Toll evader who went viral with sneaky device caught by police

You may recall a certain Lexus GS owner who went viral earlier this year for avoiding tolls by using a remote-controlled number plate curtain. Well, now he’s been stung by police.

Footage shared by Dash Cam Owners Australia in August showed the driver of this distinctively modified third-generation GS sedan appearing to conceal their number plate as they passed under a toll gantry, before opening the curtain once more.

The NSW Police Force’s Traffic and Highway Patrol Command caught up with the 22-year-old driver recently in Stanmore, according to its Facebook page, after observing the vehicle was fitted with what it calls “stealth plate curtains” front and rear.

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As suspected, the driver had wired the device through the vehicle to a control module in the centre console, where the curtains could be opened and closed with the push of a button.

“The driver offered many excuses for having the device fitted to his vehicle, such as having no other way to attach his registration plates, and to cover up imperfections in the bright blue vinyl wrap covering his vehicle,” Traffic and Highway Patrol Command said in its Facebook post.

The excuses didn’t work. Not only was the setup confiscated by police, but officers also issued an infringement notice. The driver has copped nine demerit points and a “hefty” fine.

Perhaps if you want to get away with something sneaky like this, don’t drive around in a modified, bright blue Lexus GS…

MORE: Lexus owner’s sneaky toll evasion trick caught on dashcam