Speed camera alerts on navigation apps may be training drivers to speed
New research shows police alerts may teach drivers it’s ‘safe’ to speed when their navigation app is silent.
Navigation apps like Waze, Google Maps and Apple Maps offer drivers useful features like advance warnings of police or speed cameras ahead. While this is expected to make drivers slow down, new research reveals a more concerning outcome. When no warning is issued, many drivers continue to speed. This study experimented by parking an unmarked car at various roadside sites across southeastern Queensland and measuring passing car speeds with a handheld laser device.
After setting up, drivers reported the presence of police to the Waze platform on average in 14 minutes. The results showed that before the alert, 55% of drivers were speeding. After the alert, this dropped to just 26%. In 100km/h zones, the speed increase reduced from 64% to 12%. The biggest drop in speeding occurred in areas where an alert appeared.
Even in active school zones, where drivers were usually over the 40km/h limit, more than a third continued to speed after the alert. This suggests that drivers are slowing down because of the app alert, not just to follow the speed limit. Over time, drivers learn that speeding can be risky and get away with it, which is known as "punishment avoidance".
The study’s author, Levi Anderson, suggests this could lead to a change in how road policing works in a connected world. While the apps shouldn’t be banned, the findings highlight the importance of driving at the speed limit and considering local conditions, rather than relying solely on phone alerts.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
