Many motorists throughout Gwinnett County and the rest of the country increasingly have new on-board tools to help them lessen the risks of being stopped for traffic-related offenses.
Not many people, including police officers, are really surprised over the new uses to which rapidly evolving technology applications are being employed by drivers on the road who seek to avoid being ticketed for speeding or other driving offenses.
Consider the PhantomAlert, an online database that can be downloaded to smartphones and GPS systems. It warns drivers about a broad spectrum of possible concerns, ranging from the location of police red-light camera s and speed traps to approaching school zones and DUI checkpoints.
Some police departments are not opposed to the new tools, while others detest them.
Count Maryland's Montgomery County Police Department among the latter. "If people are going to use those, what other purpose are they going to use them for except to drink and drive?" queries an officer there. "They're only thinking of one consequence, and that's being arrested," he says. "They're not thinking of ending the lives of other motorists."
A police officer from Virginia offers a different take, saying that the new applications render drivers more alert to their surrounding circumstances and, thus, less likely to have an accident. "If that's what gets them to comply, that's fine," he says.
Related Resource: www.usatoday.com "High-tech apps help drivers evade police" March 21, 2011
