Nowadays, through apps such as Waze or Coyote, motorists can report speed camera locations; this is a significant number of people, as Waze, for example, claims to have over 10 million users in France. It’s a modern version of the headlight flash – which, of course, irritates the police. That’s why the Road Safety Authority wants to introduce an ‘invisibility cloak’ for them by the end of the year.
It is exactly the same principle as in Harry Potter. Just like the famous wizard, law enforcement officers will be able, whenever they wish, to ‘don’ this invisibility cloak. In practical terms, this means that police officers and gendarmes will be able to compel operators such as Coyote or Waze to disable in-car warning systems within a given control zone, on pain of a fine – the amount of which has not yet been set.
In other words, motorists can still try to report the presence of police on the roadside, but the information will not appear, and other drivers will not be alerted. This measure is intended to be used solely for alcohol and drug checks, as well as in the event of alerts such as terrorist attacks or kidnappings. However, speed checks may continue to be displayed on these apps, as, according to Road Safety, such alerts can be beneficial because they encourage drivers to slow down.