If you want to fool a traffic-enforcement camera, you have to drive really, really REALLY fast.

A group of students at The University of Leicester postulate that by traveling at one-sixth the speed of light, a mere 116 million miles per hour,the frequency of light from an object travelling away from the observer shifts towards the red end of the color spectrum, rendering the camera unable to make out the license plate number. This is also known as the Doppler Effect; for example, a siren changes frequencies to your ear as the ambulance moves closer to you and then further away from you.

Essex student Dan Worthy commented that "it would be completely pointless to try to use this method to avoid a speeding ticket."

Most people have noticed traffic enforcement cameras at many intersections and, judging by the statistics, many more than a few have seen the flash of light in the rearview mirror and have then received a not-so-courteous "courtesy notice" in the mail. These cameras actually have an interesting mix of features to try and overcome objections of opponents.

There are basically two types of cameras:

Bus lane and carpool lane cameras operate on basically the same principle.