you are coming TOWARDS the speed camera and they can get your face (becasue they cant charge YOU with speeding if they cant prove YOU were driving) so, with that being said, id like to see how fast ud have to be going before the camera wont be able to get your plate in the picture (if you have a front plate on) or, lets say its high and behind you so , id like to see how some of those devides, mainly the magnifying glass one, would do blocking plates from extreme angles… the easiest way to do this, that they didnt use, is to take a 3m laptop sheild and place it over the plates, whenever your off angle they are COMPLETLY BLACK, but straight on (ie roadlevel)they are just tinted ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 7:24am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/5 "2007-03-09T07:24:59Z")
I watched this last night from my dvr and was really disappointed at the angle they were using the camera from. ---
**Author:** ![JoesTypeS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/joestypes/32/7190_2.png) [@JoesTypeS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JoesTypeS)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 7:33am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/6 "2007-03-09T07:33:48Z")
[quote=“Viper966,post:4,topic:25639"”] (becasue they cant charge YOU with speeding if they cant prove YOU were driving) [/quote] I’m pretty sure speed camera tickets are just pay it tickets…they go to the owner of the car like a parking ticket. You can’t prove it’s me driving the car if I haven’t shaved and have sunglasses on. ---
**Author:** ![intense98rt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@intense98rt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/intense98rt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 8:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/7 "2007-03-09T08:14:04Z")
[quote=“Viper966,post:4,topic:25639"”] the easiest way to do this, that they didnt use, is to take a 3m laptop sheild and place it over the plates, whenever your off angle they are COMPLETLY BLACK, but straight on (ie roadlevel)they are just tinted [/quote] But then you’ll get pulled over and get a ticket for having a license plate cover. Where do we even have any of those speed cameras around Buffalo? Maybe at the tolls, and I don’t see anyone doing 170+ through that ---
**Author:** ![LAFENGAS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/lafengas/32/7573_2.png) [@LAFENGAS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LAFENGAS)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 8:26am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/8 "2007-03-09T08:26:32Z")
[quote=“Viper966,post:4,topic:25639"”] they answered that they cant find a good way to do the plane on a treadmill, BUT somebody did a really nice computer animation about WHY the plane takes off… **i was always a it will not fly person** … [/quote] you lose all validity to any technical post from here on out. ---
**Author:** ![sickmach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@sickmach](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/sickmach)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 8:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/9 "2007-03-09T08:52:13Z")
no speed cameras in buffalo yet… ---
**Author:** ![Maksim2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@Maksim2000](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Maksim2000)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 9:53am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/10 "2007-03-09T09:53:46Z")
Didn’t the fifth gear do this before? Edit: Top Gear did it [http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/top-gear-speed-camera-test](http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/top-gear-speed-camera-test) ---
**Author:** ![jeeves744](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jeeves744/32/7619_2.png) [@jeeves744](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/jeeves744)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 9:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/11 "2007-03-09T09:58:50Z")
[quote=“Maksim2000,post:10,topic:25639"”] Didn’t the fifth gear do this before? Edit: Top Gear did it > **[Top Gear: Speed Camera Test](https://www.techeblog.com/top-gear-speed-camera-test/)** > > In this Top Gear segment, Richard Hammond and The Stig attempt to outrun a speed camera using several different cars. The results may surprise you. Video after the jump. In this Top Gear segment, Richard Hammond and The Stig attempt to outrun a speed... [/quote] umm, how about you read the first post in the thread :bloated: ---
**Author:** ![pdubya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@pdubya](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/pdubya)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 10:12am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/12 "2007-03-09T10:12:02Z")
So if the plate covers failed to affect the radar then why is it that they are illegal? ---
**Author:** ![tweety](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@tweety](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tweety)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 10:21am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/13 "2007-03-09T10:21:15Z")
best plan for speed cameras is to take the ‘English’ approach and simply drill a small hole in the side and shove the contents of a can of expanding foam in there- not very hi-tech, but the motorists over there have been driven nuts by these stupid things. I went over a couple of weeks ago for my first visit in 6 years- oh my word the whole country is littered with speed cameras, let’s hope it never happens here- count your blessings! ---
**Author:** ![ryanmcell](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ryanmcell/32/7510_2.png) [@ryanmcell](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ryanmcell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 10:40am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/14 "2007-03-09T10:40:13Z")
[quote=“JoesTypeS,post:6,topic:25639"”] I’m pretty sure speed camera tickets are just pay it tickets…they go to the owner of the car like a parking ticket. You can’t prove it’s me driving the car if I haven’t shaved and have sunglasses on. [/quote] Bingo. A few years back coming back from Myrtle my step dad got a “speeding ticket” in the mail from DC. However it was weird my brother drove their car down and we flew. So obviously he wasn’t driving it, and in fact it was a girl in the car driving the car. Despite who is driving it goes to the owner of the vehicle and you have to pay because they include the snapshot of your plate. Which btw looks like utter crap and you wanna be like wtf is that!? ---
**Author:** ![Viper966](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/viper966/32/7268_2.png) [@Viper966](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Viper966)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 11:15am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/15 "2007-03-09T11:15:13Z")
[quote=“LAFENGAS,post:8,topic:25639"”] you lose all validity to any technical post from here on out. [/quote] bah, i never even read through most of those threads or participated in them, until the guy put up the animation then i thought about it and for some reason i kept picturing this stupid little treadmill under the hweels instead of a full length runwaytreadmill ---
**Author:** ![Viper966](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/viper966/32/7268_2.png) [@Viper966](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Viper966)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 11:16am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/16 "2007-03-09T11:16:57Z")
[quote=“ryanmcell,post:14,topic:25639"”] Bingo. A few years back coming back from Myrtle my step dad got a “speeding ticket” in the mail from DC. However it was weird my brother drove their car down and we flew. So obviously he wasn’t driving it, and in fact it was a girl in the car driving the car. Despite who is driving it goes to the owner of the vehicle and you have to pay because they include the snapshot of your plate. Which btw looks like utter crap and you wanna be like wtf is that!? [/quote] did they try to say they were going to give him pts or just a parking ticket? red light camers were giving real moving violations somewhere if i remember correctly ---
**Author:** ![Maksim2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@Maksim2000](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Maksim2000)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 11:49am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/17 "2007-03-09T11:49:54Z")
[quote=“jeeves744,post:11,topic:25639"”] umm, how about you read the first post in the thread :bloated: [/quote] :rolljerk: How about, you read my post before being an ass. I though 5th gear did a piece like that too (About plate covers, radar detectors and GPS POI-type devices). And they indeed do a bunch of stuff like that in the past, but it was the top gear that did the “car speeding past the camera” test, hence my edit that the original post was right and it was indeed top gear. ---
**Author:** ![Joe](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/joe/32/7219_2.png) [@Joe](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Joe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2007, 12:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/mythbusters-fail-to-foil-the-speed-camera/25639/18 "2007-03-09T12:07:51Z")
[quote=“Viper966,post:16,topic:25639"”] did they try to say they were going to give him pts or just a parking ticket? red light camers were giving real moving violations somewhere if i remember correctly [/quote] you don’t get points out of state either way