TrapTap maps speed traps and more

TrapTap, which has raised over $200,000 on Kickstarter with about a week to go, alerts drivers to speed traps, school zones, speed zones, and red light cameras by blinking red, green, or blue. But it’s not a radar detector; it’s more like connected car training wheels.

TrapTap says it has mapped every school zone and red light camera in 60 countries. You stick the little round puck on the dashboard and connect it to an app on your phone via Bluetooth so it can use the GPS. Then, when you’re at an intersection with a red light camera or near a school zone, the puck glows red.

But that’s not all — there’s also the tapping part. When you notice a speed trap set up along the highway, you double tap the device. This “sets the trap” and uploads the location to TrapTap, which then lets other drivers behind you know there’s a cop with a speed detector hiding behind the next hill. On the other hand, if you’re driving along and the puck glows blue but there’s no sign of smokey, another double tap will let the system know the trap has cleared out.

Like more sophisticated live mapping services, such as HERE HD Live Map, TrapTap uses algorithms to weed out false positives. The more data the system receives, the more reliable the information will be.

The TrapTap Kickstarter campaign shows that people are willing to provide — and receive — this data. More than 2000 units have been claimed already, raising more than three times the campaign’s goal of $64,316. The retail price will be set at about $180. And batteries are included.