A new GPS device has been launched that will allow drivers to warn each other about mobile speed traps and is apparently legal because of a loophole in the law.
The Mini Coyote requires drivers to press a button on a small dashboard-mounted box whenever they pass a speed trap.
This pinpoints the location and reports it to a central computer, which then alerts other drivers using the system. It’s a modern version of flashing your lights to warn oncoming motorists of a speed trap.
The Mini Coyote will cost around £199 and is available through internet retailers.
More than 50,000 drivers in France already use the device, which has been developed by GPS experts Coyote Systems. In September alone they reported 27,000 mobile speed trap locations.
The system is so efficient that a car travelling just a few hundred yards behind a driver who presses the button will be alerted to the danger.
If a driver constantly presses the alert at locations where there are no other reports of a speed trap, his transmissions are blocked.
The government wants to make it illegal to use devices that detect radar systems. But there is currently no specific legislation outlawing this type of advisory service.
Legal experts point out that drivers could technically be charged with perverting the course of justice - as they could be for flashing their lights to warn other motorists of a speed trap.
Edmund King of the AA told The Times: “We think it would be extremely difficult to prosecute someone for perverting the course of justice if they had warned another motorist of speed cameras ahead.”
Nigel Carter of Coyote Systems justifies the product as a “road safety device.” He says it “could prevent accidents by stopping drivers suddenly stamping on their brakes when they see a camera.”
Join the debate
Add your comment
Re: Legal mobile speed trap alert?
Very smart idea. I got zapped 3 times by speed cameras, twice in germany and once in France, however I only got one notice to pay a 123 euro fine from germany, which i am not going to pay, as I live in the US, never heard back from them again after I told them I was not going to pay the fine.
However this idea won't work in the US as most speeders are caught by radar used by highway patrol who are constantly on the move.
It would be good for redlight cameras in the US.