An Aussie cop has issued a blunt warning to drivers who use Waze to dodge speeding fines, vowing to catch and penalise motorists who flout the rules.
The navigation app warns motorists about upcoming speed cameras, but research suggests many drivers use those alerts to slow down briefly before speeding again.
Queensland Police Senior Sergeant Shane Panoho vowed to crack down on motorists using the app to avoid being caught.
‘Stop driving like a bloody muppet and actually do the right thing,’ he said.
‘If you don’t, we will do our best to impede you and fine you and take away your driving privileges.’
Research published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology found 50 per cent of drivers were speeding before slowing down when a speed camera warning appeared on the app.
University of the Sunshine Coast researchers used laser devices to measure the speeds of more than 9,000 drivers, revealing how common Waze usage was in Australia.
‘We know that drivers are speeding and they’re just slowing down when these alerts are appearing on the app and they’re continuing to speed at other times,’ UniSC research associate Dr Levi Anderson told WIN News.
‘It was consistent across all speed limits, speed zones -it was roadworks, it was school zones, highways.
‘Drivers weren’t slowing down because of the speed limit. They were slowing because their phone told them there would be police [or cameras] ahead.’
Dr Anderson said drivers using Waze to help them speed made it increasingly difficult for officers to catch offenders.
‘It gives police a very short window to kind of interact or enforce speed limits without drivers being aware of their presence,’ he said.
The findings come as Australia recorded more than 1,300 road deaths in the past 12 months, according to the Federal Government’s National Road Safety Data Hub.
Many Aussies disagreed with the concerns, with some arguing the app actually made roads safer.
‘If its slowing us down isn’t that a good thing since speed cameras should be in danger zones where accidents are common anyway?’ one said.
‘You get a heads up and you slow down. Isn’t that the point?’ a second said.
‘So basically the same as what a speed camera ahead sign does,’ a third said.
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