8 ms·

Game changing smartphone app gathers evidence of speeding

12 points by bwindsor 4y ago

dazc 4y ago
Of late I have started carrying my phone with video recording already activated on my weekend walks due to the actions of a few motorists, especially down narrow roads where there is barely room for a car and pedestrian to pass safely. Seeing a car approach at an unreasonable speed I hold up my phone and, miraculously, the car suddenly slows down and makes room for me to pass. Quite impressive really.
- oyebenny 4y ago
  You must be fun at parties.
  - dazc 4y ago
    If you bring your car to a party and drive at speed towards me expecting me to leap over a wall to avoid being hit, yes I am. Otherwise, not so much.
- jaclaz 4y ago
  >Seeing a car approach at an unreasonable speed I hold up my phone and, miraculously, the car suddenly slows down and makes room for me to pass. Quite impressive really. I think that would work the same even if you have not video recording activated, i.e. holding up any coloured rectangle would work as well, the case you need the video is only when it doesn't work.
  - dazc 4y ago
    I may just try the coloured rectangle idea, could be interesting if I am challenged - which has already happened once with the phone.
    - jaclaz 4y ago
      Not coloured, but handy (and both waterproof and shockproof, guaranteed, no batteries/charger) just in case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoPhone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoPhone https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nophone-usa/the-new-and-unimproved-nophone/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nophone-usa/the-new-and... (I think the company went out of business recently, though)
Dracophoenix 4y ago
I wonder if this is going to result in a Cobra Effect but with deepfakes instead.
jaimex2 4y ago
It's not admissible as evidence so pointless really. Police equipment is certified as calibrated regularly to prove its accurate. Your phone footage could be anything and no AI is going to change that.
endisneigh 4y ago
I’m surprised governments haven’t already made an official app to “democratize” traffic enforcement. - take a video of someone double parking: fine - take a video of someone idling their car too long: fine Once it gets a critical mass (I’d estimate a relatively small usage around 15%) I’d imagine traffic law breaking will go away for the most part. The inability to know when you might be recorded and consequently fined would lead most to simply stop doing it. The only other necessary thing would be to increase fines to be more in line with the ability to pay to be a useful deterrent. Add in a kickback of say 30% to those who report once fine is collected and you’ve just created a highly motivated, distributed and invisible traffic law enforcement apparatus. There are some technical challenges to be solved, though.
- thrashh 4y ago
  It’s because a big part of its citizens (like me) considers that a form of vigilantism and I will absolutely not support anything like that.
  - mlN90 4y ago
    How is taking a picture of an illegal parked car and sending it to the police any different than calling the police? And why would you call it vigilantism?
- carpenecopinum 4y ago
  Until before the second to last paragraph, I'm fully with you on this idea. Especially when using the bike it's very frustrating that there is no (ideally low-friction) way to report people parking on bike lanes. But I think that something like the 30% kick-back will result in a massive increase of people who will somehow construct issues artificially, just to make more money. IMHO it should be plenty to just provide a simple way to report actual annoyances.
- netsharc 4y ago
  A few days ago there's this report about citizens reporting idling trucks in NY: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/19/nyregion/clean-air-idle-car.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/19/nyregion/clean-air-idle-c...

12 points by bwindsor 4y ago

dazc 4y ago

Of late I have started carrying my phone with video recording already activated on my weekend walks due to the actions of a few motorists, especially down narrow roads where there is barely room for a car and pedestrian to pass safely. Seeing a car approach at an unreasonable speed I hold up my phone and, miraculously, the car suddenly slows down and makes room for me to pass. Quite impressive really.

oyebenny 4y ago
You must be fun at parties.
- dazc 4y ago
  If you bring your car to a party and drive at speed towards me expecting me to leap over a wall to avoid being hit, yes I am. Otherwise, not so much.
jaclaz 4y ago
>Seeing a car approach at an unreasonable speed I hold up my phone and, miraculously, the car suddenly slows down and makes room for me to pass. Quite impressive really. I think that would work the same even if you have not video recording activated, i.e. holding up any coloured rectangle would work as well, the case you need the video is only when it doesn't work.
- dazc 4y ago
  I may just try the coloured rectangle idea, could be interesting if I am challenged - which has already happened once with the phone.
  - jaclaz 4y ago
    Not coloured, but handy (and both waterproof and shockproof, guaranteed, no batteries/charger) just in case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoPhone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoPhone https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nophone-usa/the-new-and-unimproved-nophone/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nophone-usa/the-new-and... (I think the company went out of business recently, though)

Dracophoenix 4y ago

I wonder if this is going to result in a Cobra Effect but with deepfakes instead.

jaimex2 4y ago

It's not admissible as evidence so pointless really. Police equipment is certified as calibrated regularly to prove its accurate. Your phone footage could be anything and no AI is going to change that.

endisneigh 4y ago

I’m surprised governments haven’t already made an official app to “democratize” traffic enforcement. - take a video of someone double parking: fine - take a video of someone idling their car too long: fine Once it gets a critical mass (I’d estimate a relatively small usage around 15%) I’d imagine traffic law breaking will go away for the most part. The inability to know when you might be recorded and consequently fined would lead most to simply stop doing it. The only other necessary thing would be to increase fines to be more in line with the ability to pay to be a useful deterrent. Add in a kickback of say 30% to those who report once fine is collected and you’ve just created a highly motivated, distributed and invisible traffic law enforcement apparatus. There are some technical challenges to be solved, though.

thrashh 4y ago
It’s because a big part of its citizens (like me) considers that a form of vigilantism and I will absolutely not support anything like that.
- mlN90 4y ago
  How is taking a picture of an illegal parked car and sending it to the police any different than calling the police? And why would you call it vigilantism?
carpenecopinum 4y ago
Until before the second to last paragraph, I'm fully with you on this idea. Especially when using the bike it's very frustrating that there is no (ideally low-friction) way to report people parking on bike lanes. But I think that something like the 30% kick-back will result in a massive increase of people who will somehow construct issues artificially, just to make more money. IMHO it should be plenty to just provide a simple way to report actual annoyances.
netsharc 4y ago
A few days ago there's this report about citizens reporting idling trucks in NY: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/19/nyregion/clean-air-idle-car.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/19/nyregion/clean-air-idle-c...