Trapster puts the power to avoid police in your hands. Image from Flikr.

The best way to avoid getting a speeding ticket is to not speed. However, for those who just don’t see that as an option, there is Trapster. Trapster is a free smartphone app that “maps out and alerts users in real time to the presence of live police speed traps, red light cameras, speed cameras, and areas where police often hide,” says Wikipedia.

Personally, I think Trapster developer Pete Tenereillo really missed out on a fortune by not charging for this app. This dude would be a multimillionaire if all of the people who have downloaded Trapster had paid for it. I wonder if he’s so well off that he doesn’t need cheap payday loans or the cash he would have made from Trapster.

More Trapster features

As if warning you about nearby cops and cameras weren’t enough to get every smartphone-having driver out there interested in Trapster, it does more. Trapster users can use it to log trip data and even share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Some people think the idea of letting a whole big, public social network know exactly where you are is creepy and dangerous, but others think exactly the opposite is true. I definitely think it’s good to let people close to you know where you are and what you’re doing when you’re away from home, but I keep my Facebook profile private so not just anyone can use information on it to track me down.

Trapster as a financial planning tool

Of course, no one wants to get a speeding ticket. They are super expensive, and when you tack on the possibility that it could hike up your insurance rate, it’s even more so. Also, police officers will always look for additional offenses to tack onto your ticket like not wearing a seat belt, dark window tint, you name it.

Not having to deal with the cops and the cost of getting involved in the legal system is definitely a plus, but of course Trapster has been quite the controversial little tool. After all, if drivers know where the cops are, they know where the cops aren’t, and for some that means it’s speed demon time. So I cannot argue with the fact that Trapster does help people break the law.

New Trapster release

Tuesday a new, improved version of Trapster is coming out. CNET says the new version of Trapster features an improved interface, Bluetooth audio, built-in iPod controls, rotating maps and a real-time traffic map. Now, that last one sounds really handy!