OFF THE WIRE
The fine for Not Paying a toll in Florida in a car a Maximun of $168.00 and for a motorcycle $1,000.00
By Jerome Burdi, Sun Sentinel
People will do some strange things to save a buck. Or maybe as little as 25 cents.
To block their license plates, turnpike toll runners do all sorts of things that almost have to be caught on camera to be believed.
Florida's Turnpike Photography Florida Highway Patrol Harrisburg (Dauphin, Pennsylvania) A man hung out of a car trunk, holding his hand over his tag number; a motorcyclist twisted around, reaching back to block his plate as he sped through the toll gate; another motorcycle rider hopped up, stretched his legs back and crossed his feet over his tag to block the camera.
These oddball images and more were caught on the cameras that photograph license plates and generate bills for drivers who zoom through the toll gates without either paying cash or using a SunPass.
But catching them is difficult when the plate number is blocked, authorities said.
It's unclear why the people try to beat the toll, since fines can be a lot more than the tolls, authorities said.
"Maybe it's economic reasons. Maybe they just don't want to pay," Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Mark Wysocky said. "It's quicker than sitting in line to go through [the toll plaza]."
Troopers warn that they're on the lookout for daredevil toll runners. Intentionally blocking a license plate carries a maximum $168 fine for car drivers. It's even more for those creative motorcyclists, with fines up to $1,000.
That's because there have been chronic problems with motorcyclists blocking their plates, troopers say.
Some plazas see repeat offenders trying to beat the system.
"Sometimes they do it routinely through the same plaza and we catch them," said Nichole Kalil, spokeswoman for Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, a division of the state Department of Transportation.
If a plate is blocked, Kalil said, the photograph is analyzed for the vehicle's make and model to try to identify the owner. Area troopers can be alerted about a vehicle that beats the same toll every day, she said.
Troopers often wait at toll plazas to look for scofflaws.
"If you're running the tolls, you may get away with it once or twice, but eventually it will catch up with you," FHP Sgt. Kurt Hardley said.
Tolls that are as low as 25 cents add up, Hardley said. Driving the turnpike between Lantana and Orlando, for example, costs $13.40.
Last year, 614 million vehicles drove Florida's Turnpike, according to Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. Of those, about 190 million drove along stretches in Broward and Palm Beach counties, state records show.
The camera system was installed with the introduction of SunPass in 1999. Since then, typically about 4 percent to 5 percent of drivers try to beat the system, records show. In South Florida, the numbers usually are a half-percent higher than the rest of the state.
Not all drivers who pass through plazas without paying are intentionally running the tolls, Kalil cautioned. A lot of people, especially tourists, accidentally get into a SunPass lane and have no choice but to keep going.
Covering up their plates isn't the only way motorists try to hide their tag number from cameras.
Some buy a $29.99 can of PhotoBlocker online. The spray, from a Harrisburg, Pa., manufacturer, claims it makes plates so reflective that they're illegible to the cameras.
Company representatives could not be reached for comment, despite attempts by phone.
The spray gets mixed reviews, but using it is the same as blocking out the plate with your hands, feet or other body parts, Wysocky said.
"No matter what you do, it's still illegal, and once you get caught you're going to have to pay the fines," he said.
That even goes for the driver with a guy hanging out of his trunk.
"That's pretty drastic if you're hanging out of a trunk to cover your tag," Wysocky said. But he added, jokingly, "You know, they don't have to wear their seat belt if they're in the back seat."
Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.
jjburdi@tribune.com or 561-243-6531
