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Comment by levesque | Hacker News Reader

I still don't understand why showing police cars or speed-cams on a map/GPS map is allowed or even legal.

I don't understand why showing speed-cams would be illegal. In Poland all speed-traps are clearly marked with a sign at least 100m before, so that when someone overspeeds, he doesn't suddenly break when he sees speed trap (which caused more accidents than overspeeding).

Take the reverse, when people know there are no speed cams they are free to speed as they want, which I'm sure is how a lot of people interpret this.

Some people do, but you can easily put speed cameras where there are some accidents. It's more honest that way in my opinion. I've driven in Germany and their cameras don't make me go much slower, just annoy:

- A series of 80-60 speed changes on straight road, then just when you are annoyed and don't slow, there is a speed trap.

- Badly marked school zone, I was doing 40km/h already, then a black painted camera hidden in bushes caught me.

We have those in Poland too, that's how I got my first speeding ticket. three lanes each way 80, 80 80, crossing with 60 and camera (there wasn't even any pedestrian crossing there too.

What happen, at least in Italy, is that are speed cam warnings everywhere, but of course only a tiny percentage at any time will have an actual speed camera.

It kind of works as deterrent, although I expect that the effect wears off after a while.

The British Automobile Association (AA) used to have a network of operatives on bikes (cycle scouts) who would salute members displaying the AA badge if they were approaching a police speed check.

This warning activity was tested in court and found to be illegal, as interference with the police undertaking their duties. Their response to the judgement was to switch the warning method to NOT saluting members if they're approaching a speed trap because apparently they couldn't be found culpable for inaction. So they would only salute members if the coast was clear. A bit like a warrant canary.

In Poland people used to blink their high beams when there was speed check ahead, it's sometimes still practiced (illegal then and now, but not because you warn of police, it's classified as "misuse of lights").

Because the purpose of police cars and and speed cameras, is ostensibly to make you slow down to the speed limit. Marking these on your map, makes you slow down.

This probably varies country by country, depending on whether it's a money-making exercise (where the police try to hide) or safety (where cameras are painted bright yellow and the police are clearly visible)

...this also varies by country: in some countries, the speed limit itself, not the camera, is there for your safety - I mean, how many cameras should they install?! In others, they exaggerate the speed limit, e.g. 50 km/h on a straight road outside of built-up areas, hoping that drivers will at least slow down to 80 km/h (looking at you, Italy!).

I guess the future of speed traps is "section control", e.g. install cameras at beginning and end of a speed-restricted stretch, and if the time you needed is significantly below the expected one with legal speed, you get a ticket.

Anywhere with electronic tolls already has this. It would be trivial for politicians to hit everyone with a speeding ticket on a tolled highway if average speed between two tolls is more than legal limit.

But it would be political suicide.

> I guess the future of speed traps is "section control", e.g. install cameras at beginning and end of a speed-restricted stretch, and if the time you needed is significantly below the expected one with legal speed, you get a ticket.

This has been common in Western Europe for decades now.

I didn't show police cars. It just showed fixed speed cams which is legal in the EU as even the radio stations announce the location of currently active speed cams via traffic information.

That is a matter pf national law, not EU law. In Germany for example the radio announcements are legal but devices and navigation systems that warn of them are not.

It's legal in some of the EU - to the best of my knowledge, it's illegal in Germany to have apps tell you about speed cameras/etc (you can have the app, you just can't use that bit of it).

In most countries things are legal by default unless specifically prohibited.

Why would it not be?

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