‘Dodgy’ Lexus act leaves motorists stunned
A Sydney motorist is likely facing a hefty penalty after being caught red-handed on dashcam in a “dodgy” act going through a toll.
Footage shared by Dash Cam Owners Australia showed the distinctive blue Lexus using a black number plate curtain to obscure their plate, which rolls back after passing through the toll point.
“Oh look at that, what a dodgy c**t!” the driver is heard saying.
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The car’s rego is clearly visible in the video after the curtain rolls back. Records show the 2005 Lexus GS190 is currently registered in NSW.
NSW Police said a report had been received via Crime Stoppers on Wednesday, August 20.
“Inquiries are underway,” a spokeswoman said.
In NSW, it is an offence for drivers and registered operators of vehicles to display number plates that are not fitted properly, obscured, defaced or otherwise not legible, according to Transport for NSW.
Plates must also be permanently fitted to vehicles in an upright position parallel to the vehicle’s axles, not more than 1.3 metres above ground level, and the numbers must be clearly visible from 20 metres away within a 45-degree arc from above and to either side.
Under the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2017, driving a vehicle with obscured, defaced or illegible number plates carries three demerit points and a $562 fine. If the matter is taken to court, the maximum penalty could be $2200.
Number plate curtains, operated by remote control, are illegal to use but can be widely bought online for around $100 to $200.
“Yikes, going to lose the car,” one commenter wrote. “Funny thing is that the car is pretty distinctive and may be on the cops’ radar already.”
“Oh that’s gonna be hard to argue in court,” another said.
A third commented, “I’m sure the $4 he saved will work out in the long run.”
“As much as I despise handing over our hard-earned money to Transurban, obscuring your number plate is illegal,” another wrote. “I’m pretty sure the police would be very interested in speaking to the owner of that car.”
One added, “Pretty stupid to think that only obscuring plates at the tolling gantries will avoid the tolls. There are hundreds of other monitoring cameras on the road with enough resolution that will allow the car to be identified with the plates visible and the owner will be prosecuted in addition to paying all the required tolls.”
Some viewers sided with the motorist, however.
“Dodgy or not, we shouldn’t have to pay tolls to drive on our roads, we pay enough as it is with rego, insurance, green slips, tax,” one said.
“Snitch, who wants to pay for tolls these days, Australia is too damn expensive as it is, cannot thrive in this country,” another wrote.