Roadshow: Is defacing license plates to fool toll camera readers on the rise in Bay Area?

Q: I have noticed an increasing trend of people defacing their license plates by removing the coating. I am told that this is done to make it harder for license plate readers and toll cameras to recognize the license numbers. I believe there is a section in the California Vehicle Code that covers altering a license plate. I don’t think additional laws are required, but enforcement should be a priority, in my opinion.

Ken Jones

A: John-the-MTC-man provided data to address your question. I shared your observation with him, and asked if he thought there was an upsurge in this. “Thanks for an interesting question,” he replied. “The short answer is an emphatic ‘No.’”

The agency’s express lanes crew dug into the records to identify the number of vehicles using the I-880 and I-680 Contra Costa express lanes with neither a FasTrak tag nor a readable license plate number. In the second half of 2022, these “orphan transactions” averaged less than 1/100th of one percent of all express lane transactions, and varied from month-to-month, with no indication of an upward trend. The situation at the seven state-owned toll bridges is similar to that of the express lanes, he said.

Q: I just received a license renewal request from the DMV. The renewal is due by the end of March. The 3 items requested are: $41, a thumbprint, and a vision test. What DMV office has the shortest wait time for a simple renewal?

Art Zikorus, San Jose

A: Customers required to visit a DMV office to renew their driver’s license in the San Jose area can visit the San Jose Driver License Processing Center at 2222 Senter Rd, San Jose, where the average wait time is 7 minutes. This location operates 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and on Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.