With the increasing use of mobile comes increasingly innovative applications. As we have seen in the past, community driven applications offer the most potential and Trapster is no exception. Trapster is a mobile application that works across a wide range of mobile platforms that alerts users as they approach a speed trap. The service depends on its users either pressing a button or calling a toll free number whenever they encounter a speed trap. Trapster can be used with any kind of phone, but is optimized for phones that support GPS or WiFi (using skyhook wireless technology). Not only is trapster free to use, it saves you money by avoiding hefty speeding charges and increased insurance premiums.

Trapster provides an API for integration with connected GPS Devices and there is also a Trapster Google Mapplet dubbed the ‘Trapplet’ that displays the reported speed traps on Google My Maps. The Trapster website notes that there are various static speed trap reporting websites out there such as this one but they are not useful since police change speed trap locations so often and thus only a real time updated mobile application such as Trapster can really be effective in avoiding speeding tickets. The great thing about Trapster is that unlike most community driven websites or applications, you dont need a critical mass to benefit from the service. Only a few active users in your area reporting live speed traps will suffice.

Police radar detectors such as those made by Cobra or Uniden are illegal in Canada but if the Trapster application becomes popular enough to render police traps futile – will the application become illegal too? How can such a law be enforced?