News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by megy on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @09:44PM (#16426429)
> he location of speed traps most importantly.

How in any was is that legal or ethical to have that data available.

Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by arkades on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @10:02PM (#16426493)
Because, as was hashed out in court on exactly that question: the purpose of speed enforcement is to reduce speeding, not generate ticket revenue. If making people aware that they’re going to get caught speeding -makes them slow down- then the police presence is reducing the crime.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by megy on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @10:58PM (#16426726)
The point is to reduce speeding everywhere, not just in a few places that have cameras. What a joke.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by monkpit on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @11:09PM (#16426773)
We haven’t heard your solution to the problem yet...
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by rbadaro on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @08:18AM (#16429196)
Average speed check zones. Multiple cameras that identify your car and ensure your average speed between point to point is not above the legal limit. Sure, you can go above the speed limit and then slow down, but it would be a pain to have to slow down, specially if you put cameras the entrance and exit of service stations in highways to discount breaks.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by kawfey on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @10:54AM (#16430316)
This would be a crazy revenue boost for metro areas outside of rush hour, where interstates are typically 55mph zones, while the traffic collectively moves at 65-70mph; going any slower than the flow is dangerous, but it's a dilemma to risk a ticket or risk a rear-ender.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by maccard on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @04:58AM (#16428276)
Not OP but limit cars sold in a country to whatever the speed on the freeway is. e.g. in the UK, all cars registered here must have limiters fitted to stop it exceeding 70mph.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by QasimK on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @06:12AM (#16428613)
This would prevent speeding (but stop overtaking) on motorways, which I argue are the roads that need the least speed control. Speeding is probably more harmful on all other roads where you have pedestrians, cyclists and complex road layouts.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by maccard on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @08:48AM (#16429374)
I agree, but if the goal is to simply stop speeding, it will stop it on motorways. Whether it has any safety benefits or not is incidental.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by moate on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @11:58AM (#16430864)
Well there's the problem. Why is that a goal. http://www.sehinc.com/news/truth-about-speed-limits-explaine...
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by maccard on Thursday February 22, 2018 @04:20AM (#16436339)
Oh sorry - to be clear, I was being a little pedantic about he question the parent mentioned - what is his solution to stopping speeding. I agree that reducing Speed limits (particularly on motorways) isn’t the answer. There are other reasons for it however, eg Ireland [0] is attempting to reduce the speed for environmental reasons.

[0] https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/news/irela...

Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by dannyw on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @05:20AM (#16428380)
This will result in lives lost when people can’t overtake.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by maccard on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @08:50AM (#16429393)
I don't see how this could happen. What scenario could you be in that you can safely overtake (at 70+mph) that you can't avoid by slowing down?
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by lmm on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @09:39AM (#16429729)
Sure, but it will save many more lives by reducing speeding.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by int_handler on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @07:31PM (#16434232)
If Waze's police and red light camera indications cause more people to comply the law while driving, isn't that already better than not having this feature at all?
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by efrafa on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @10:06PM (#16426510)
In europe you usuallly have warning before speedtrap. You can also hear about them in fm radio.

The point is to slow down, not to get you a ticket..

Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by Angostura on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @05:55AM (#16428550)
Though interestingly, in France it is nominally illegal to have your SatNav warn you of speed cameras. You are meant to turn that facility off when visiting.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by gmac on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @07:51AM (#16429043)
Indeed, and the TomTom interface for reporting speed cameras becomes instead an interface for reporting 'hazards' (with no prizes for guessing the kinds of 'hazards' that people then choose to report).
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by megy on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @10:59PM (#16426729)
The point is to stop people speeding in every location, so how does this achieve that?
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by pvg on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @11:33PM (#16426865)
The point of all traffic regulations and enforcement is to improve safety. Ensuring people adhere to the limits in high-risk areas does that.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by CamperBob2 on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @01:27AM (#16427321)
And if the police focused their efforts in "high-risk areas" it would be hard to make the argument that speed enforcement is all about revenue.

They don't, so it's not.

Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by pvg on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @01:39AM (#16427381)
That's a different tangent. Can enforcers abuse their enforcement privileges? Sure. Is the point of traffic regulations 'to stop people speeding in every location'? No.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by derefr on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @12:41AM (#16427146)
Why not just put in speedbumps every few miles, then?
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by rimliu on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @04:15AM (#16428059)
There is another solution which is being implemented in my country: average speed traps. Instead of the measuring your momentary speed it measures the time you take to go over some particular distance and then calculates your average speed. If it is over the limit, you are in trouble.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by snowwrestler on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @01:25AM (#16427312)
The reason there aren't speed bumps every few miles is the same reason it's not illegal to tell each other where the speed traps are: there is tension between public support for the goal, and public annoyance at enforcement.

This is also why it's not illegal to buy a car that can go 120 mph, even though there is not a single road in the U.S. with a speed limit that high.

Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by barsonme on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @03:23AM (#16427849)
> This is also why it's not illegal to buy a car that can go 120 mph

That, and I can take my 120+ mph car to the track. (Also, I can think of a couple times having a car able to go 120 mph has helped me get out of the way of some accidents a slower car would've got caught up in.)

Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by snowwrestler on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @09:55AM (#16429842)
I'd love to hear about the times going 120 mph kept you safe from an accident.

Keep in mind I'm not talking about powerful acceleration; top speed can be electronically governed. You could have a car that goes 0-60 in under 4 seconds, but is governed to 75 mph top speed by law.

Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by maccard on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @04:59AM (#16428283)
Presumably if you had time to accelerate to 120mph, you had time to slow down instead?
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by morsch on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @09:08AM (#16429511)
I don't think you can easily ban people telling each other about speed traps, and by extension having a program with similar features.

But I agree that it's an unethical feature. The people who have the most interest in it are the same people who routinely exceed the speed limit -- otherwise, what's the point!

Eh. If it were up to me, regular streetworthy cars would be both sensibly limited in power (say, 60 HP) and speed (say, 80 kph).

Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by lolsal on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @10:01PM (#16426486)
What legal or ethical laws does it violate to have that data available?
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by hokumguru on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @10:10PM (#16426527)
You can buy a radar detector on amazon or $50, I'd say probably not many otherwise those would be much more regulated.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by jcranmer on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @10:48PM (#16426681)
I grew up in Virginia, where radar detectors are illegal. I was surprised to learn that Virginia is in fact the only US state to ban radar detectors. It's also the only state to consider going 20 over the speed limit (or over 80 even on a 70mph highway) automatic reckless driving.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by lolsal on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @12:13PM (#16430998)
It's not illegal to know where police are, even if it may be illegal to operate a radar detector.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by megy on Tuesday February 20, 2018 @11:00PM (#16426736)
Providing this information makes it easier for people to speed in other places, making the roads a more dangerous place. This rule has definitely cost lives. If you don't think it is unethical, then what is your definition?
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by gambiting on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @09:31AM (#16429664)
Seeing how people react to unmarked speed cameras(police on the side of the road): full brakes with zero concern what is behind them, I'd say not telling people where cameras are is far more dangerous.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by CamperBob2 on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @01:27AM (#16427323)
This sounds like an excellent place for a [Citation Needed] tag, no pun intended.
Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by kimdcmason on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @12:51PM (#16431363)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0012902/

tldr; speed traps save lives and reduce injury.

Re:Apple Maps vs. Google Maps vs. Waze by CamperBob2 on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @04:37PM (#16433199)
That's a meta-analysis that doesn't focus on police activities, but rather unattended camera installations. Results of such studies have hardly been unequivocal, unlike the financial benefits to the camera operators.

Setting aside the fact that you can find a pubmed link to "prove" the efficacy of almost any intervention, the original assertion -- that the roads are more dangerous when drivers are informed of the presence of cameras, police, or both -- is not addressed by this survey.

As speeds have gone up, the death rate has gone down more or less steadily, at least until the last couple of years when drivers collectively decided that their cellphones are more interesting than their driving. A study that purports to exonerate speed traps must first address this rather inconvenient truth.