Switzerland bans red-light & speed trap warning satnavs. Other countries to follow?

New laws in Switzerland have made it illegal to sell GPS navigation devices that give the driver warnings about stationary and mobile radar traps as well as traffic light cameras. Motorists using them or anyone found producing, importing or selling such devices are facing not only fines but possible jail terms as well. Salespeople of navigation equipment received a list of the banned devices, which included products from industry giants TomTom, Navman, Sony and ViaMichelin.

Most of the manufacturers claim the addition of such features increases road safety, which they maintain is the main priority. Despite this, government agencies are now looking beyond in-car electronics and are considering administering new laws against sending out warnings over the Internet, radio or SMS. It’s only a matter of time until such rules spread into other countries. No doubt the strict UK government is already looking in to this.