In late May 2008 a friend sent us a link to a novel site called Trapster. If you sign up as a member you can report speed traps simply by pressing a button on your cell phone. Other users will be warned as they approach the speed trap. That "other user" could be you, of course, thus possibly sparing you from receiving a speeding ticket.
We see a few problems here. First of all, radar enforcement of the speed laws cannot be called a "speed trap". The police are entitled to enforce the laws, even if that is not convenient for people who like to drive too fast. Secondly, if you are helping others to avoid radar enforcement, could you be charged with aiding and abetting a crime?
Years ago some small towns used to reduce the speed limit with no advance warning. Sometimes the speed limit signs were placed on curves or hills where they could not be seen until it was too late. Policeman stationed near the sign would catch the "speeders". That was a speed trap.
Some jurisdictions habitually flagged people with out-of-state license plates and imposed heavy fines on them for minor speeding infractions. Local citizens were rarely ticketed. That was also a speed trap.
The automobile clubs put pressure on these towns to stop these practices, labeling some routes and even some states as having "selective speed enforcement". When state officials realized how much this was hurting their tourist trade they shut down the speed traps..
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But there is more to be concerned about than just speeding tickets. Notice what the Trapster Web page says:
- Trapster® learns the credibility of traps based on how many users agree.
- It also learns the credibility of each user, over time.
- Trapster® works on any mobile phone, and also other devices like navigation systems, laptop computers, and Car PCs!
We have not tried this service so we cannot evaluate its effectiveness. Apart from the legal aspects, we would be concerned about having our cell phone habits and our location monitored.
It takes money, and lots of it, to stand up a server farm. It takes more money to run the system. So, how are they planning to pay for all of this? And just what are they doing with the information they collect? Will they use it for marketing purposes? Will they bombard my cell phone with advertising messages, at my expense?
Forgive us for being a little bit old fashioned, but this service just does not feel right and in so many ways.
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