There is more than one use for a pair of panties, as the metro police have learnt.
They are just one of the items motorists use to try to dodge speed cameras. The list also includes Tippex, sprays and film.
Last week, a motorcyclist tried to avoid camera detection by putting women's underwear over his number plate. He led the police on a high-speed chase but was eventually arrested.
“There are lots of things these guys use (to avoid being caught by speed cameras),” said Inspector Wynand Kruger, Gauteng's provincial traffic manager.
He said some people used Tippex to change the letters or numbers on their plates so that they can't be detected.
“For example, they will Tippex just one letter to change, say, an R to a P,” said Kruger.
There are also gadgets which flip the licence plate away when the car or motorbike is travelling at high speed. It goes back down if they are pulled over.
Kruger said another method used is to place a special film over the plate, which blurs the letters and numbers when viewed from the angle of speed cameras.
Several websites sell a spray which they claim reflects the flash from a speed camera.
“I've heard of the spray and what I've heard is, it's a crock,” said Bevan Collins, a director at Bikesure, an insurance company. He said the spray does not reflect the camera's flash.
He said most bikers who want to avoid speed detection would simply take off their number plates before high-speed runs and take the chance that they wouldn't be pulled over by the cops.
Superbikes also have small licence plates which are “kind of hidden” underneath the seat, according to Collins.
“The theory is that the camera won't pick it up,” he said.
Kruger said all these techniques were illegal and anyone caught using them would be charged with defeating the ends of justice. -The Star