Speeders keep tabs on cops keeping tabs on speeders

**StlouisX50** · 07-31-2009, 08:53 AM

Speeders keep tabs on cops keeping tabs on speeders

[IMG]http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/400*266/21357saanichSaanichSpeedTrap4KV.jpg[/IMG]
Const. Matt Cawsey uses a radar gun to catch speeders as they enter the Pat Bay Highway Tuesday.

Sharon Tiffin/News staff

By Keith Vass - Saanich News

Published: July 30, 2009 9:00 AM
Updated: July 30, 2009 9:32 AM

In the new battle between Smokey and the Bandit, some local drivers are turning to technology to beat the heat.
“I do eight round trips a day on the Pat Bay Highway. I want to know where the police are,” said Ken Murray, who spends eight hours a day behind the wheel, delivering auto parts for a wholesaler.
Murray is one of about ten people in Victoria using an Internet tool called Trapster to warn others about where police have staked out speed traps.
“Because I’m spending so much time on the highway, I find I get so used to what I’m doing I start to lose track of how fast I’m going. When my phone starts yelling at me saying ‘Police often hide here,’ ... it catches my attention, I look at my speed and I slow down,” he said.
On GPS-equipped smartphones, like Murray’s, a downloadable application tracks the user’s location and sends back a map with icons pinpointing where other users have reported speed traps, red light cameras and roadblocks.
For those who own regular cellphones, Trapster also sends out SMS text messages of new reports, which Murray has used to set up a Twitter feed updating trap reports as they come in (@vicspeedtraps).
Reports also show on a web-based map at Trapster - Speed Trap Sharing System.
Murray said the service’s warnings help him keep his speed in check. It’s not about avoiding police, for him though he acknowledged that’s not the case for everyone who uses the service.
Knowing that people are sharing information about the location of speed traps or roadblocks won’t change how police select those sites, said Saanich police Const. Paul Lamoureux.
Still, he said there is a concern people could use such a service to break the law.
“If people are at a party and they’re drinking and they’re planning on driving home drunk, are these people going to these websites before they drive home and look and see where the roadblocks are? I don’t know how many people do that.”
One Trapster user, who responded to the News by e-mail but didn’t provide a name, said he works as a downtown bartender and uses the site “to try provide incentive to intoxicated customers to take cabs (or) designated driver services.”
If that’s the case, and the site increases awareness that police are out there, Lamoureux said it may prove helpful.
But he also noted that roadblocks are just part of the police presence on the streets and patrol units circulate “24-7.”
“While (impaired drivers) might know where one group of police officers are conducting a roadblock, they may take a sideroad and run into a cop on a sideroad.”
kvass@vicnews.com

**lugnuts** · 08-02-2009, 08:02 AM

road blocks are there to catch drivers they normally could not catch because they are driving fine. IMHO road blocks are unconstitutional under the search and seizure laws. these drivers may be impaired according to the Governments blanket BOC levels but not everyone reacts the same to the same level of alcohol.

DUI are a huge money maker for the states huge with the fines and court costs they rake in the money. as the # of DUI's went down over the years what did they do? lower the BOC to .08 to catch more drunks with their road blocks and bring revenue back up. I wouldn't be surprised to see in the next 10 years the BOC drop again.

I am not an advocat for drinking and driving but I can see through the BS they say to get people to believe it is a bigger problem then it is. usually when you hear of a accident involving a DUI the BOC # is almost always double or tripple the leagal limit. very rarely do you hear about a crash with a person at or around the BOC limit. hmm wonder why? could it be that at .08 drivers are not impaired enough to affect their driving?

sorry for the rant but the LEO saying people are using trapster to drive drunk ticked me off. if a driver is so impaired to drive how is he going to be able to use trapster to avoid it? hmm my guess is the driver using trapster to avoid the roadblock doesn't want to be harrassed and inconvenienced by them.

**swarga** · 08-02-2009, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by lugnuts

I am not an advocat for drinking and driving but I can see through the BS they say to get people to believe it is a bigger problem then it is. usually when you hear of a accident involving a DUI the BOC # is almost always double or tripple the leagal limit. very rarely do you hear about a crash with a person at or around the BOC limit. hmm wonder why? could it be that at .08 drivers are not impaired enough to affect their driving?

All sorts of things are kept artificially low in order to maximize violation revenue. Speed limits, BAC limits, yellow light times, etc. etc.

**lugnuts** · 08-02-2009, 02:07 PM

yea I know I was just going off on a rant.....it really irritates me though that there are people that believe what the media , politicians and LEO's tell them about all of this being about safety...

**swarga** · 08-02-2009, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by lugnuts

yea I know I was just going off on a rant.....it really irritates me though that there are people that believe what the media , politicians and LEO's tell them about all of this being about safety...

Did I mention that IQs are among the things that are being kept artificially low?

**StlouisX50** · 08-03-2009, 09:38 AM

lugnuts, I could not agree more with you on your reply. I too think they are illegal. I do know there are some areas of the country where they truly look for DUI or DWI and don't hassle you. This year in Ozark, MO for example the police were having a casual conversation with a fellow infront of me while someone else was being questioned the usual. While they were talking I was asking the officer next to my vehicle about where a hotel was. He was kind and gave me the directions ect. Asked me if I had been drinking ect , with no hassle. Good leos are out there but seems rare at a check point.