| Page 2 of 2 < |
Man Hopes to Cash In On Speed Camera Law
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Solomon said he has no objection to the PhantomAlert warning, because it could get motorists to slow down.
Local police have mixed reactions to the service.
"If drivers think they only get a ticket when their little device goes off, that could lead them into a false sense of security, which could cause them to speed," said Lisa Sutter, a District employee who is responsible for camera enforcement, overseeing 22 speed cameras and 49 red-light cameras.
In Virginia, which doesn't have speed cameras, PhantomAlert is used by drivers who want to know where police encamp with radar guns.
Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, said that by publicizing those locations, PhantomAlert could create the perception that there are more roadside police at any given time than is actually the case. "If it's a deterrent, that's a good thing," Geller said.
Maurice Nelson, who runs Montgomery's camera-enforcement program, said the service raises awareness of speed cameras. Still, he said he worries that the product sends a message to drivers that as long as they're not getting alerts, they can hit the gas.
Nelson said he absolutely doesn't like one aspect of the service: an option that warns drivers of places where police operate checkpoints to find drunk drivers. On PhantomAlert's Web site, the DUI checkpoint locations are marked with a tiny martini-glass icon. "That is the worst use of that technology," Nelson said.
Scott, 39, who markets PhantomAlert as a tool to enhance public safety, grew up in Ethiopia and was known as Joseph Seyoum after he moved to the United States in his teens.
By 2002, he was selling PhotoBlocker, a high-gloss formula in a can that customers sprayed onto license plates. It was designed to create a bright reflection that made the photo image difficult to read.
He also rolled out PhotoShield, a clear license plate cover with a similar purpose.
The products caught the attention of the Consumer Protection Bureau in Pennsylvania, where Scott's company was based. Officials said Scott exaggerated PhotoBlocker's efficacy and falsely led customers to think they were legal across the country.
While admitting no wrongdoing, Scott agreed to pay $25,000 to the state to settle the matter. Scott says GPS device warning systems are the future. The basic PhantomAlert service costs $40 a year.
Among the subscribers is Forage, the software salesman who spends all that time in his Cadillac. Forage said PhantomAlert hearkens back to a time of citizens band radios.
"It reminds me of back in the '70s, when the CB's were out," he said. "People were networking, trying to keep from getting speeding tickets. . . . This is a high-tech version of that."
Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.
Mobile
Email