Speed cameras are universally accepted as the thing we motorists love to hate. Closer to home, Malaysian motorists were haunted by the infamous Automated Enforcement System (AES) – in which, if they went over the speed limit, flashes from that shoe box on a pole meant you’d be about RM300 poorer. Are there any ways we can defeat these speed cameras? Apparently, there is….
Take away ridiculous methods from putting deflecting CDs or spot-lights surrounding the number plate, or installing the biggest turbocharger you can find into the engine, because it won’t help. The students from the University of Leicester’s Master of Physics program did an experiment in the name of science (and perhaps reducing chances of getting speeding tickets). In the end, the research concluded that you need to achieve the speed of 191,000,000 km/h (yes, 191-million) in order for the camera to miss your ride’s number plate. Warp speed anyone?
How’s this possible? It appears that speed cameras can be fooled if you achieve one sixth of the speed of light. The students used the Doppler Effect to make their calculations. We won’t be going into much detail on this, but if science is in your veins, perhaps read up their page here.
So in the end, forget getting the Hennessey supercar or strapping a rocket into your car in order to fool these speed cameras and it would be best to be a law-abiding citizen by sticking to the speed limit; well, try to anyway.
Want to defeat that pesky AES? Your car needs to hit such speeds!
[Source: PHYSC]
