New Service Maps Speed Traps By Cell Phone

esocid writes "In a modern equivalent of flashing your headlights to warn other motorists of police speed traps, you can now warn fellow drivers with a cell phone or personal digital assistant about speed traps, red-light cameras, and other threats to ticket-free driving. And as you approach a known threat, you'll get an audio alert on your mobile device. The developer of Trapster, Pete Tenereillo, said the system, which requires punching in a few keys such as '#1' to submit information to Trapster's database, should comply with laws banning talking on cell phones. The free service can automatically detect location using mobile devices' GPS capabilities or tap their Wi-Fi and get location from a database run by Skyhook Wireless. Police officials that Tenereillo has talked to haven't complained about the service because it inevitably encourages drivers to slow down."

Comments

That's a violation

[Anonymous Coward]

of the privacy of police officers!

So

[Anonymous Coward]

You're rocketing down the freeway exceeding the speed limit checking your phone for text messages warning you to slow down. I hope you die in car fire.

Re:So

[yo_tuco]

"In Seattle, this makes you a hero."

No, it makes you a 206-RAT-FINK. If you want to be a hero, just dial 911 to make a cop come.

Re:So

[Anonymous Coward]

You see, driving at the speed limit in the left lane of a multilane highway is breaking the law. So, you're breaking the law if you don't break the law? I think the highway patrol just vanished in a puff of logic.

Re:Why complain?

[Xtravar]

But then the police would... have to find something useful to do.

Not reliable enough

[markov_chain]

Maybe troopers will start to hide around halfway between towers now ;)

- *flashing lights*
- Guy gets pulled over
- "license and registration please"
- cell phone beeps "speed trap ahead"
- "Oh what have we got here?"

Re:Sigh

[Anonymous Coward]

I am so not participating in this discussion.

Apparently, you are.

Arms Race

[Thelasko]

I wonder what the cops will come up with the counter this technology. Sure, some departments just want you to slow down, but others just want your money.

My friend just bought a shiny new radar detector. Radar detectors are illegal in some places and the cops can find out if your using one with a radar detector detector. My friend's new radar detector prevents that from happening because it has a radar detector detector detector that shuts off the radar detector if it detects a radar detector detector.

Seriously, this arms race has to stop! I'm sick of using the word detector!

LARTing by text message

[wsanders]

I never had so much fun on the dreary drive between Dallas and Houston as the times when we used to carry a radar speed gun in the car and would turn it on when some tailgating speeding asshole flew past us.

Extra points for visible smoke emanating from the screeching tires.

Double extra points for loss of vehicle control!