NYPD arrests couple for stealing traffic cams w/cherry picker originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading National Motorists Association ranks states most hostile to drivers

National Motorists Association ranks states most hostile to drivers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 May 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The team at Njection have updated their Speedtrap site with new features and more detailed speed trap information. After introducing the ability to upload speed trap information to Garmin GPS units in March, Njection has now added color-coded maps on its website. Locations of user-reported police radar, or other speed enforcement devices, are displayed as colored dots based on the threat level. Low level threats are yellow, while medium threats are orange. The highest level threats are displayed in red. In addition to the map upgrades, a new "speed trap heat map" visually charts the day and time of the week when the threats are the highest. As before, all database information for the free service is provided by registered users on the site who report on their local enforcement tactics. Check out the press release after the jump for a special incentive for new registered users that may or may not be of any value to you.

Continue reading Bring on the heat: Njection updates Speedtrap site

Bring on the heat: Njection updates Speedtrap site originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Your mobile phone alerts you as you approach speed traps." That's the idea behind Trapster, an innovative service that uses technology, not the age-old flashing headlamps approach, to notify other drivers of a police speed trap. Motorists who come across an enforced speed zone are encouraged to report the location via an application running on their cell phone, PDA, and other types of devices. The notification is then broadcast to other Trapster members who receive audio or text message warnings as they approach the area.

There are four default alerts: police, speed camera, red light camera, and usual hiding place. Each is displayed in a color that alters from green to yellow to red, based on the "confidence" of the trap (more reports on a single trap increase the confidence). In a helpful move, known traps can be viewed on a Google-powered map on the Trapster web site before you leave the house or office and jump behind the wheel.

According to the inventors, Trapster works with any kind of phone. However, it is optimized with devices that support GPS or WiFi. While you'd think law enforcement would oppose the exposure of their speed traps, it hasn't been met with much resistance, as it actually encourages motorists to slow down. Unfortunately, as others point out, it also requires drivers to take their eyes off the road as they fumble to send alerts with their electronic devices.

[Source: AOL Autos]

Trapster exposes speed traps on your mobile device originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 May 2008 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Charlotte NC speed cameras could unwittingly cost city $4.6 million originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 May 2006 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Study: Maryland county's red light cameras net $2.85 million, increase accidents originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Apr 2006 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A Minneapolis, Minnesota area judge has given red-light cameras a taste of their own medicine. Hennepin County District Judge Mark Wernick has put the red light on the county's automated traffic signal cameras installed this past July.

The judge found legal fault with the county's 'Stop On Red' program, which (like virtually all red-light camera programs) tickets the owners of the offending vehicles, not the drivers themselves. As Minnesota state laws put the responsibility for light violations on the driver, Wernick threw out the challenging ticket, saying that Minneapolis lacks the authority to make law an ordinance that would hold vehicle owners responsible.

The motorist who brought the case to court was represented by an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) volunteer attorney, Howard Bass, who argued that the ordinance was unconstitutional, though Judge Wernick didn't comment on that facet of their case.

The city is mulling whether to appeal the decision, but the case could set an important legal precident nationwide, as it is estimated that as many as 160 other cities employ red light cameras.

[Source: Associated Press via KMSP Fox 9 News]

(Top tip, Jenni!)

Minneapolis judge orders 'lights out' for traffic signal cameras originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Mar 2006 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.