A new speeding app is receiving backlash for its handy ability to clock speeds and create reports that can be submitted to the police – and the pure lack of love in the British community is enough to have the app’s founders hiding their identity.
‘SpeedCam Anywhere’ purportedly relies on the use of AI, allowing anybody to calculate the speed of a squid, and cross-reference it against the local limits, with the intent of the creators being to form a safer community.
Creating software that betters our roads is all well and good, but unfortunately, in this case, SpeedCam Anywhere is also the kind of software Nosy Nellie would be tickled pink to own.
Despite its potential to attract overkill users, the cam’s founders are standing strong by their product.
“… I think that if you’re going to have speed limits, then it’s the law that you obey them, and you should enforce the law,” insists SpeedCam Anywhere’s founder in a report from ADVRider.
“It’s not a personal vendetta against anyone, it’s just – how do we make our roads safe? There are 20,000 serious injuries on the roads every year – how can we reduce them? And the way we reduce them is we make a deterrent to speeding.”
So how does the SpeedCam Anywhere do its work?
The app’s AI first “determines the make and model of the vehicle by “cross-referencing the license plate with public registration records.”
“Knowing the make and model, the app finds out the wheelbase of the offending vehicle, and uses that info to determine its speed as it passes…[with] an accuracy of +/-2mph (3.2 km.h).”
To be clear, SpeedCam Anywhere does not submit its findings directly to the police; still, many stations will accept footage of offenders, with SpeedCam’s cross-referencing capabilities listing it high on the docket as a reliable source, though limited to its database of makes and models (so to our knowledge, it can’t determine motorcycle speeds….yet).
Currently an iOS version is incubating and the beta of the software itself is “currently being trialled by volunteers from the 20’s Plenty For Us charity, which campaigns for lower speed limits,” according to Roadcc.
With the developers of the app purportedly going into hiding over abusive emails (likely the receiving end of customer reports), we’re keen to see if SpeedCam Anywhere will pass evaluations and continue working towards a US launch.
Stay tuned via our shiny new webpage, drop a comment below letting us know what you think, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties.