Cobra Electronics is tapping the wisdom of the crowd to foil traffic cops, announcing today that it's adding user reports to its iRadar radar detector database. The iRadar is already notewothy for hooking databased reports on speed traps, red-light cameras and driving hazards to drivers' smartphones; now, the drivers will be able to fill in the gaps while they're driving.
The $169 system debuted last month with a companion free iPhone app and will launch on Android in March, said Brian Hosler of Cobra's detection and navigation unit. By crowdsourcing data, it will essentially be a constantly updated service that drivers can tweak "with instant feedback — true or false — in real time" whenever they get a warning of an approaching speed trap, he said.
Drivers on miltary bases and in Virginia and Washington, D.C., need not bother, however. Radar detectors are illegal there.
