The DGT publicly has a list with radars what’s on the roads. These are the ones that appear in map applications like Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze… You can configure it with CarPlay to be aware of them and not miss anything. However, there are mobile radars and other types of controls that do not appear in these applications.
Years ago, the DGT started with a campaign against radar detectorswhich are punishable by a fine of 500 dollars and three points on your license. Drivers have now found another way to warn each other via a well-known iPhone app. Yes, we’re talking about WhatsApp.
WhatsApp has become the new way to detect speed cameras
Last May, a person was tried for alert 15,000 drivers of the possibility of coming across a speed camera or road control. This person was from Galicia, and that is where the name “Galician method” comes from. Through multiple WhatsApp groupsthey have been informed of the various police checks. The DGT is aware of this, even if for the moment it is content to warn of the dangers that such an approach can cause to people.
Radar detectors are banned because they are able to know where they are in real time. However, Alerters operate via a public database. This method is legal and is the one used in Maps applications.
The DGT behind the “Galician method”
Legally, there is no applicable sanction in the Highway Code that specifies the prohibition of alerting about a check via a WhatsApp message or a Waze notification. These requests They hide behind the fact that notifications warn the driver from what other users have added, but the app is not able to detect speed cameras by itself.
The persecution of these applications has led some security forces to give false notices to drivers. This is why drivers have opted for WhatsApp or Telegram to complement these applications and alert thousands of drivers of a radar or a control in one go. On this subject, there is only a small appreciation in Article 36.23 of the Citizen Security Act:
The unauthorized use of images or personal or professional data of authorities or members of the security forces and bodies likely to endanger the personal or family security of agents, protected installations or to compromise the success of an operation is prohibited, with regard to the fundamental right to information.
It was this article that was used to arrest the Galician who participated in several WhatsApp groups last May. The DGT will continue these habits Since it is not just a matter of a driver avoiding a speed camera, there is also the risk of alcohol or drug testing on the road which can directly affect other people and cause serious harm.
Images | Freepik
Source | The Vigo Lighthouse
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