Phantom Alert GPS System Stirs Up Controversy
First you pick your plan:
$9.99 monthly, $39.99 for one year and $99.99 for Life Time.
Once you've bought the software, you go to the website and download the location database for your area into your GPS. The location database is made up of reports of speed traps and photo enforcement locations by drivers and spotters. When you approach one of these places while driving, you will receive audio and visual alerts, allowing you to see them before they see you.
According to MSNBC, supporters of the software insist that it will help decrease accidents and help people drive safely. Opponents and authorities fear that the new technology will only encourage reckless driving. Phantom Alert CEO Joe Scott told MSNBC, "If people know how many cameras and checkpoints are out there, it will scare them into driving safely."
I don't buy that argument either. While reading up on this situation, I came across a video on the Phantom Alert website exhibiting how wonderful the item is. The video consisted of the two salesmen standing on a Washington D.C. street that contained two speed cameras.
The speed limit on this street is 25 miles an hour. "Phantom Joe" insists that "nobody drives 25 miles an hour in D.C." even as cars obviously going 25 miles an hour drive past him. Then as four unlucky schmucks get photographed within five seconds for speeding, the two men howl and laugh at their demise, insisting,
"That is like 200 dollars a pop! Everybody needs one of these things!"
I don't hear anything about safety concerns; just how inconvenient it will be for drivers to pay their tickets. I understand the appeal of this thing. Getting a ticket Feels horrible, especially when it's extra pricey. But is Phantom Alert really going to make people drive safely?
In the same video, Phantom Alert spokesperson Peter Ziesmann had this to say to an Albuquerque television reporter,
"We're not saying break the law. . .we're just using something that's a nice hi-tech piece of safety."
That's the problem. The device may make people be "safe" around the speed traps, but what's to make that good behavior continue once they get past them? With such a helpful warning in advance, it may just encourage drivers to be careful around certain places, but drive however they want to in others, which will still lead to accidents. Teenagers would take advantage of Phantom Alert, especially underage drinkers trying to avoid a DUI checkpoint. How is relying on this device going to help them hone their driving skills?
By all accounts, it just seems to be another way to skirt responsibility.
Eric Wilkinson, GPS Program Finds Red Light Cameras, MSNBC
Make Your GPS Smart Avoid Costly Traffic Tickets, YouTube.com
Published by Sarah F. Sullivan
Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English, emphasis in Writing. Freelance writer and editor for three years. View profile
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5 Comments
Post a CommentBS...when Lockheed Martin/ACS dictate contrat terms (ie...we'll fund the technology, but we want a clip) and the dollars don't provide an ROI, they get to move the Red Light Cameras.
I've been in two situations while on motorcycle on wet pavement approaching an intersection where a rl camera was located. Both times, the yellow light was shortened (it was set against standard); I'm not going to nail the brakes and get slammed from behind, when clearly, the game was rigged. The states, muni's are broke; they're looking for any and all types of proposals that will generate revenue.
These redlight cameras are part of wholesale destruction of the consitution. A ticket is a court summons,which one signs,it is a promise to appear,just like other sorts of summons handled by process servers,it is not legal unless siged. A ticket sent in the mail is not legit. Due process is out the window,there's no proff the owner of the car was driving. Cities should use technology to optimize the timing of stoplights to actuall traffic flow,in realtime so fols have less motivation to speed. This won;t solve the problem,but will mitigate it.
forget that... speed traps and red light cameras stopped being about safety years ago. It's a money maker for cities and towns, plain and simple.
There's a few of these GPS camera detectors. Check out www.gpsangel.com to find one also.
Nice piece. Just like this phantom system won't make people drive safer, putting a few cameras up won't change driver behavior either. They merely get a reminder of what the speed limit is 2 weeks after driving too fast.