Although Waze is the most popular (and probably the best) app for finding out about the presence of fixed and mobile radars on the roadthere are many other free alternatives that fulfill this function. However, more and more drivers, instead of using navigation apps, are starting to use messaging apps to alert others.
That’s what we call “Galician method” because a few months ago we learned that a Galician would be tried in Galicia for having informed 15,000 other drivers of controls via WhatsApp. The DGT is already looking for ways to combat it.
Behavior that threatens the safety of citizens
Image: Michael Schwarzenberger (Pixabay)
There are countless tricks to break the rules on the road. And one of the most common is warn other drivers the presence of radars and DGT controls. Jammers, radar detectors and flashes of light are severely penalized, so the mobile phone has become the ideal tool for this.
Until now, the most common thing was to use a navigation app to report incidents on the road (including speed cameras), but messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp They are gaining ground when it comes to instantly receiving alerts from thousands of drivers.
Neither the Highway Code, nor its Law, nor its Road Regulations specify the prohibition of alerting about a control by means of a notification in a messaging application or a browser. In addition, the applications are not capable of detecting by themselves the presence or absence of a radar, they simply send Notifications “warn” the driver with what has been contributed by other users.
Despite this legal vacuum, last May, the Traffic Officers denounced an individual who was managing WhatsApp groups up to 15,000 users in which the checks were notified. They did so by hiding behind article 36.23 of the Citizen Security Act, which constitutes a serious offence:
“The unauthorised use of images or personal or professional data of authorities or members of the security forces and bodies which could endanger the personal or family security of agents, protected installations or compromise the success of an operation, while respecting the fundamental right to information”.
The user in question was Galician, which is why this way of doing things was called “the Galician method”. In statements to the Faro de Vigo, Pere Navarro, director of the DGT, said that:
“The network notification of police checks seriously undermines road safety, as it allows offenders to evade the law, thus endangering the lives of all road users. This is an act of disunity that goes against the principles of road safety.”
The same media also assures that the Government is already working in collaboration with the DGT to develop new regulations or modify existing ones to severely sanction the notification of police checks. The intention is to define this action as “very serious violation” which results in a fine of 500 dollars.
Cover Image | Divided County
In Xataka Android | This Google Maps shortcut saves me time getting home and shows me speed cameras along the way
