Senator Saland’s Legislation To Prohibit The Sale Of Materials That Prevent License Plate Numbers From Being Captured On Radar Passes The Senate

Senator Steve Saland (R,C Poughkeepsie) today announced that his legislation (S.2501-A), making it unlawful to sell any substance used to prevent a license plate number from being captured on radar, has passed the Senate.

There are now substances available for sale, primarily in a spray-on form, which if applied to a license plate, reflect photo radar flash. These substances are invisible to the naked eye but create a high gloss, clear, reflective finish on the plate that obstructs the view of a license plate number.

While present law prohibits the placement of plastic or glass over a license plate due to the tendency to reflect light and make it difficult to read license numbers there is nothing in present law that would deter the sale of these spray on substances.

"There is no legitimate reason for a person to apply these substances to their license plates," said Senator Saland. "This legislation would deter the sale of a substance offered with the intent of evading the law. Law enforcement officials would be able to carry out their responsibilities more effectively without this impediment to traffic enforcement."

The legislation will be sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblyman Peter Rivera (D, Bronx).