People Are Spraying WD-40 on Their License Plates to Avoid Traffic Fines

This household product, which costs just a few dollars and is commonly found in every home, can be used on your license plate.

Car enthusiasts who enjoy doing repairs themselves only really need two things: duct tape (duck tape) and WD-40. This multi-purpose was initially designed for use in the aerospace industry, but has since been the go to product when looking for a degreaser.

WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula (it took 40 attempts to get to this product), and it works well as a water displacer and is ideal for creating a protective barrier and keeping water off certain surfaces.

This has lead to WD-40 being used by drivers on a number of different car parts. The following trick became popular among chauffeurs and later among drivers - using WD-40 on license plates to supposedly block speeding cameras and avoid fines. 

The idea behind this was to spray WD-40 on the license plates so that they have a greater shine, and make them reflective in the light, with the aim of becoming undetectable to speed radars and traffic cameras. 

It has been claimed that spraying license plates can render them undetectable to road radars, potentially allowing drivers to evade speeding tickets. However, traffic laws require that license plates remain visible at all times and must not be modified or obscured for any reason, including dirt accumulation. Violating these rules can result in fines of several hundred dollars, so it's not at all worth the risk.

Interestingly, this theory has been tested with WD-40. When applied to a number plate, WD-40 creates a protective barrier that repels water and dirt, keeping the plates in better condition. Crucially, it does not obscure the plates, which remain clearly visible and photographable, making it an ineffective method for evading detection but a useful way to keep plates clean.

For those considering making their number plate reflective to avoid detection, it's important to note that specialized aerosols for this purpose are illegal and banned in many countries. Instead if you want to keep your number plate clean, then the best option is just use soap and water.