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In good news for the lead-footed, D.C. started reducing the prices for some of its steep traffic camera fines last year. But one app producer wants to help people avoid the tickets entirely.
Inspired by taxi-driving relatives who were seeing their profits eaten up by multiple monthly traffic tickets, Virginia resident Faris Gessese, his brother Joseph, and a hired programmer started working on a traffic camera app for the Washington area three months ago. The recently-released result, DMV Traffic, makes a noise and flashes red when a driver is close to a speed or red light camera.
“The pricing is so high people can’t afford it,” says Gessese. “So why not warn them 100 yards before those hazardous locations?”
DMV Traffic, which is selling for $1.99 in the app store, costs more than free competitors like PhantomALERT. But Gessese claims his app contains at least 300 more D.C. metro area camera locations than its rivals.
Gessese hopes his app will improve traffic safety, since the stretches of road with cameras are also theoretically some of the most dangerous areas of road. Still, he doesn’t think that’s the reason the cameras are there. “I really think it’s more for revenue than actual safety,” he says.