🚗 Many products are sold to blur your license plate to cameras🚗 Some claim they will prevent a ticket or tolls🚗 Are these products legal in New Jersey?
No one likes paying tolls. As long as there have been toll booths, there have been those who scheme ways to avoid paying them.
New Jersey has been transitioning to toll collection methods that are automatic, rather than relying on toll collectors.
E-ZPass is the preferred method of collection and drivers are often offered a discount if they sign up for an account and use a transponder.
However, toll collection is also increasingly being made using what is known as Toll by Plate.
This process involves capturing a vehicle’s license plate image with a camera and mailing the so the registered owner of the vehicle an invoice for payment of tolls.
Due to the high costs associated with mailing invoices to drivers through this process, the toll owed is often significantly higher than what E-ZPass users are charged.
The Delaware Joint Toll Bridge Commission charges 100% more for toll-by-plate billing.
Amazon.com/Townsquare media illustration
Amazon.com/Townsquare media illustrationCan you avoid the toll altogether?
Well, maybe.
There are many ways people have been obscuring their license plate in an attempt to avoid paying a toll.
From elaborate James Bond type contraptions that involve trap doors and license plate covers to spray coatings that make your license plate appear blurry in photographs, there have been no shortage of attempts to beat the system.
As more toll plazas switch to toll-by-plate technology in New Jersey, there has been a flood of advertisements on social media selling devices promising to help you avoid tolls.
Some of these devices are sold by foreign based companies, but a good number of them are sold on major e-commerce sites like Amazon.
You may often see a disclaimer that these devices and sprays are for “novelty’ purposes.
Amazon.com/Phantomplate.com/Townsquare Media illustration
Amazon.com/Phantomplate.com/Townsquare Media illustrationAre they legal?
Absolutely not. Not in New Jersey.
All of these products violate New Jersey law. Specifically: NJ Rev Stat § 39:3-33c
The law specifically addresses “Merchandise intended to conceal, degrade license plate legibility prohibited; fine.”
“A person shall not sell, offer for sale, distribute, transfer, purchase, receive, or possess any merchandise, including but not limited to retractable license plate holders, reflective spray, or anti-photograph license plate covers, knowing that such merchandise is designed or intended to be used to conceal or degrade the legibility of any part of any marking imprinted upon a vehicle’s license plate for the purpose of evading law enforcement. The penalty for a violation of this section shall be a fine not to exceed $500.”
Alite via Facebook/Townsquare Media illustration
Alite via Facebook/Townsquare Media illustrationWhy are they allowed to advertise if they are illegal?
The New Jersey law actually indemnifies newspapers from accepting this type of advertising. That could also extend to other platforms that accept advertising as well.
“Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose liability on a newspaper that accepts or publishes classified advertising for merchandise that is designed or intended to be used to conceal or degrade the legibility of any part of any marking imprinted upon a vehicle’s license plate for the purpose of evading law enforcement.”
What happens if I use one of these products?
If you get caught, you could be looking at charges and fines well beyond what is outlined above.
In January, a New Jersey man who had accrued nearly 300 unpaid toll violations was arrested after trying to block his license plate while crossing the George Washington Bridge.
According to Port Authority police, Lequincy Anderson owed the agency close to $20,000, for $5,167 in unpaid tolls and $14,600 in fees, as the result of 292 known violations.
He was caught using a device blocking his plate number, which prevented the agency from issuing a toll invoice by mail.
(Video screenshot of a BMW’s license-plate device) Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
(Video screenshot of a BMW’s license-plate device) Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
In addition to the violation for obscuring his license plate, Anderson was charged with theft of service, tampering with a government document, and possession of burglary tools. He was also cited for failure to produce his insurance card, and the improper display of license plates.
Toll evasion is a big deal
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in particular has made catching toll cheats a priority.
In 2023, they recovered tens of millions of dollars from toll evaders.
The bi-state agency has been increasing the number of tickets written for toll evasion.
“With increased patrols and the deployment of more technology across our infrastructure, we will catch toll violators and they will pay what they owe,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “Tolls fund the critical infrastructure that stitch our region together, and drivers will not be able to skate by and steal.”
Toll evaders who repeatedly do not pay their bills on time may be subject to having their vehicles’ registrations impounded, the Port Authority said. Also, one’s vehicle can be towed and impounded at the owner’s expense.
Repeat offenders could also be open to civil litigation for toll recovery.
These are the most and least expensive toll roads in the U.S.According to data compiled by Uproad, these are the highways across the country that charge the most and least to drive as of 2023.
Gallery Credit: Mike Brant
How to get from Monmouth/Ocean to the Holland Tunnel without paying tolls
Sometimes even your GPS doesn’t know the back way to certain places.
Gallery Credit: Joe Votruba
LOOK: New Jersey’s poorest, toll-free parkway you didn’t know about
An expanded theory into how NJ’s Poor Man’s Parkway came to be
Gallery Credit: Mike Brant
Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66f2bd918e1147ce9057dd41c8834297&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnj1015.com%2Fcan-you-really-cheat-the-tolls-in-new-jersey%2F&c=10669250763203879018&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-24 01:52:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.