Colorado’s new average-speed camera system makes Waze nearly useless

What’s changing

It has been reported that Colorado is rolling out an average‑speed camera program that tracks vehicles across multiple points on a road, rather than relying on a single fixed camera. Motor1 first flagged the system, and slashdot picked up the story: the state’s automated vehicle‑identification setup allegedly records times at different locations and calculates a vehicle’s average speed between them. Slow down for one camera? That won’t cut it anymore.

How it works — and why apps lose

Traditional warnings from Waze, Radarbot and similar apps point you to a specific camera or hotspot. Average‑speed enforcement turns that approach on its head. Instead of spotting one camera and tiptoeing past it, drivers would need to stay under the limit for a whole stretch of road — sometimes miles — because the system measures your trip time between two or more detectors. Clever? Yes. Frustrating for the dodge-and-swerve crowd? Also yes.

Drivers, privacy and the debate

Drivers already grumble that navigation apps are their last lifeline to avoid a surprise ticket. Now those lifelines look frayed. Safety advocates will argue this reduces risky braking and speed spikes — straightforward public‑safety math. Privacy and civil‑liberties voices will push back, asking how long plate data is stored and who gets access. Is it a necessary tweak to save lives or another step toward constant surveillance? The answer will matter to both commuters and policy wonks.

This is part of a broader trend: enforcement moving from single points to continuous monitoring. The cat‑and‑mouse game between drivers and apps has been entertaining — but perhaps it’s over. Time to ask: should drivers adapt, or should we rethink where the line between safety and scrutiny is drawn?

Sources: motor1.com, Slashdot