Attention, police control to come, or not. While reporting speed cameras and police checkpoints in navigation apps is strongly discouraged, drivers always find a way to stay informed and beat speed limits. An attitude that obviously does not please the authorities in France and elsewhere. In the UK, Surrey County Police have found a rather original way to take advantage of this habit, by reporting themselves… imaginary police checkpoints.
False points to raise awareness of the dangers
It was the local police themselves who spilled the beans on Twitter by claiming to use Waze to stop speeding vehicles. To do this, there is nothing better than pointing out checkpoints to the attention of the application’s users.
“Absolutely no random police markers in Waze for our patrol, ever. Easy way to slow down drivers on our roads. Thanks Waze.”Surrey Police joke on Twitter.
With humor, the British authorities thus recognize that certain exposed points are totally fictitious and that at that moment there is no stationary patrol. But the choice of location is not random and represents a dangerous area that cars do not take sufficiently into account.
By diverting a classic use of Waze, the police nevertheless trigger the reflex that is expected of the driver: take his foot off the accelerator when approaching the marked area, without knowing if the control is real or totally fictitious.
But this point only has a short lifespan in the application, which is based on the collaborative aspect. Multiple users can quickly report that the police checkpoint does not exist and thus remove it. Yet according to local policeHowever, the lifespan of a dummy checkpoint is 10-20 minutes. “Everything is good to drink,” he concludes, still on Twitter.
Source: BFM TV
Emily Miller is a voice to be reckoned with in the world of opinion journalism. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a unique and thought-provoking perspective to current events and political issues, delivering insightful and engaging commentary.